Page 96 of Carnival
She nods, wiping the tears away with the back of her palm. My eyes dip down to her feet, muscles in my jaw tensing at the sight of her bandaged-up feet in those goddamn heels. The bandages are bloodied, and it’s a recent thing. But before I can question her on it, she puts my arm around her shoulder and starts leading me out, my foot limping.
“How did you find me?”
Rose’s shoulders tense for a brief moment, but she brushes it off. “I stole the keys from Maverick.’’
My brows narrow. “That doesn’t answer the question.’’
“Vivian lifted my room confinement, so I was exploring the manor. Came across these stairs, then got forbidden from approaching them ever again. Of course, I just waited until no one was paying attention to sneak back here.’’
“I highly doubt that no one’s paying attention, hellion.’’ I pause once we reach the top of the stairs. Rose peeks her head to the left, skimming the surroundings. She gives me a brief nod, and then we start walking down the hallway.
I’m painfully aware of the cameras. I’m painfully aware that Rose hasn’t thought this through in the slightest. Best-case scenario, we reach the outside of the manor before we’re ambushed. Worst-case scenario, we don’t make it past the door.
“Hellion,’’ I whisper. “I can walk now.’’
Reluctantly, she gently puts my arm down, and I ignore the ache of my broken wrist. My eyes find Rose’s face, and for a moment, everything else disappears. Something swells in my chest, and the feeling is inexplicable. She could’ve tried to run away on her own, yet she chose to come back for me.
My girl loves me, even if she’s not ready to admit it herself.
“We need to go,’’ she whispers, taking a step further down the dimly lit hallway. I follow closely behind her, my main focus on getting her out of this hellhole safely. I’m fucking worried about this whole ordeal. We have no weapons on us and no actual plan.
Vivian allowed this to happen for a reason, and I’m dreading finding out what the reason might be.
“From what I’ve seen, there should be a few cars parked outside,’’ she lowers her voice. “I don’t know if the keys are in them, though.’’
“Don’t worry about it,’’ I try to reassure her. “It wouldn’t be my first time starting a car without the key.’’
I take her hand in mine, giving it a tight squeeze. Her smaller, warm hand fits perfectly against mine. The closer she is to me, the more I can smell her. It’s soothing, in the most fucked-up way. There’s a high chance we’ll both die tonight.
And if I die by her side, I’ll die the happiest man.
In life and in death, I won’t be parted from her. Everything that Rosalie is, and everything she wants to be— it’s all mine. It all belongs to me. As my eyes lock with hers, I can tell she’s thinking it, too. We’re in this together, for better or for worse.
Not even death will do us part.
“Ready?” I ask.
The front door of the manor is a few feet away from us. It appears to be locked, but Rose pulls out the few keys she managed to snatch from Maverick — who, I’m assuming, is the man that’s always with Vivian, and I bet at least one will match the keyhole. Her eyes move to the door, and she takes in a deep breath, steeling herself, bracing for the risk we’re about to take.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.’’
I keep my hold on her hand firm, gripping it tightly, just to ensure she doesn’t slip from my grasp. My senses are keen and on alert for any possible dangerous situations. Rose’s hand trembles in mine, but the determination on her face doesn’t falter.
The keys make a slight noise, and she sucks in a deep breath, pausing to ensure no one’s heard. I know someone did. I know this will go wrong in about a few minutes, but there’s no going back from this.
She puts the key into the keyhole, then twists it. The door unlocks, and she doesn’t waste a single second before she pulls the door open, and both of us start running outside.
That’s when it fucking happens.
Vivian’s men jump out of the shadows, their weapons drawn. They’re all pointing at me, not at her, and for that, I’m beyond grateful.
“You will not take another step forward,’’ Maverick announces, his gun aiming right at my head. Rose freezes beside me, and he doesn’t pay any attention to her. “Miss, I highly suggest you come with me.’’
“No,’’ she responds, straightening up. The shock wears off, and she lets go of my hand. She steps forward, shielding me from Maverick’s aim. As admirable as that is, the bastards here are sick, and if they want me dead, they will hurt her in the process of having that happen.
“Move, hellion,’’ I whisper.
“No,’’ she grits out. “I’m not moving.’’
