Page 53 of Devious
Aiden: She’s in the passenger seat.
Me: I’ll catch up with you later.
Roselyn
Damien takes my arm and ushers me to the black SUV. I stop in the middle of the street to find we’re not surrounded by guards. This is the perfect time for me to run, to get away from this lifestyle like I always wanted to, but the truth is, I don’t want to run because Devious makes me feel safe. The window of the driver’s side rolls down, and Aiden waves his hand. Devious is going to kill Terrance to protect me, and I’ve never had anyone do that in my honor. Maybe I’ve been wrong about him and he actually cares about me.
“Good to see you’re not harmed. Get in the car, doll face.”
Hope floods my body. Pure relief overrides my senses, and I never thought I’d be happy to see Villainous’s face. I thought for certain Devious wasn’t going to come after me, especially after the fight we had at the gala. I thought he didn’t care about me. Maybe he doesn’t, but I don’t care. I’d rather be with Devious than go with another man I don’t know. I’m going to be forever in debt to Devious for saving me and it makes me feel thankful and humble. That I’m cared for and I actually matter.
What if Devious thinks it’s my fault, and the only reason why he rescued me is because he thought I was running and is going to punish me? Fuck. I need to convince him I wasn’t. I wanted space from him because he’s unbearable for me to be around, especially when he starts trying to manipulate me. Heat tickles the back of my neck, and I breathe rapidly. I hop into the back seat, slouching next to a bodyguard. I glance out the window. The skyscraper buildings pass in a blur.
“I wasn’t running,” I say out loud. “I was going to the bathroom, and those guys cornered me and grabbed me. They knocked out Max. Devious has to believe me.” My tone is low.
Villainous rubs the back of his neck. “I’ll have a talk with D. Don’t worry about it, Roselyn. I’m sure he knows you weren’t.”
His words don’t do jack shit to calm down my anxiety. Devious is going to punish me. I need to come up with a plan to get him to see I’m innocent. If Devious gets a hunch or even thinks I’ll betray him, then he will punish me. And if he doesn’t believe me? What can I do? I can’t. I’ll be stuck with him. Unless he kills me.
Three hours later, we drive into the garage, and I have to admit I’m happy to see it. It might not be the place I want to call home, but it’s home for me. Aiden parks the car next to the row of other cars. I hop out and follow behind Aiden as he unlocks the door. I pivot on my heels to head upstairs to the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Aiden asks with his hands in his pockets, much like Devious. I never took the time to look at Aiden. They are completely opposite even though they are identical twins. He has tattoos all over him. He smells of cigarettes and sandalwood. He seems nice, but I doubt he’s anything he appears to be. He’s one of those men who keeps his viciousness at bay. There is a reason people call him Villainous, and I don’t want to find out why.
“I’m going t—”
“You need to eat something. Come with me to the kitchen.”
I nod, strolling downstairs and into the kitchen. He points to the barstool in front of the breakfast nook.
“Sit,” he orders.
Sheesh, he’s as bossy as Devious. I do what he says, inhaling deeply. It smells like fresh Pine-Sol.
“What do you want to eat?”
To be honest, I’m not hungry. I’m too shaken up by what had happened and how I’m going to explain to Devious I didn’t betray him. But I don’t want to be an ungrateful brat and turn down his offer. And from the way he’s looking at me, he’s not going to take no for an answer. I tap my finger on the granite counter.
“Surprise me,” I say.
He cocks a thick eyebrow. “You like seafood?”
“I love seafood.”
“I’ll make you baked honey garlic salmon.” He opens the fridge and takes out a few plates of salmon covered in clear plastic, then some honey, lime, and a few other bottles of ingredients. I watch as he turns the knob on the stove and places the iron skillet on it. He doesn’t move the way Devious does, with the elegance of a man with power or high intellect. He seems a bit rougher around the edges.
“Sounds tasty,” I answer.
He seasons the food and places it into the skillet. The sound of the pan sizzling bounces off the walls. We sit in silence. Devious never told me I couldn’t speak to his brother or ask him questions. I’m not sure how close they are because Devious didn’t tell me anything about their relationship. Now that I think about it, Devious never shared anything with me.
“Aiden. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Are you and Devious close?”
He stops what he’s doing and stares at me. “Yeah. We’re very close. Why?”
“He’s not going to punish me because of what those guys did to me, is he?” I ask again.
