Page 28 of Giving In

“Please be kind andpiss off.” She says the last two words in her best British accent, and it makes him chuckle.

“Come, we need to have a chat,” he replies in a more serious voice,

“Do I look like I want to die? Go away.”

There’s a few seconds of silence cut by Rose’s furious voice.

“Ow…fuck, let go. Sam. Let go…” her voice dies down and a few seconds later I don’t hear them anymore.

Tonight is my night of braveness – or stupidness however you want to call it – so I open the door and look around. Surely, they didn’t go back to the busy living room. I follow the hallway in the direction opposite to the party and go up a flight of stairs that are too narrow to be the main stairs.

I reach another hallway, it’s much quieter than downstairs and no one seems to have wandered to this bit of the house. This part looks slightly older and there are three doors. I open the first one and enter what looks like a studio apartment. I quickly realize that I’m in the help’s quarter. Is this really a thing rich people have? How 18th century.

I leave the small studio as soon as I understand it’s completely empty. I hear two voices down the hall and follow. There’s light coming from a door that’s been left ajar. I silently walk to the side of the door, giving myself access to see them without being seen.

‘Curiosity killed the cat, Jamie’I hear my mom’s voice. I smile when I remember what six-year-old Jamie used to reply. ‘I’m not a cat, mommy. I’m a detective.’

You’re a nosy bitch, that’s what you are.My inner voice reminds me.

Rose is standing in front of Sam and for once she’s got a serious face on. He, however, is looking at her with a sneer on his face.

“I can’t believe you’re avoiding me. That hard to admit you missed me?” he states.

“If you think I missed you, you’re even more fucked up than I thought,” she replies through gritted teeth.

I can see her jaw ticking and she’s holding her fists tight against her side. He takes a few steps to be closer to her and grabs her chin tilting her face up. Rose is tall but Sam is a giant. He gives Chris a good run for his money when it comes to height. She looks in his eyes for a few seconds. I know this look, it says everything, tells a thousand stories. Mainly it portrays the truth: she likes him. She quickly snaps back into her role and slaps his hand away before shoving him in the shoulder.

“Don’t,” she growls.

“Fuck, Rose, you were so much more fun when you were in love with me. What happened to you? Is it because I never gave you a chance? It’s not too late to admit it.”

“I wasn’t in love with you. It was just a kid’s fantasy. Get over yourself.”

He chuckles at her, mocking her. “Right, you tell yourself what you can to forget about me, love.” He grabs a phone from his back pocket. “Did you score from Roy and Carlo tonight?”

She shrugs and avoids his gaze.

“Rose. I just asked you a question. I know you're high off your face right now. So tell me: did you get it from Roy and Carlo, yes or no?”

“What if I did,” she tilts her chin up in defiance.

“Don’t. They’re still selling Volkov’s shit. By next week they’ll be selling mine and you can go back to your dirty habit.”

Her eyes widen in shock. “They will...what? Are you out of your fucking mind, Sam? You turned the Diaz brothers on Volkov? Are you trying to get them killed?!”

“They’ll be fine,” he shrugs. “They’ve got my protection now.”

Rose runs her hands on her face and in her hair in a stressful gesture. “Are you done? I’m leaving”

“Nope. Take this.” He hands her the phone he just got out and she takes it lazily.

“What do you want me to do with that?”

“It’s a burner. Got a few errands for you and Jake to do. Make sure they’re done on time,” he orders.

She frowns, slowly understanding. “No, no, no. Sam, you’re not getting us involved.” She tries to pass him the phone back, but he grabs her wrist, pulls her to his chest, and grabs her jaw with his free hand. She twists but he holds tighter.

Should I burst in? But if I do, I might miss important info and I have to keep an eye on my ultimate goal. I need to know how to find the Wolves.

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