“Oh, Loretta, I’ll send some things over to your room shortly,” Mia calls from where she’s standing.
As Mrs. Washington shows us to our rooms, she also explains that each one has its own attached bathroom and that they have placed all our belongs into the rooms. Stepping into the room, I still can’t believe I’m in a place like this. I don’t even take in the room before I rush into the bathroom only to stop short at how absolutely stunning it is. I’ve never had anything but a stand-up shower. I’d always dreamed of having a bathtub to soak in. Now, in front of me is the biggest bathtub I’ve ever seen. I want to cry at my not having time to use it right now. A knock at the door stops my runaway thoughts. I make my way back across the large room to the door and pull it open, smiling when I see Mia standing there with arms full of stuff.
“So there was so much shit.” She smiles. “That means I brought you what I could carry and lots of options because with you in your man’s shirt I have no idea what your actual style is.”
“Well, I’ve spent the last five years since getting out of jail trying to figure it out and still have no damn clue,” I tell her without thinking through what I’m saying.
Mia's eyes went wide. “You were in jail?”
Feeling embarrassed and then angry for being embarrassed, I say, “Yeah, I was framed for the murder of my stepfather, but because I was a minor and there was questions about his character, I only did time in a juvenile prison.”
I watch as Mia’s brain turns with the information I just gave her and then, to my complete shock, her face lights up. “Oh shit, you’re the girl who went to jail to keep her off the radar of the families and the enemies that your stepfather owed money to. As well as to keep people from digging too hard into his life. That’s badass and means that you're meant to be one of us.”
My head spins with her words. Is that what happened? I know Vito was the man in the shadows that night, but he spared me.
“Can I ask you something? If you can’t answer me, I understand.” I pace the floor, my thoughts running a mile a minute.
She comes into the room, placing the clothes on the edge of the bed before taking a seat beside them. “You can ask me anything, but know that it doesn’t mean I’ll answer your question.”
“You know, Vito said something very similar to that last night.” I shake my head, not believing that it was just last night I realized the man that ruined everything so many years ago may just be the man that ended up saving me in the end.
“He seems to care for you an awful lot considering everything he did to protect you,” Mia smiles wide.
“That’s just it. I’ve only had an actual conversation with him twice before last night, but ever since the first time I have felt like I’ve known him. I always felt completely safe with him. Hell, I got in a car with a man that said Vito sent him without a second thought and now I’m in Nashville,” I ramble, still pacing.
“Loretta, honey, that was not a question,” Mira laughs.
“Oh right. On the night my stepfather was murdered, there was a shadow in the corner of my room. I literally just told him he was in the wrong room, and he could find my stepfather at the end of the hall. Which, in the grand scheme of things, makes me a witness. When you dispose of the Assistant Police Chief, the last you want is a witness, right?” I finally ask her.
“I mean, typically a witness is very bad though any family with a sliver of moral code won’t harm women or children.” Mia answers.
“Even if I could’ve told the cops who did it?” I stop pacing and look at her. “Then why not just be done with me?”
Mia gives me a soft smile. “Well, let’s think about it this way, and you’re going to have to confirm this with Vito. If the family needs to take care of a problem for whatever reason, and in the case of your stepfather, it’s because he was sticking his hand in too many pots and owed some very bad people money as well, and he had done unspeakable things to the innocent. So, if the case was like his, the Shadow Man would be sent in to take care of this problem for the family. His orders being deal with it, nothing comes back on the family, and no witnesses—but he finds you there. He must think quickly about what to do with you. His choices aren’t good, so he does the best thing he can do.”
It finally clicks into place. “He set me up to take the fall. That way, no one would believe me if I blamed it on others while also placing me somewhere he could keep me safe and off the radar of people who would come looking for me to pay his debts. By the time I’m out of jail and change my name to my mother’s maiden name, I wouldn’t be on their radar any longer and still will be under his protection.”
“Now you get it. The thing about loving men in this line of work is knowing that you can and most likely will end up in a situation that isn’t your doing, no matter the safety measures and such they put in place. If you choose to love them and let them love you, nothing else will ever compare to it.” Mia stands, wrapping me in a tight hug. “I can tell by the look in your eyes that you’ve already made your choice. Now get ready so we can go find you the perfect outfit to remind him why he keeps choosing you.”
A truly happy smile spreads across my face for the first time in more years than I can count. Mia squeezes my arm one last time before leaving me to do what I need to do. She wasn’t wrong. We’re nearly the same size except I’m about three inches taller. I finally find some black leggings and an oversized sweater that feels like butter to wear. Looking through the bathroom, I find a jackpot of unused products. I pull out a hairbrush and toothbrush using both. When I’ve done everything that I can to get ready considering I don’t have any of my stuff, I head out to find the other women.
I find them sitting in the living room talking and smile at how normal I feel for the first time in over five years. When I walk in, they stop talking, looking at me with wide eyes. Feeling uncomfortable, I pat my hair to make sure it’s not sticking up everywhere and then rub my hands down my sweater, smoothing it out.
“You truly are stunning. Stop fidgeting,” Lawson finally says.
“Shit.” I relax a little. “The way you all were looking at me, I thought maybe something was wrong with my outfit or my hair was looking crazy. So thank you, ladies.” I smile at them.
Mia stands clapping her hands. “Alright ladies, let’s get this show on the road.”
“Umm, can I borrow a pair of shoes? All I have are my slides, and it’s cold,” I ask them.
Lawson grabs me a pair of her boots that are about a half-size too big. They decide that the first stop is shoes so I can get a pair that fit properly. I spend the rest of the day doing exactly what I had always dreamed of doing with a group of friends. We tried on the craziest outfits, laughed until we cried, and just had a genuinely good time. Lawson and Mia told us all about the Halloween Ball they were throwing and how there would even be some of the other families there to show support for the full change of power that will be happening at the first of the year. We finally make it back to the house, and it's time for dinner. Lawson takes us into the dining room while Mia goes to check on the guys to see if they’re ready for dinner.
We spent the rest of the night eating dinner, laughing, and just having a great time. Vito has relaxed some and even let Grandfather Silas tell some stories from when he and Andre were young boys and getting into trouble. At some point, I lay my head on his shoulder and allow my eyes to close, just listening to everyone around me.
“You okay, my Blood Rose?” he whispers, rubbing my thigh.
“Yeah, just tired from the events of the day.” I am too tired to open my eyes or move.
