A fairytale without name (Rose and Marco)

Chapter 20

I lost count of the times I called or texted her. I had to find her. I had no idea if she was a target, if Dario's disappearance from his post had anything to do with her leaving. The worst images invaded my thoughts and before I knew it, I was standing outside Jay's place. Maybe he knew something more.

After reaching a dead end and before I alerted my contacts in the police to spread the word around, she texted Jay back saying that she was going to call him later. No hint of her whereabouts. I felt my heart returning to its place and for the first time in my life I experienced what the fear of losing someone you care about felt like. An awful feeling indeed.

I didn't stop calling or texting her throughout the following day. She would have to pick up eventually. Between trying to reach her, running the business and keeping the organization in line, I felt exhausted. These must have been the hardest twenty-four hours of my life. How did I end up like this?

When I saw her name flashing on my screen, I almost dropped my phone. After the quick exchange we had, she hang up and never returned any of my calls or texts. No one had ever hang up on me or dared to ignore me. I was furious and ready to make some very stupid choices. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm my nerves and think clearly. Setting priorities was the best course of action for the time being.

I knew she was safe. That was my top priority. I called Jay and asked him to find out where she had gone. He was about to give me a lecture on leaving her alone and all the reasons why I shouldn't be with her, but I wasn't having it. I needed to see her, just one last time.

When he called me later that day informing me that she was in Boston, back at her parents' house, I felt so relieved. I called my people in Boston ordering them to track her down and keep an eye on her until I would be able to get there.

Things had been wild all week; random attacks, lost shipments and an attempt against my brother were the highlights of it. I lost seventeen men and as much as I hadn't wanted to, I acted exactly as my father would. Driven by rage I answered to every hit with more force resulting to a vicious circle of blood. We were on the news daily. A meeting was set with the Irish leader and I reluctantly accepted. I had to put a stop to this madness. I couldn't recognize myself anymore.

We reached an agreement to cease fire and make peace for now. The danger of being exposed and risk every illegitimate business we had was now greater than ever. No matter how many police officials and politicians I had under my payroll, this kind of mess could not be concealed. My phone wouldn't stop ringing from people asking me to lie low and diffuse this fucked up situation, which was starting to seem as a massacre.

I hated being told what to do, but they were right. Our dead were buried and mourned properly. I felt empty and helpless for the first time in my life. When I took over four years ago, I thought that I could make it work, keep my hands clean from blood and my people safe. How naïve was I.

In the middle of this chaos, the only thing that kept me sane and strong was the thought of Rose. At the end of each day, I would receive a detailed report. Some days there would be pictures of her but as my people informed me, she mainly stayed in. Whenever I wanted to relax, I would take a look at a picture of her, touch her face and think about our kiss. I felt like some creep but I really needed this to keep me going.

The moment it was safe for me to leave New York, I packed a bag and arranged my trip to Boston. It was high time we spoke. I owed her honesty. I was fully aware that she would run for the hills the minute she found out what I really did for a living and the monster I truly was. But seeing her once more was worth it. Both my brother and Jay tried to talk me out of it, but my mind was made. She had managed to haunt my dreams, confuse my thoughts but brighten my life in ways I didn't know it was possible. One kiss and some cups of coffee had turned into an obsession. I couldn't even imagine what having her completely would do to me.