The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

48| Monster

Rosé was shaking, horror rooting her to the spot as his words sank in, not even making sense.

"You monster," she rasped at last. "How could you even think like that?"

He laughed as she glanced around her, nearly in tears, hoping that nobody had noticed her agitation. Yeri was thankfully busy doing her job and everyone else was still dancing.

She needed to slip out of there, and fast, before the madman on the other end of the line did something unthinkable, before somebody noticed her panicked state and complicated the situation even further.

"Time's a-ticking, Thorn. Do you want me to give you a countdown? Get a move on."

She had no way of proving he was bluffing, which he probably was, just to get her to leave as punishment for hoodwinking him and bruising his ego.

But there was also the very sick possibility that he would carry out his terrible threats: blowing up either Ella's sleepover party, or the diner full of people, Lisa amongst them.

She couldn't even bear to think of the outcomes—Rosé had no choice but to obey.

Her heart thundered away in her chest, terror seizing control of her body and making her wade through the sea of people until she had made it to the diner entrance and burst through the door into the cool night air, phone still glued to her ear as she cast about her helplessly.

"We made a deal! You weren't going to watch my kid," she gritted, regaining a little of her righteousness, "so leave Ella alone or I swear, I'll bring you down if it's the last thing I do."

"You also promised to bring me information, Thorn," Yang reminded. "But pity, none seemed to be found. Two can play at that game, love. Your move."

 Rosé scanned her surroundings, urgently looking for any of Yang's lackeys. There were only a few people loitering outside. None of them screamed danger and they were all girls. But what if the Jays were at the back of the diner, armed with explosives or whatever Yang had in mind, ready to commit mass murder?

Rosé did her best to compose herself, to think about her next course of action without imagining increasingly morbid scenarios and panic even further.

The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself.

"Are you out of the damned place yet? The Jays are on standby and I don't want you to be caught in the mess. Debts have to be paid and all. Don't you dare play the martyr and stick around to stop me from blowing the place up or you'll be having your daughter's funeral tomorrow."

"Please, don't do anything! Call them off!" Rosé pleaded. "I'm going, I'm going, I'm out of there. I'm going home now."

"Good girl, I knew you'd see sense. Jay-J, tell all squads to stand down. She complied," Yang said before he came back to Rosé, sounding decidedly more placated. 

"Thorn, be careful. You're pulling at the leash and it won't be long before it tightens into a noose that you won't be able to escape from," he said meaningfully. "I was lenient and merciful tonight. Next time, I might not be. Keep that in mind. Now go home."

"Leave my daughter alone," Rosé said in tears. She was utterly drained and defeated. "Just...leave her alone. God, she's only eight, leave her out of this. I'll do any job you want, just don't touch her."

"Now that's what I like to hear. Don't give me any excuse to hurt her and she won't be," Yang answered. "I have a taxi coming to pick you up, he has all the details. Don't worry, it's just a regular cab driver. You can pay him yourself; I'm not forking out anymore money for you."