Chapter Fifteen
"Rolie Polie Olie"
"there's no such thing as the 'voiceless.'
there are only the deliberately silenced,
or the preferably unheard."
— arundhati roy
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The beginning of October came and went smoothly, thankfully.
The weather changed, and so did the outfits. And still, no sign of my family or any of their employees. And while I didn't have to put all my worries onto them, I couldn't help but avoid stressing about Daemon.
We were keeping this casual—mostly my doing, but I knew he agreed with my decision. My rule to basically say fuck off to everyone was still intact, although I was still curious to how the hell he managed to get through my barriers.
Maybe I was attracted to annoying, soulless robots?
But what I knew for sure was that Daemon was way too prideful over the fact he was the first I'd been with. His ego was stroked after the first night, but when I tried to tame it by warning that I had experienced with guys after I escaped my family, he just slammed his lips to mine and silenced me.
I blamed it on the fact he didn't want to have a bruised ego, but I digress.
"Mega-slut," Sydelle sang as she strutted inside the florist shop, taking me away from my thoughts in the process. "Mama's asking when's the next time you both can meet up. Something about the fundraiser."
I sent a smile in her direction before walking around the counter. Taking a quick glance from the clock on my left, I saw that it just hit five in the evening, so I started untying my apron.
"Why didn't she call me?" I asked, dropping the fabric on the table next to me before crossing my arms. Sydelle only shrugged before stopping a foot away from me.
"Don't ask me, I'm just the hot messenger."
"Hot messenger?" I chuckled and tilted my head to the right, scrutinizing her light wash mom jeans, black belt, and white turtleneck sweater. Her hair was styled naturally, with her wispy bangs covering her forehead, but the rest of her hair falling just under her collarbone. "You could pull off cute messenger. Nice jacket."
She grinned and grabbed the lapels of her tan pea coat before doing a spin for me. "You like? I got it on sale a week ago."
"You went shopping without me? Betrayed."
With a playful glare, she slapped my shoulder. "I had to buy an outfit for Friday. By the way, we're clubbing with Doris." She ignored my shocked expression with a smirk, "And please. You've been spending almost every day with your toy."
"First, since when was the club thing happening? And second, he's not my toy." It was my turn to glare. "And we're spending time with me kicking his ass."
Not the complete truth. Daemon is scarily a good fighter, with faster reflexes than anyone I've fought with. But every time I attempted to ask where he learned his skills, he'd just step back and warn me to hit harder.
"Kicking his ass or fucking his—"
"Sydelle!" I shouted but cleared my throat when I recognized my alarmed tone. I quickly laughed to hide my distraught. "We're training. No ass fucking here."
"Shame," she smirked, twirling in her spot so she could push her shoulder against mine. "It's not too late to try, though."
I rolled my eyes before gripping her upper arm. With a quick shove, she stumbled back a few steps before pouting. "You wound me."
"Don't flatter me," I remarked, before facing the counter again. Behind me, I felt Sydelle watching as I grabbed my purse from underneath the shelf before shoving my apron inside. "Wounding you is impossible."
Her brows shot up. "Is it opposite day?" She watched as I turned on the alarm before following me outside. "I'm pretty sure between the both of us, you're made of steel."
"Maybe I'll be the next superman." I started to smirk. "No, superwoman. I'm a bad ass."
"Yeah, mega-slut, you are," she chuckled while I began locking up the shop. "And you totally changed the topic. How's your toy?"
I rolled my eyes and twisted my body, so I could fully face her. "You know what? He's amazing. I love pulling his strings and throwing him on the ground. Repeatedly."
She threw her head back and laughed. "Kinky."
"Dirty mind," I tsked, sounding disappointed. But my smile hinted at my obvious amusement. "You still didn't answer my question."
I started to bring my keys inside my purse as I spun on my heel, checking out my surroundings for reassurance. "Doris invited us two days ago, but it's on Friday, so you have enough time to get an outfit," Sydelle began, standing next to me.
"Not everyone needs a new outfit every time they leave the house," I told her blankly before landing my focus on the far-left side of the street, close to where a black-labelled restaurant was.
My gaze faltered on a shadowy figure close to the corner.
"Shitty far distance eyes," I murmured to myself, narrowing my eyes. "Can you see who that is?" I outwardly pointed to the man, knowing it wasn't Daemon. Mostly because he wasn't wearing a suit, but rather, jeans and a zipped up sweater with the hoodie pulled on. He was wearing sunglasses, too, which made no sense because it looked ready to rain any second now.
Sydelle slid beside me and cocked her head. "I see blond hair."
Just as her words faltered, my brows rose as the person began zig-zagging between the people walking on the sidewalk, making his way to us. It wasn't long until he was standing a few feet away, but I only smiled innocently, tilting my head the slightest inch.
"I told you not to dress like a drug dealer."
Rolie instantly frowned before lifting his hand up to his hood. Sydelle and I stared as he pushed it away, followed by him laying the glasses on top of his wavy, champagne blond hair.
"I don't look like a drug dealer," he defended lamely as he stuck out his right foot closer to me. "What should I wear then, huh?"
I snorted. "Maybe not a black hoodie and shades together? Just a guess, though."
Instead of replying to my sarcasm, he rolled his eyes before peering over to Sydelle, who was watching us with a small smile. "Hi, Sydelle."
"Hey, Rolie Polie Olie," she chirped, grinning wider. "You about to steal my cousin?"
He gave a slight grimace. "Yeah." His gaze travelled back to me before inhaling slowly. "We need to talk."
Four words. Words that ran ice down my body.
My eyes widened, and for a moment, I couldn't move or speak, thinking the worst possible thoughts. Sydelle, the master mind reader she was, threw her arm around my shoulder leaned into me.
"Don't worry," she mumbled close to my ear before going on her toes to kiss my cheek. "Everything will be fine."
With a shaky breath, I nodded before studying Rolie's features. His lips were still pursed, with the corner of his eyes wrinkling as well. He tried to smile when he noticed I was staring.
"Let's talk at your place. We can Uber," he offered, but that only made me scrunch my brows.
"It's a twenty minute walk from here. We don't need to Uber," I drawled while clenching my legs together. "Don't be lazy like this one." I craned my neck to Sydelle, who noticed and shot daggers in my direction.
"Just because I don't like walking up six flights of stairs doesn't mean I'm lazy! The elevator is simply faster."
"You're simply lazy." My tone was light and teasing, but she continued to narrow her eyes. "Don't worry, it's part of your many quirks."
Not waiting for her reply, I twisted my head back to Rolie and added, "No one takes a taxi for a twenty minute walk. Not unless you're drunk."
Sydelle smirked at that. "True. Walking drunk and in heels really don't work together, not gonna lie."
Rolie rolled his eyes. "Well, we are." He settled his gaze on me and any trace of emotion fell from his expression. "We are, now."
Panic rose in my chest again, but I forced a smile in place as I tried manipulating my mind to think positively. I failed.
Sydelle clearly got the message though, so after giving me a quick hug, we parted ways with me striding closer to the end of the sidewalk with Rolie next to me. I stood to the side as he hailed for a cab, which came after another minute.
We slid inside the backseat and drove in silence, but my mind was anything but quiet.
He took the stairs to my apartment without an argument, but the moment I pushed the door open and dropped my bag and keys on the kitchen counter next to me, he began his panicked rant.
"I wasn't planning on coming until next week, because I was trying to figure out a way to tell you the truth, but when I finally stopped and realized what was happening, it was too late," he rambled, pacing in front of the closed door. His head was cast downward as he rubbed his hands together anxiously. "I swear, as soon as I found out he was here, I snuck back into the country."
I tried to breathe, but air wasn't reaching my lungs as I stared at him. My feet were rooted on the ground with my body facing him, with me right beside the fridge.
"Him?" I echoed before swallowing thickly. My eyes roamed around my studio apartment in hopes in finding the closest water bottle. Luckily, I found one on the table next to the end of my couch, so I jogged forward and grasped it in my hands before chugging the rest of the drink.
I dropped it on the couch and turned back to Rolie, who crossed some of the distance between us. He was holding his phone with two hands, eyes drilling into it before cautiously facing me again.
Without saying anything else, he reached out and handed his phone, only for me to see a picture filling the display screen.
I furrowed my brows and brought it closer to me, examining the picture taken outside. More specifically, somewhere in the city of New York.
My eyes were narrowed on the top of the buildings first before lowering to the packed streets and sidewalks alike. "This was taken two days ago," he breathed out, watching me as I assessed the image. "Four blocks away from your apartment."
Just as he finished explaining, my eyes settled on the far-right corner of the sidewalk, where I saw the back of someone's black coat flying in the air as they strode forward.
I sucked in a breath as my eyes painfully moved upward. But the higher they went, the more I felt like crying. Because I knew who this man was, and he hadn't aged a day.
His hair was blond like the sun. It was pushed back, and his sideswere shaved. It almost gave the impression that he was sweet—gentle even. But Micah was anything but sweet.
My brother.
His eyes were just like mine: forest green. But while my eyes were more on the smaller side, Micah was gifted with dad's upturned size and dark lashes. He was tall, most of my siblings were, but he was also the most deadly to me. The most cruel.
His jaw was clenched with his lips flattened together, as if he was biting back the urge to kill someone, right there on the street. And despite his almost recognizable scowl, his face was cold, like he was on a mission.
He was in New York. Why would he be in New York?
I was gripping the phone close to my chest, hard enough that I felt like blisters were going to leave its place on my hands.
"I didn't even know there was a meeting in New York," Rolie breathed out, but I didn't miss how his tone wavered in fear. "I only found out from my dad."
When my eyes stumbled onto his again, we were both fear-stricken, but I did my best to hide it with a wary smile. "Do you think they know you're..." Hiding me.
I thankfully didn't have to finish my sentence. "They don't suspect me," he sounded so self-assured that it eased some of my worries about his safety.
But my relief was short-lived when he took a cautious step toward me, his downturned eyes lowering further as he watched me dejectedly. "But, Lee... you have to move."
There was a tightness in my chest, but I closed my eyes and lowered my head, trying to wish it away. Rolie took that as an invitation to cut the rest of the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, leaning the side of his head against mine. "But you have to. A new name. New story, new—"
"Identity," I whispered into his chest, feeling my eyes sting with unshed tears. "A new identity."
A shaky breath left him. "Yeah."
I tried to regulate my breathing by taking big gulps of air. But it wasn't reaching my lungs, so I started gasping, which only turned into choking sounds before I began crying softly.
"Alina," Rolie said pleadingly, holding me tighter to his chest. "Please don't cry. I hate it when you cry."
He started rocking us softly while I sobbed into his shoulder, clenching the fabric of his hoodie on either side of his waist. My mind felt heavy, and I tried screwing my eyes shut in an attempt to pretend my life wasn't really my own.
I just wanted to go under my blanket and pretend I was someone else. Living somewhere else.
After what felt like minutes of me silently crying into Rolie's shoulder, I managed to stop my body from trembling against him. "When do I have to go?"
When do I have to leave Sydelle? Daemon.
With a soft sigh, Rolie dropped his hands on my shoulders and slowly pushed himself away from me, until I was about to read the despair pouring out from his dark brown eyes.
"ASAP, Lee. It's too dangerous," he whispered, tucking some of my loose hair behind my ear. His hand lingered on my neck, though. "Please don't argue about this."
I shook my head, knowing defeat all too well when it came to running away. "I won't," I told him faintly. "I'll leave in three weeks. After my aunt's fundraiser. Then I'll... I'll go."
"Lee," he sighed, his face contorting into a grimace as his hand moved to the back of my neck, bringing me in for another hug. "I promise, I won't let them get to you."
I sank into his embrace, wrapping my arms around his waist. The words I love you were desperate to come out, because I did. If Rolie hadn't helped keep me hidden, or hell, didn't exist in my life, I wasn't sure where I'd be.
But of course, the words tasted bitter trying to come out, so I just smiled into his chest and exhaled a, "Thank you."
We continued to cling onto each other for another moment until I loosened my arms around his body. He started to do the same around my upper body, but before we could fully peel ourselves away from each other, a piercing sound filled my otherwise empty apartment.
Rolie jumped away and twisted his body to the door, a second after I did. But by the time his eyes settled on the intruder, I was already gawking in surprise.
Because the sound came from a gun—the safety of a gun being turned off.
And unsurprisingly, it was Daemon.
Like always, the gun was pointed to the ground, but his hand was holding it in a deadly grip as he stared heatedly at the both of us. Well, mostly at Rolie, who was gradually moving in front of me.
That took me out from my daze as I pushed him back to his original spot. He only threw me a confused frown, but I didn't spare him another glance before snapping my head back to Daemon, who was watching me now.
"Put the gun away, Shadow. I have company," I scolded with a glare.
He matched my expression but didn't listen to my kind suggestion.
So, a fake smile grew on my lips as I took two strides forward. Daemon was filling the space of the doorway, and while I was sure I locked the door, I didn't question it.
I gave a once-over to his suit-clad body before settling my gaze on his again, not losing my smile as I mumbled, "Put the gun away before I take it and shoot you in the foot."
Even with his eyes narrowing further, I didn't miss how the corner of his lip quirked before his thumb took its time going over the safety.
"Now give me the gun," I drawled slowly, like a mother telling her son to hand her something that didn't belong to him.
Hearing that, a faint frown grew on his lips. But instead of handing it over, he peered over my head. Just like that, the softness in his features swapped with tension.
"Who is he?" He snarled, glowering at Rolie while leaving me taken aback.
I treaded backward, closer to Rolie.
A look I didn't recognize crossed Daemon's features before his free hand lunged forward to grab my wrist. But I snapped it away and glared at him before peeking over my shoulder. I nudged my head, so Rolie could take the hint and come forward.
He was studying Daemon blankly, but moved next to me, nonetheless.
With a single exhale, my head rotated to Daemon. "Daemon! Gun down!" I barked when I saw his finger twitching over the trigger. Even though I knew the safety was on, with him, nothing could assure me.
"Who is he?" He demanded again. "And why was he touching you?"
A snort mixed with a laugh came from Rolie, and we both twisted our heads in his direction, only to see him biting back an amused smile. "Sorry, sorry. Continue."
"Let's see what's funny when I shoot a bullet between your—"
I slammed my hand over Daemon's mouth, and with the short distance between us, I glared directly into his eyes. "People skills," I hissed before snatching the gun out of his hold.
He didn't fight me on it and watched as I laid it on the kitchen counter, on the left side of the sink. Behind me, I heard Rolie clearing his throat. "I think I should go." His voice faltered by the end of his statement.
"Probably a good idea," I exhaled, gyrating my body back to him before smiling softly. He did the same, and despite our present company, he pulled me into another hug.
His head lowered closer to my ear before he whispered, "We need to talk soon about where you're gonna stay, Lee."
I nodded into his shoulder but said nothing before stepping away. "Call me this week," I mumbled before circling my head back to Daemon, whose hand was twitching on his side.
Rolie scrutinized Daemon when he moved closer to the door—which Daemon was blocking with his body. It was almost amusing, since Daemon was a few inches taller, and definitely broader than Rolie.
And I watched as they had a stand off, only for a snort to leave me. "Chill with the testosterone."
Since Rolie's back was to me, he threw an amused glance over his shoulder before Daemon stepped out of the way, so he could leave my apartment. But while the door started to close, Daemon fastened his gaze to mine.
His lips were pressed together in a hard line as he advanced toward me, not an emotion in place to give me a hint to what he was thinking.
I just stayed still in my spot, close to the couch. But as I began to cross my arms, his hand shot out and latched itself onto my wrist. Before I could realize what was happening, I yelped as Daemon tugged me forward, so I fell against his hard chest.
My hands flattened on him, but when I tried pushing myself away, his arms held me firmly around my waist.
Even though I knew how to get out of this, I just relaxed my body but still scowled when I stared into his calculatingly cool eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You've ignored my question twice now," he reminded me, trying to sound impartial. "And not only that, you let him touch you. Multiple times. Someone who wasn't me."
I couldn't stop myself from smirking. "Jealous?"
His arms tightened around me, bringing me closer to his chest as his head lowered. His eyes flashed with a mixture of impatience and anger before he bit out defensively, "I don't get jealous."
"And I don't talk back," I retorted in response.
It was his turn to snort.
I started to grin before moving my hands onto his shoulders. His eyes followed my movements, and from underneath me, I felt him softening before he pulled his arms back, only to grasp my waist.
His eyes remained on mine before lowering to my lips with a hungry expression. Realizing he was done pestering me for answers, I smiled in satisfaction before slipping my hands closer to the hair on the nape of his neck.
"That was Rolando," I admitted, feeling Daemon stiffen all over again. But when I began playing with his hair, he relaxed against me. "I've known him since we were kids. In diapers, actually. He's my friend."
I could see that he was trying his best not to make a remark that I'd get kicking urges from. So after loosening his clenched jaw, he grumbled, "But he touched you."
"Not the way you touch me," I laughed before trying to step out of his hold. "We can fix that if you want. I can ask him to come back and—"
Before my idea could reach his ears, he snatched me closer to his hard chest. "You are aggravating," he bit out, but I didn't miss how his foot tapped twice before stopping. "Only I touch you this way."
"What way?" I played dumb.
But when he started to smirk mischievously, I knew he enjoyed that.
His hand slid under my long sleeve shirt, and I gasped, feeling his scorching hand caress my smooth stomach before reaching higher to my bra-covered breast. "This way," he murmured, lost in thought as his thumb trialled over my nipple.
He wore a satisfied smirk, and I knew he wasn't thinking about Rolie anymore.
"You know," I whispered, my eyes feeling heavy as I spoke, "Normally, when men get all possessive, I get kicking urges."
Daemon's hand slithered its way to the space between my breasts before moving to my next nipple. His mouth dipped next to my ear and mumbled, "You don't wanna kick me, Rose?"
The sensation of his breath caressing my neck made me shiver. But still, I breathed out a chuckle and shook my head, smoothing my hands on the back of his neck. "No. I'm just as surprised as you are." With a small tug, I pulled on his hair, so he could meet my gaze.
His eyes were hooded and dropped to my lips. "Lucky me," he smirked, his voice seductive and sultry while his hands kept busy, lowering to the waistband of my pants.
"I think it's because I find your dominating side adorable. Almost pinching cheek worthy adorable," I teased with a beaming smile.
Like magic, his hands stilled on my waist. "Adorable?" His voice was chilling while our gazes collided. "Did you just call me adorable?"
I didn't lose my grin as I slid my hands off his neck, only to clasp his cheeks—which were slightly prickly, because of his stubble. Either way, I mushed them together and laughed. "Come on, look at that face."
Daemon slapped my hands away before getting out of my hold entirely. And while he shot glares that could frighten men and women alike, I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
"Did I hurt the robots feelings?" I pouted, only to chuckle some more.
He didn't find any humour in my teasing, but when I stretched my arm out to grasp his bicep, he didn't recoil from my touch. Instead, his head lowered, burning his eyes into mine.
"I don't like to think about emotions."
I quirked a brow. "Because you don't have any?"
He stared at me blankly. "Because they make decisions subjective. And I prefer to remain impassive."
"That failed long before you got jealous of Rolie."
Just like that, his eyes flashed with anger. "I was not jealous." To prove his point, he held me tighter around my waist, only to bring me closer to him.
Despite his defensive tone, I smiled warmly and slid my hands to his shoulders. He studied me with a clouded gaze, only to lift his chin when I cocked my head to the side.
"It's okay, Shadow. I won't tell anyone you're not completely bloodthirsty."
"How thoughtful," he murmured annoyingly.
Flashing him one last grin, I stepped away from his hold, only to stand in front of the couch. Daemon kept an eye on me as I piled my recently dyed light brown hair into a bun on the top of my head.
His gaze travelled to my neck and hesitated, and I smiled to myself when his chest expanded.
"You trust him?" He asked once he levelled his head with mine.
My lips flattened to a thin line before I nodded in sincerity. "I do."
With a final exhale, he pursed his lips together. "Okay." With that, he dove passed the space between us before clasping his hand with mine. And before I realized it, he was tugging me to the kitchen. "Let me make you something to eat."
He released me once I stood next to the fridge, but I only gaped once his back was to me. He didn't spare me a glance as he made his way around my cabinets.
"You know how to cook?" I managed to chuckle in surprise after a few moments, but he only peered over his shoulder to throw me a glare before twisting to the cupboards above the sink.
"Do you think I've starved myself?" His voice was accusing and playful, combined together.
With a soft laugh, I leaned my back against the cool fridge and watched him pull out some of the dishes he found. Taking this moment to myself, I remembered what Sydelle told me, just an hour or so earlier.
"If I ask you to come to a club with me, will you say yes?" I questioned, biting my lower lip unconsciously.
Instead of answering right away, he glanced my way but immediately dropped his gaze to my lips. They lingered before he twisted his body toward me, but staying rooted to his spot.
"It won't be safe," he reminded me gravely.
I smirked and shrugged lazily. "Okay, then come with me. Be all macho."
"Macho?" His lip quirked with amusement. "I thought I was adorable."
"Oh, you are," I grinned, sauntering toward him before patting his hard chest. His eyes followed me and darkened before he sunk his head closer to mine. "Don't worry, though. I won't let anyone know you repeat yourself for me. Or anything else that makes you seem not-robot-like."
With a final grin angled toward him, I skipped around him and toward my bathroom. "I eat almost anything but shellfish. I'm gonna shower while you do you, Gordon Ramsay."
I stepped inside the bathroom, but before I could fully close the door, I caught the faint sound of Daemon's low chuckle. I didn't stop my smile from growing after that.
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hi lovelies! so sorry for posting a
day later but I actually have a great
excuse: half of my country lost
internet because of one company :)
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
and just to let you know: double
posting starts NEXT WEEK!