“Thanks for coming, Rosie.”
She nods. “Of course, but I already told you I can’t help you.”
“How is Ivy?” I ask.
“Okay.”
I nod. “Has he hurt her again?”
“Not that I can see but Mr. Henshaw is smart and would hide it under her clothes if he had.”
I’d been afraid of exactly that ever since I saw the bruise tucked under her shirt. “And how is she emotionally?”
“As well as can be expected, I think. She’s quiet and most of the time, she stays up in her room.”
I quirk a brow. “Her room? She doesn’t sleep in Julian’s room?”
“Please, I can’t be talking about these things. Mr. Henshaw will ruin my life if he ever finds out I was here talking to you.”
I reach across the table and lay my hand on hers. “I understand, Rosie. And I know you’re reluctant to help us, but I think you may be the only one who can.”
“There has to be someone else,” she whispers, her eyes widening and all the color draining from her face.
“There isn’t. I probably couldn’t even make it to the door and who else would be able to slip her this?” I set the burner phone on the table and her gaze drops to it.
“What is she going to do with that?”
I release a breath, relief coursing through me. At least she’s considering it. “Tell her she has to look for an opportunity to get away from the guards and all she has to do is call any number on this phone and we will drop everything to come get her.”
“She can’t get away from the guards. They follow her everywhere.”
Chance squeezes me to his side and leans forward. “Rosie, there has to be a moment when they let their guards down and she needs to seize it. She can’t overthink it and freeze up. If she wants to get away, this is how we have to do it. We’ve gone over everything and this is the only way.”
She blows out a breath, covering her forehead with her hand as she stares down at the phone and I can practically feel her fear from across the table. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Please, Rosie. Do you have a sister?”
“Yes,” she says, nodding. “Two.”
“What would you do to save them if they were in danger?”
“Anything.”
I nod. “Me, too. I would do anything to save Ivy, but this is my only option. I’m counting on you and Ivy needs you. Please.”
She lifts her gaze from the phone to look at me before glancing at Chance. Finally, she nods. “Okay. I’ll get it to her.”
“Thank you,” I practically sob as I grab her hand again.
“Make sure you tell her everything we told you, okay?” Chance stresses and Rosie nods.
“I will but I have to go now.”
I hand her the phone and she slips it into her pocket before grabbing her coffee and rushing out as she scans the café. We watch her climb into her car and drive away before I turn to Chance and bury my head in his neck.
“It’s gonna be okay, baby. This is going to work.”
I pray to God that he’s right.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Carly
Letting out a sigh, I fan the photos of the apartment Mercedes bought out on the counter and scroll through photos on the internet, trying to decide what style I’m going to go with. Mercedes only told me she wanted something that would work for a bunch of different people since she’s planning on renting it out, so I’m stuck on where to go with this. Although, I suppose I should go kind of high end since the unit is in a nice building downtown.
“What are you up to, Princess?” Chance asks, coming up behind me on the barstool and wrapping his arms around me. I sigh again and point to the computer.
“Trying to come up with a design for Mercedes’ rental apartment.” It’s the same thing I’ve been working on all day with no luck. My mind has been too preoccupied with our meeting with Rosie this morning and everything she told us. “Why do you think Ivy doesn’t sleep in Julian’s room?”
Chance shakes his head. “I’ve got no clue, babe. It’s definitely weird.”
“This whole thing is weird,” I whisper. It’s a feeling I’ve been unable to shake since Streak showed us all the information he had collected and I know that we’re missing something. It’s unnerving.
“Hey, what do you say we get out of the apartment and do something fun?”
I purse my lips, looking down at the work I’m supposed to be doing. “I don’t know. I really need to get cracking on this.”
“Darlin’, you’ve been staring at this all damn day,” he says, turning me away from my work to face him as he rubs my arms. “You need to relax a little bit and then you’ll be able to focus.”
Sighing, I glance back at the photos. I know he’s right. There’s no way that I’ll be able to get anything done when my mind is consumed with thoughts of Ivy and how she’s doing. It could be weeks before she’s able to slip away and I’ll always be worried about her, but I need to find a way to live my life, too.
“All right, what did you have in mind?”
He grins. “Leave that up to me. You just go get dressed.”
“Am I going to get peed on again?” I ask, quirking a brow and he laughs.
“I can’t make any promises.”
An idea hits me. “Actually, there is somewhere I’d like to take you.”
“Okay. I’ll let you decide this time.”
With a dramatic scoff and a roll of my eyes, I slip off the stool and leave him standing in the living room as I go to the closet. Once inside, I sift through the racks before pulling on a pair of jean shorts and white baby doll eyelet tank top. Back in the bedroom, I grab one of the necklaces on my jewelry rack – a jade green pendant on a gold chain – and slip it over my head. As I slip my flip-flops on, Chance walks in and grins.
“Ready to go?”
“Yep. Is that what you’re going to wear?” I ask, pointing to his jeans as I strut over to him and throw my arms over his shoulders. His grin grows and he nods his head.
“Yes. What’s wrong with it? You taking me somewhere super fancy? You should probably tell me where we’re going so I know what the appropriate attire is.”
With a huff, I pull away from him and he laughs, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me back into him. It figures that the one time I try to surprise him, he can’t handle the secrecy.
“Damn, I love riling you up, baby.”
I cross my arms over my chest and look away from him. “Keep it up and see how often you get laid, Turner.”
“Oh, yeah?” He pulls me closer, molding my body to his as his lips hover over mine and I suck in a breath. God damn him. “You think you can last longer than me?”
“I know I can.” Especially if he’s going to throw down a challenge.
He laughs. “We’ll just have to see about that. Time to go.”
He releases me only to grab my hand and lead me out into the living room. I snatch my phone off the counter as we pass the island, slipping it in my pocket before grabbing my purse off the entry table.