Chapter 4

Hand prints stick on the wide window as she leans on it, with her soft hands pressed against it. And the hole in her heart widens.

She gulps in a large amount of air when someone barges in the room. Toe to heel, he struts towards her with his hands buried in his pockets.

“Where is Demetria Jordan?” his husky voice comes out salty. Rose pushes her back against the cold glass, her jaw muscles are convulsing.

“I asked you a damn question.” He clutches his hands on one of her arms, so hard it hurts.

Her eyes shut. And a thousand moans bolts from her.

“Where is she?” He shouts.

Say something. Don’t be a coward. You didn’t do anything. Her lips quiver. Her vocal cords are strained, no words come out.

Leo pins her against the wall with his strong hands pressing at both palms. The power in hands is enough to break a board. Rose writhes, but she is no match for him even with a bandaged hand. Screams escape her mouth, as soreness sinks in.

Feeling him so close to her, his mint breath tickling the soft, sensitive skin on her neck. He releases one of her palms and yanks her ponytail.

“You and your little friend are going to pay for stepping on my toes.”

Rose burst into tears, with her heart beating frantically, this guy’s presence is making her hair crawl back into her skin. Speechless. Saliva builds up in her mouth.

“This is what's going to happen, you are going to help me find Demitria or there will be consequences.” Leo demands.

“Uhhhh.” Rose flickers her eyes. Why are you quiet? Say something stupid?

“I swear I don’t know anything. Please, you have to let me go.”

“Can you prove it? Coz, I can.” He loosens his grip on her and she stumbles onto the floor.

Rose shields her head.

With ease, he puts his foot on her head with his classic Louboutins. “Come on, answer me! You have no idea of who you messed with.” Pressing his foot repeatedly on her head.

She whispers, “I don’t know anything. I don’t know..” her cheeks become damp and red from crying. "I don't know anything, please stop hurting me." her voice is barely coming out.

Rose keeps her eyes closed with her head leveled to the floor.

” Instead of crying you better start thinking of how you will make yourself useful.”

For some reason, she's feeling guilty, as if she really did all those things. Maybe she is not as innocent as she claims to be.

“Alonso, por favor trae mi maletín!” Leo shouts in the open. His Spanish accent makes her mouth full of saliva.

I am going to die. O, Lord. No...Papa... She wheezes. The briefcase is handed to Leo. The case opens, a bunch of photos and papers are thrown at her.

He poses in a squad to be in line with her “Are you still going to deny being involved in stealing my collection?”

Rose lifts herself up into a sitting position. Picks up some photos of her and Demetria and skim through the scattered documents in her hands. "Demetria Nicole Jordan" and “Rosalia Amara Nuñes” signed on all of them.

“There has got to be an explanation for this.” Rose stutters. “I can explain this...Yes I can, I promise.” She scrolls all over the papers roughly. With banking information and wire transfers of her account and Demetria’s.

“Uhum..Of course you can.”

“I just borrowed her money because I need it for my papa’s medical bills. That’s all.” Tears jolted down her face.

“I don’t believe you.” Leo shouts looking straight into her sloe-eyes, filled with a crystallization of russet brown.

More tears start dropping down her dainty cheeks. Attempting to stop them from coming out but they keep running like a stream.

Her head is set ablaze by pain from when he continuously shoved it down with his foot. “Your hell begins from this moment on.” He snatches her arm, forcing her to rise and pushes her on the bed and the nightgown slightly opens revealing her full chest.

He stops in his tracks and swallows hard at the sight of her. She notices he is staring at her exposed chest. Shame builds up and she closes it swiftly.

“Look at me very well, and read my lips.” He requests, but she fails to submit . Leo grasps her chin and forces her to look at him.

Her eyes lock with his obsidian, tea brown eyes, dark like the black hole in space. “Here is what’s going to happen, you are going to become my guinea and you're going to do exactly what I say.”

Rose flickers her eyelids.

"Have I made myself clear?” He demands.

“Crystal clear.” she stammers. Coward! Why? When will you learn, huh? I hate you so much Rosalia!

“Get some rest, tomorrow is another day.” Leo rakes his hand through his messy shoulder length curls.

Her eyelids drooped. Bastard!

He leaves the room and instructs one of the two men standing outside the room to guard and lock it. “Keep an eye on her and don’t let her out even if she is on fire.”

Rose goes under the blankets and a mesh of thoughts spins in her head. What will become of her now? Instead of flooding her head with absurdity, deciding to stay calm is a better solution. Besides, her brain has received enough shock for one day. She closes her eyes to try to sleep, tear drops run down her face.

Just great. My life couldn't get any more complicated. I am going to die alone! She wheezes, picturing everyone that left her.

Leo is trudging in the dark to kill time.

“Freeze!” A voice behind him commands.

“Tranquila, it’s just me” he responds, his hands in the air.

“Leo? What are you doing up so late?” Alonso questions pointing a weapon at him.

“It’s nothing, I can’t sleep as usual and I don't want to work either.”

“Qué te pasa? For all I know I could’ve shot your brains out.” Alonso prompts, placing the gun at his hip.

“Calm down. And don’t worry about me.”

“Is this about that b**** you have locked up?” Alonso mumbles.

Leo sighs. “You know I don’t like doing things this way anymore.”

“Are you having regrets then?” Resting a hand on his shoulders.

“I don’t regret anything, it’s just she is making me behave like the man I left behind.”

Alonso narrows his eyes, empathy spiking through him. His mind gravitates to the moment they met on the dark, lifeless streets of Bogota, both running from home.

"Well, your godfather will be back in Colombia in no time. You know how he gets." Alonso says.

"Ahg...I will deal with that later, and he can't find out about this whole mess with the designs either. Because I really don't need his help. The last time he helped, it caused more harm than I ever anticipated."

“I understand. But I also know you are the strongest person I have ever come across. You always find a way to put Phoenix to the top."

He slightly smiles, letting go of the burden weighing on his shoulders.“I do what I have to, to survive.” Raking his hair with one hand.

They both say goodnight. And Leo trails a staircase paving directly to his room from the back door of the house.

The clock on the nightstand indicates that it's 3:00 AM. And he still can’t fall asleep.

He lays on his back with fingers intertwined and stares at the open vaulted ceiling resisting to fall asleep.

Dawn breaks.

Leo keeps tossing and tossing, his hands clutching the white blanket.

“No, no, nooo....” He winces, turning his head from side to side.

Surrounded. They push him into a casket. Water invades it from small openings. No I can’t drown. Get me out of here now! He feels the difference in depth. Underwater so deep, he hits his body against the corners of the casket to break free but it is insoluble.

"Get me out of here!" he shouts with every breath.

"Hey...GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Banging on the casket as loud as he can.

“Hey!” his voice echoes.

His eyes snap wide open, and plays dead. He uncovers the duvet from him and sits at the edge of the bed. Panting, like he was running a race.

“It was just a nightmare.” Stroking his neck. His brain projects the dim room filled with water and his eyes flutter.

Meanders to the balcony and slides the glass door open. Cool air dries the sweat on his exposed torso.

Hands clutched on the handrail, he breathes hard, heart pounding. His nose flickers when excessive air enters.

A glimpse of the emerging morning sun illuminates darkness.

He paces into the bathroom, stripps off his shorts and steps into the transparent shower. Water escapes from the wide, squared, lucent LED shower head. He lifts up his head and water splashes over his face.

Images from the dream obstruct air to his windpipe and he leans forward, his bandaged hand clasps on the metallic grey wall while he runs the other through his shoulder length damp curls.

Moments later, he is driving his black jeep into the city. Parks the car in front of a hotel and remains still behind the steering wheel.

The scenery of the turquoise ocean in sight pulls him in.