Rosa

Chapter 35

They pulled up to the Madrid-Barajas Airport around 7:30 am.

Rosa glanced out of the car window. The premises bustled with cars, buses, and people. Everywhere she looked was crowded and hectic as hell. Anxiety shot up. She would have less than one hour to catch her 8:30 am flight. It would take an act of God to get through the checkpoints in time. Rosa could barely contain her rising distress. But, somehow, she managed to keep calm. A neutral smile remained on her face.

She didn't have a choice but to smile through this shit, after all.

Mesrine and his goons were watching her like a hawk.

As far as Mesrine knew, she would be working solo over the next few days, scheming up ways
to approach and infiltrate Massera's defenses.

As far as he knew, she didn't have a plane ticket to Catanzaro. A ticket that Cristiano had purchased for her. Mesrine was clueless as to just how close she had grown to Cristiano in recent days, and Rosa desperately wanted to keep it that way.

When she stepped out of Mesrine's cab, unharmed and unscathed, a re-emerging sense of disbelief overrode her anxiety.

Was he really going to let her leave?

"Hold on," Mesrine barked at her through the driver's window.

Fuck!

So close.

She had been so fucking close to getting away.

Rosa's heart plummeted with dread as she glimpsed over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Kiss me," he growled, "before you go."

Every fiber of Rosa's being protested his request even while her face kept smiling, smiling, smiling—

In honey-sweet tones, she murmured, "I thought you would never ask."

Struggling not to retch, Rosa walked over to peck him on the lips. As she tried to pull away, Mesrine smirked and yanked her back to kiss her fully on her lips.

Then, she was free.

Moving like a sudden gust of wind, like water breaking through a dam, Rosa fled from Mesrine. Her heart was pounding like a motherfucker. Inside the terminal, she ducked into a nearby restroom to rinse out her mouth and wipe down her lips.

Kissing Mesrine had felt vile.

For a moment, all she could do was stare at her reflection in the mirror. Her amber eyes looked haunted. Rosa's entire being fell into a stupor. She felt cold. So cold. Shivering slightly, Rosa couldn't believe that she was still alive. She couldn't believe that he actually let her go. Suddenly, her legs felt weak. Shaky. Rosa took in a trembling breath and, one long exhale later, released the tension that had been caged within her.

Her jaw clenched.

Her gaze sharpened.

Enough of this pity party!

There was no time to waste.

Rosa removed her phone from her pocket and slid it into her purse. She plucked out a few scarves from her luggage. Rosa tucked them around her phone to muffle the microphone and obscure the camera. The scarves wouldn't offer much protection against Mesrine's prying eyes and ears, but it was the best she could manage for now.

Rosa just needed to keep him satiated until she could put more distance between them. Until she could get her ass on that flight to Catanzaro. Until she figured out a way to destroy the evil fucker with Cristiano.

As she exited the restroom, Rosa took care to blend into the masses. Every few minutes or so, she would check over her shoulder. Rosa didn't notice anyone tailing her. It seemed the monster had yet to sic his guard dogs on her, but a bitch could never be too careful or too paranoid when it came to Mesrine.