Rosa

Chapter 64

The wedding from hell was over. But Rosa had yet to escape the inferno. Mon beau was always on her mind. If there was an art to appearing utterly unaffected while enduring two of the most agonizing weeks in existence, then she was a true artiste. Like a ship refusing to sink in stormy seas, Rosa kept a smile on her face for Angelina's sake. Even though life flipped upside down the second she took the girl under her wing, Rosa refused to spiral for his sake. She had a promise to keep. Suddenly, Rosa found herself leading a double life. Guardian by day. Killer by night.

She kept herself in constant motion, building momentum to outrun the cruelty of le destin.

Fate.

Shit she couldn't change.

Emotion turned off. The void turned on. Such a shift felt quite natural. She'd existed in this state of cold detachment after Nijah's death. She felt nothing. Therefore, nothing could hurt her. Whether or not such a mindset was healthy didn't matter. It enabled her to become an unstoppable force, pure machine, focusing solely on what needed to be done, because anything short of perfection and precision would lead to death.

Her days were filled with snack breaks and naps and storytime.

Her nights were overwhelmed by tense phone calls, secret messages, and violent meetings in undisclosed locations with nefarious underworld contacts.

She vetted countless nannies and bodyguards to find the perfect matches, sparing no expenses, only the best of the best were allowed to watch over Angelina during her nightly errands. She worked tirelessly. Pulling every string. Calling in favors left and right. Strongarming, bullying, and blowing out kneecaps whenever the birds she caged refused to sing. Some of those birdies died. The loyal ones who refused to snitch. Some survived with only a few minor injuries. The smart ones who sang pretty songs. Whether they lived or died, however, Rosa made sure to extract something of value from them.

Every.

Fucking.

Time.

Because each new sliver of intel brought her closer to Vosa.

Non.

Not Vosa.

Harrison Murray.

Fucking Harry.

Through Mrs. Vitale, Rosa had also confirmed Harry's hand in this bloodbath. The old fuck's plans to wipe out everyone at the wedding through Mesrine had gone awry. Thus, he abducted Cristiano's sister for insurance. Before time ran out, she needed to pinpoint his location. Rosa needed to go after Sienna before Harry made the woman disappear again.

According to her sources, Harry and Sienna were no longer in Palermo. They were on the run, and the pair appeared to be en route to London. Admittedly, the chase was taking longer than usual. Not because Rosa lacked the resources or drive to catch her prey. Non. Even without Harry in her corner, she still possessed a decent network of reliable allies. Once more, Mrs. Vitale had been a godsend in her endeavors, providing regular updates on whatever she could dig up.

The reason why this shit was taking forever and a day was because of Angelina. It was damn near impossible to accomplish anything of significance with a three-year-old glued to her side. Ever since Angelina fell into her custody, Rosa felt as though she'd adopted a small, cranky, clingy turtle of sorts. The words slow as molasses and terribly inconvenient often came to mind. Harry had been right about one thing. Children slowed down everything. No wonder the old fuck only snatched Sienna and chose to leave Angelina behind.