Still Holding On

Chapter Eight

I wake up to screaming and scream as I jump away. I spin to see all the guys there and they smirk. "You're in engaged to Alek hmm?" Anton asks and I frown. What the hell? "Did you really come into my room to ask me this? Where the hell is Ric when I need him to keep everyone out?" I ask and Luca smirks. "He's downstairs talking to Lillian. He saw the bruise and is now trying to determine whether she earned it or if someone is of concern. So do you wanna tell him what happened or let her stay?" Luca asks and I scoff as I stand up out of bed. I walk downstairs with the guys following me and go straight to the parlor room. "Angel? What are you doing here?" Ric asks and I smile as I run to give him a big hug. Keep it going, Rose. Do not falter. "I missed you... Oh, you're talking to her." I whisper when I see Lillian behind him glaring at me. "What do you mean? Did you do that?" Ric asks and I shake my head as I go to touch the bruise but she jerks away. Hmm, is she afraid or angry? "Felix did after she held me against the wall by my throat." I answer calmly and Ric glares at her. "Lillian, I've been very kind to you these past few months. But my child is one thing you won't be hurting. Felix, take her to the basement." Ric orders and she goes to run but Anton blocks her with the help of Kale.

Felix holds her arms behind her back and storms her down to the basement. That was easy. "Are you okay, angel? Is the baby okay?" Ric asks and Luca walks over. "They're both fine, Ric. Just take care of Lillian." Luca tells him and Ric storms out of the room after Lillian. He's angrier than I thought he'd be. "Why did you do that?" Anton asks and I smile. "Now she's trapped. She is chained to a chair in the basement and she has nowhere to run. She can't avoid my questions next time I see her. Something tells me that she'll talk." I whisper and they chuckle. "Nice, Rose. Real nice. That was an Alek move." Anton compliments and I smile brightly. "Thanks!" I reply and they chuckle at me while I skip into the kitchen. They follow me in and I start to peel a potato. "Can you peel a second potato for me, Luca?" I ask and he sighs as he starts to peel one. "You know this is not a meal right?" He asks and I shrug. What's the difference? It's what I'm craving.

Anton laughs and shakes his head at me. "So, what are we doing today?" I ask and Felix sighs. "Basically, we're going through the photos that Anton copied and the notes that Alek took. He faxed Luca the notes and so now we have to decipher what they mean." Felix explains and I frown. Hmm, okay. "What about Vitaly? Did he find the thing Lillian left?" I ask and he nods. "It's a bloodied blue dress." Felix answers and I look to him skeptically. Did I hear that right? "A blue dress covered in blood?" I ask and he nods. "Exactly. Oh, that and a ring. Vitaly says he gave the ring to your mom." Felix says and I stiffen. Trophies... She's talking to me. "Rose?" Anton calls as he waves his hand in my face and I look at Felix. "That dress is the dress she died in." I whisper and they all frown in confusion. "Huh?" Kale responds and I nod. That's right. I remember that dress.

I sit on the counter and cross my legs. "She didn't send them there to give Alek or Vitaly a message... It was definitely a message for me." I whisper and Luca hands me my potato. "What's the message?" Luca asks and I look at all of their worried faces. "Connect the song with the dress and it says fear me. My mother was my protector as a child. She protected me from everything and now Lillian is saying I have nothing to protect me from her. My own father tried to kill me God only knows how many times. This is her way of saying that nothing can save me from my fears now." I explain and sigh as I take a bite of my potato. Anton shakes his head angrily and walks over to me. "She's not gonna touch you, Rose. She's in the basement now. Ric will not let her out and none of us will either.." Anton assures me and I nod as I swallow my food. I hope so. Because as long as she's down there she can't be around to concoct whatever secret plan she has. "I want to search her room." I say and jump down.

I walk down the hall to the guest room and open the door to see photos of Alek, Vitaly, and I covering the entire back wall. "Sweet baby Jesus." Kale whispers and I slowly walk towards the wall. "Why is there an 'X' here?" Anton asks and I look over to see an 'X' across a photo of me with Alek at the University. "Look, that's the night I met Alek." I say and point to a photo close to the ceiling. He appears to be leaving his own club in this photo. I jump on her desk and pull the photo down. 'Met Rose. Bad. Take care of her.' She's wanted to kill me since the beginning. "Here." I whisper and hand it to Anton. "Rose grab that one." Felix says and I look to where he's pointing. It's a photo of Vitaly and I in front of the piano. That was a few days before we had to go to Florida.