Behind Her Smile

Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight: Put Him Downstairs

"Who is he?"

"I found him hiding behind a car in the driveway. I think he is spying on us."

"A spy?"

"Do you want me to get him to talk?" They both to look at him then.

'Okay. Maybe this wasn't my best idea.' Ro thinks to himself as he looks wide eyed at the angry faces of the men before him.

He should have thought this through. He is usually the one who over thinks things to the point of panicking of anything going wrong, but he couldn't stay put when he knew where Dex was.

And he didn't see her. Ro didn't like that.

"Where is Dex? Where have you taken her?"

One of the men, a hispanic with curly black hair and who Ro thinks is drunk glowers at him. He had to be Axel. He looks like his picture. "Shut up if you know what's good for you." He says threateningly.

Ro snaps his mouth close with a audible click.

Axel then turns to the other who had blond hair, like Ro wasn't even there listening to his every word. "Stash him somewhere. Finding her is top priority. She couldn't have gone far."

She?? Are they talking about Dex? Before he could think better, he blurts out, "Dex is lost?! Where is she??"

When they both look at him with interest, Ro pales.

Before he could blink, Axel has a gun pointed in his face. "Who are you and how do you know about Dexina?"

"Um..." was his very intelligent reply.

Axel must have been feeling impatient because he moves the gun to Ro's forehead.

Ro gulps almost afraid to breathe.

"I repeat who are you and how do you know Dexina?!" Axel whispers in a scary voice that has Ro quaking in his sneakers.

"I am...Roman and-"

"You're Roman?" Axel interrupts as his eyes widen in surprise. He steps back, with the gun still pointed at Ro, to get a better looks at him. Then his black eyes narrow at Ro. "You are the one that changed Dexina!"

Ro didn't know what to say. "Um...yes?"

Obviously that wasn't the right answer because Axel looks furious.

He clicks the trigger and Ro flinches and he tries to run but someone had grabbed his shoulders.

"You will die for what you did to her!"

Ro opens his mouth to protest but a much louder, and achingly familiar, voice overpowers his own.

"NO!"

They all freeze and turn their head to Dex who runs over and wraps her arms around Ro with her face still facing Axel. "Please." she sobs. "Please don't hurt him. Please Axel. I will do whatever you want as long as you don't harm him."

Whatever relief he felt in seeing her alive turns to horror as he realizes what she is offering. "Dex. Dont."

Dex doesn't even look at him as she keeps her eyes on the dark unreadable face of Axel. "Axel. Please. Promise me."

He crosses his arms. "Come here."

"No. Dex." Ro tries to stop but she pulls away from him.

She sends him a small smile that makes something crack inside of him. How could she be smiling at this time?

"Its okay, Ro." She whispers before turning away and walking towards that monster.

'No it isn't.' He doesn't voice his thoughts aloud. That would only make it harder on her.

When she reaches Axel, she raises on her tippy toes and kisses him on the cheek. That makes Axel relax a little as his eyes soften as he looks at her.

God, he is really in love with her. He knew they used to date. Does Dex still love him?

The thought filled him with a mixture of fear and jealousy. He didnt know which was worse.

Axel pulls Dex to his side and leans down to her lips for a lingering kiss. Ro turns his head away for that.

"Good girl."

He hears Dex reply, "Only for you."

That makes his temper boil. He barely manages to keep quiet. The only thing stopping him is Dex. He couldn't bear it, if they punished her for his actions. He can't take that chance.

Thankfully the man holding Ro interrupts their love fest. "What do you want me to do with him?"

Axel sneers. "Put him downstairs."

"Downstairs?!" That didn't sound good. He starts struggling but he was no match for whoever was holding him. It seemed like that guy ate rocks for breakfast!

The last thing he sees before he is forced down the dark stairway is Dex's terrified glassy eyes.

.................

Max put his glass of lemonade on the table and Rosie jumps at the loud sound.

Jared frowns at her. "What's with you?"

Rosie forces herself to look normal. "Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

Rosie just shrugs as she nibbles on her toast. "Couldn't sleep." That wasn't a lie. She had been tossing and turning ever since she found out Ro had been taken as well. She had been avoiding even going near the basement.

She didn't want a repeat of what had happened with Dex. She didn't want to see the same look of betrayal to be reflected in his eyes when he finds out she had been deceiving him and everyone else.

Her appetite leaves her as the now familiar sense of guilt.

It didn't matter why she had to do it. No one wanted to hear it now that she is the enemy.

She pushes her plate away and stands up. "You can have the rest, Max."

Rosie laughs when he stuffs his face with her scrambled eggs and toast before she could even leave the table. She avoids the inquisitive eyes of Jared as she exits the kitchen doors. Rosie ignores the eyes she could feel on her back as she enters the guest bedroom.

Unlike Ro and Dex, she was here willingly so she gets to have her own space.

She moves towards the coffee table drawer as she opens it. She sighs a little sigh of relief at seeing the phone she had stashed still hidden inside. Rosie is terrified it will be found. She had stolen it from Axel's study and she couldn't keep it for too long, but she couldn't use it. Using it would mean putting not only her, but Kit in danger as well. Not using it will mean Dex and Ro will be trapped here.

What should she do?

"What are you doing?"

Rosie whirls around to face the doorway which is now open to reveal the suspicious face of Jared. She must have been too distracted by her own thoughts to notice him there.

She very slowly closes the drawer with an innocent smile. "Just looking for something. What are you doing here, Jared?"

She tries to switch topics, but he must have noticed. "You aren't having troubling thoughts, are you?"

Rosie knew exactly what he meant by troubling thoughts. He meant thoughts about Dex and Ro. Jared knew that she had regarded Dex as a close friend and he didn't approve of her getting unnecessarily close to Dex. He knew better than most people, how much this is hurting her to have to choose between safety and friendship.

But that didn't mean that she was about to tell him that she is planning to call the police with the phone she had stolen from their boss. He would tell Axel for sure.

Rosie shakes "No, I'm not," she lies.

Jared stares at her for a moment before he sighs. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Rosie inclines her head with a smile. "Of course. I'm pretty smart so I only do smart things." She says in jest.

Jared only scoffs.

But they both freeze as they hear the distant sound of police sirens.

They meet eyes and Rosie tries to ignore the hurt she feels at seeing the accusing look from him.

Before she could deny it, Jared runs out and yells out, "Police! The Police are coming! Everybody run!"

Rosie grabs the phone from the drawer before she follows him out.

The police were coming and she wasn't going to be here when they come.

...................

Dex hears the sirens at the same time Axel did.

Her eyes widen as her mind whirls and Axel goes to the window to see outside.

While his back is turned, Dex frantically tries to unlock her cuffs with a bobby bin that had been in her hair. Dex didn't know how it had not fallen off while she was unconscious, but she is grateful she has it now. She had been waiting to make her move and escape and right now she had to get to Ro before Axel does something reckless.

When she hears a faint click as her cuffs are loosen and she wiggles her wrist slowly out , but then she stiffens when she sees Axel turn to look at her. She tries her best to look innocent.

"It's all over now, Axel. The police are on their way." Dex says carefully as she watches him. She could see his eyes becoming unfocused, but Axel fights the succumbing of the feeling.

Unbeknownst to him, Dex had slipped the sleeping pills into his drink.

Axel doesn't respond as he makes his way toward her. He frowns at his feet that seem to trip over the carpet. "No it's not. You are coming with me."

As soon as Axel is within distance, Dex snaps the cuff on his wrist. Axel freezes and he looks at the cuffs then at Dex with confusion. He lightly tugs on the metal before he asks Dex. "What is this?"

"It is a cuff, Axel." she says in a mocking voice. "Don't worry it is only temporary. I believe the cops have another set that they will put on you."

Axel's face turns red as the reality of her trickery hits him. "Dexina!"

Dex rolls off the bed before he could grab her. The sharp movement nearly makes her swoon. He tries to catch her but his reflexes were slowing down so he just falls onto the covers.

When she sees him looking in his jacket for the key, she holds up the key that she had taken from him from the first time she had tried to escape. "Looking with this?" she couldn't help but tease him. It felt so good for him to be the powerless one.

She would have stayed to mock him further but she had more important plans. Saving Ro for one.

.................

Rosie looks at Max as he escapes through the back doors of the house and Jared following closely behind.

She is about to follow when she sees the figure of Dex bounding down the steps.

If she is here, then where is Axel?

She meets the eyes of Jared who is begging her to leave, but she instead turns to go up the steps and she completely sidesteps Dex who makes a move to stop her. Fortunately, Dex decided it is more important to go to the basement then to chase after her.

Rosie knows it is risky but she couldn't leave while knowing Axel could be arrested.

She goes to Axel's door only to find it locked.

That must have been Dex's doing.

"Step aside."

Rosie turns her head. "Jared?" she asks incredulously. She hadn't even heard him behind her.

Before she could think, he pushes her away and rams his shoulder into the door. The door falls through. Rosie and Jared rush inside to see Axel slumped on the bed facedown.

"Is he dead?" Rosie asks shakily. Her feet are frozen.

Jared had a clearer head than her and rushes over to Axel to check his pulse.

He shakes his head. "Just asleep."

Rosie nods.

The sirens were getting louder. "We have to leave now. Bring him."

"He will slow us down."

"But-"

Jared face doesn't move as he grabs her arm and forcefully drags her out of the room. "Stop. We cant leave him."

He does stop to look at her with an intense look. "Rosalind, he'll leave us in a heartbeat if the tables were turned. Stop caring for those who do not return it."

His harsh words hit her hard and she gives up the struggle as she runs with Jared out of the house and towards the woods. Rosie only looks back once to see the police cars almost to the house.

Thankfully no one sees them slip outside.

..................


Ro stands up as he sees someone come down the basement stairs. Because the light was behind the person, all he could see was the silhouette.

"Who are you?"

"Now I'm offended. I can't believe you didnt recognize me." The person steps further down and he sees who it really is.

"Dex? How-"

Her grin widens. "Does it matter? It is all over now."

"Over how?"

"The police are here! Isn't that great?"

"The police?" Ro asks. Who could have called the police? Then he thought about how Kit had been so adamant about telling the police. He must have broken his promise after all. "I'm sorry, Dex. I knew you didn't want anyone to call them."

Dex frowns. "Who told you that? It was Kit wasn't it?" She asks then answers her own questions.

Ro just nods. They had a lot to talk about. His stomach twist as he thinks about it. Will Dex just avoid his questions again? He didn't know what he would do if she did.

"Can you get me out?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Dex holds up her hand that has keys in it that Ro hasn't noticed before. The picture was familiar and showed a little bit of the mischievous Dex that he had missed.

As soon as the doors are unlocked, Ro grabs her and holds her in a tight hug. Dex gasps in surprise but she knows better to resist. "I was so worried. Don't ever disappear like that ever again."

"Or what?" she teases him.

Ro holds her tighter. "I will lock you in a cage. Those seem to hold you in pretty well."

"And if I escape?"

"I will just have to hunt you down then, princess."

Dex just smiles when she hears Ro use the familiar endearment she had missed. She missed a lot of things about Ro.

"I'll count on it."

They stay in silence in the dark embracing until a policeman shines a flashlight at them.

"I found them!" he yells to the others.

Ro releases Dex and then holds her hand. "It'll be okay, Dex."

Dex just nods in response. She don't know if she will ever be really okay ever again, but she was ready to try.

But when she takes a step, she stumbles and holds her head as her head begins to ring. She moans as she feels her head begin to pound. It felt like someone is trying to split her head into two!

"Dex!" Ro grabs her before she can fall on the ground but Dex's eyes were already falling.

The last thing she hears is Ro calling for help.

11/22