Rose turned her green eyes in Scarlett’s direction. “They were hopeful. So was I.” She took a quick sip of her coffee and swallowed. “Anyway, it didn’t take long for us to realize nothing had changed. Vic was still in charge, and it was business as usual. But I still hoped…” Rose paused. “I thought for sure the FBI would be knocking on our door any minute.”
Olly’s heart broke for his friend. “When did you realize they weren’t?”
“When I overheard a conversation between Vic and Pauly,” she explained. “I’d been working on the schedule for the following week, but I’d left the office to go to the bathroom. On my way back, I heard the two men talking from around the corner. Vic told Pauly his informant inside the Denver Police Department assured him Valdez had covered his tracks wellwhere The Mystique was concerned. Vic said something about there being no paper trail connecting Valdez to the club, so no one was even looking at them.”
Jesus.
Olly ran a hand over the scruff covering his jaw. “Okay, so start from the beginning. The night you were taken from La Cocina. Go from there and tell us everything you remember.”
“But only if you’re feeling up to it,” Scarlett rushed to say.
He slid a quick glance her way, but her gaze was still locked on Rose. His chest tightened and his heart swelled. The sweet woman had added the reassurance because she wanted to protect Rose from having to relive whatever nightmare she’d been trapped in the last few months.
A woman who still had no idea she was sitting in the same room as her sister.
“No, it’s okay. I knew when I came here I’d have to recount everything. I want to, actually. These people…” Tears filled Rose’s tortured eyes. “Olly, they have to be stopped.”
“They will be,” he vowed.
It was a promise he’d damn well keep.
Seeing the truth in his solemn promise, Rose gave him a tiny nod. Then, she began to tell her story.
“I’d just gotten off of work,” she began. “Brooke and I were in the breakroom talking about the family cruise she was getting ready to take. She left, I went to the restroom, and then as I was walking out, Maria approached me.”
“Maria?” Scarlett frowned.
“Maria Sanchez,” Olly explained. “Valdez’s lover and business partner.”
“She’s the one who chose which girls who got sent Valdez’s way,” Rose added. “Those of us with no real ties to anywhere or anyone.” Her throat worked with an audible swallow. “Those of us no one would miss.”
“I missed you,” he growled.
The woman’s sad, grateful gaze met his. “I knew you would. I just never thought…”
She didn’t think he’d leave a job states away to come search for her. That shit hurt more than the woman knew, but he also understood.
Given the way Rose had grown up, it was no wonder she didn’t believe anyone cared enough to go after her. Not even him.
“What happened when Maria came back to the breakroom?” Scarlett got the conversation back on track.
“She wanted to talk to me about a promotion.” Rose scoffed. “And I was stupid enough to believe her.”
“Hey.” Olly barked with a shake of his head. “Don’t do that. What happened that night…or any of the nights after…that shit’s not on you. Not a single bit of it. You hear me?”
Her head bobbed with a slow nod, but he knew she didn’t believe him. Someday, perhaps. With time and some counseling, perhaps.
“Anyway…” Rose continued. “I was about to walk out to my car, so Maria walked out with me. She said she preferred to talk outside because she didn’t want anyone else overhearing. At the time, it made sense because I’d only been working there a few weeks while others had been there much longer. So when Maria voiced concerns about starting trouble within the staff, I don’t know, I…” Another swallow. “I bought it.”
“I would have, too,” Scarlett appeased.
The two women shared a friendly glance before Rose began again.
“Long story short, Maria said she wanted me to be the lead hostess at one of Valdez’s other businesses. She also said Valdez had come to La Cocina to meet me in person. That’s when I realized he was there.”
Olly and Scarlett listened as Rose told them about Valdez having been parked in the lot in his black SUV. She explained how she’d come to get into that vehicle, and that once they’d left the restaurant’s parking lot, Valdez had slammed her head against the back passenger window, knocking her unconscious.
“They must have drugged me while I was out, because the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the building behind The Mystique.”