Beautiful Rose (21 page)

“Jack—” Alex began.

“No.” Rose cut in. Both Alex and I looked at her in surprise. “Let me talk. I need to tell him.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked gently. She nodded.

“I'll head out for a minute. I'll have my phone if either of you need me.”

I waited for Alex to leave, standing there in the entrance with my hands shoved into my pockets. Shit, this felt weird. I didn't know what to do. Did I stand here, or go over there? Maybe I should pull up one of the chairs from the kitchen table. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

“You can sit next to me, you know,” she said shyly. “I promise my crazy isn't contagious.”

I walked over to her, shaking my head. “I see what you did there.” I said, chuckling as I sat down. My body shifted toward her. I looked at her closely, taking in her heavy eyelids, her hollow cheeks, and her pale skin. “What happened, Rose?” I asked softly.

Her fingers trembled as she took a deep breath. “Jack, there is so much you don't know about me,” she began. She was shaking. I put my arm around her, to try and comfort her. She relaxed at my touch.

“I'll start with the reason I was admitted to
Belton
in the first place. Since I was a child, I've had depression and anxiety really severely. It's more than that, though. I get into such a bad frame of mind that I—I . . .” she paused.

“It's okay, Rose,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms.

She began to cry.

“I need to get this out,” she whispered. “I went to
Belton
because my parents didn't know what else to do with me. Another failed suicide attempt, and they decided that was it. They'd had enough.” A fresh round of tears streamed down her cheeks.

Tilting her head toward me, I kissed her forehead. I just wanted to take away her pain so badly. Seeing her so upset was tearing me up inside.

“And last night, you tried again?” I asked gently, not wanting her to have to say it. She nodded her head, her right hand curling around mine. My fingers stroked her skin, a lump forming in my throat as I ran over the jagged scar.

I glanced over at her other wrist. Bandaged. Why had I been such an asshole to her the other day? Was that what triggered it? Even the thought that I could be responsible for making her do that, made me sick.

“Alex found me. I guess I called him before . . .”

“God, Rose, I'm so sorry. I've been such an ass. I do like you. I
really
like you. My track record with relationships has been less than stellar.” I saw her eyes divert from mine. It was for a fraction of a second, but long enough for me to realize she knew. “Who told you? About Belle?” I asked, trying to comprehend what I was feeling.

“Belle,” she repeated, her lips falling into a frown. “I didn't know her name.”

“It messed me up pretty badly. I don't know if I can go through that again,” I said, my voice gruff.
Toughen up, Jack. You're on the verge of losing it.
I bit my lip. Crying to the girl I was falling for about my dead ex-girlfriend? Yeah, that would cheer her up. “What I'm trying to say is, we both have our issues. I can't deny that I have feelings for you, Rose, but I can't promise I won't fuck things up.” Fuck, I was great at this.

She smiled. Before she could reply, my phone rang. I sighed and fumbled in my pocket for it. Alex.

“Hey,” I said.

“Jack, you need to get down to the bar right now. The fucking place has burnt down!”

Shit. Seeing Rose sitting there in the living room had made me completely forget to tell Alex about the bar.

“I know. I mean, that's why I came over here. I need a place to crash for a few nights.”

“Shit, yeah. Of course. How much damage was there?”

“Downstairs is pretty messed up. It was vandalized before it was set alight. Upstairs is fine, and so is the cat.”

“Wow. I don't know what to say. Can I do anything?”

I laughed. “Hell, I don't even know myself what to do,” I said, only half-joking. “I will see you later.” I hung up. Rose stared at me, open-mouthed. “It's not that bad, Rose. It can be fixed. Everything is insured.

“Who the hell would do that?” she demanded, her eyes flashing. I shrugged. If I knew the answer to that I'd be feeling a lot happier right now. “Oh my god . . .”

“What?” I said.

“Harmony,” she said, her voice full of venom.

I shook my head. “No way. I mean, sure, Harmony is a bitch, but she's not insane. She wouldn't do that.” I assured her.

Only, I didn't quite believe my own words. I hadn't wanted her to meet Mr. Jefferies because I thought she was capable of some crazy shit if she ever got pissed, and I think it was safe to say that she couldn't have gotten much more pissed than had in the last few weeks.

“Yesterday, I got home and she was in my apartment, Jack,” Rose whispered.

“What the fuck, Rose? Why are you just telling me this now?” I growled, upset I hadn’t been there to protect her. “She was in your apartment? How did she get in there? Oh god . . .” My old apartment. The wonky window in the laundry that I used when I locked myself out. I'd bet my life that the tight ass landlord wouldn't have fixed it.

“I don't know. I think through a window? Anyway, my point is, she's a
nutcase
.”

“What did she want?” I asked.

Rose hesitated. “For me to stay away from you.” I stood up, angry as hell and ready to retaliate. If she were a guy, I'd be around there punching the shit out of her. “Jack.” Rose panicked as I grabbed my keys. “Just leave it. Please,” she begged, her eyes wide. She reached out and clutched my arm.

“I won't do anything stupid. I'm just going to go to the police to have them check her out. If it was her, she's going to pay.” I bent down and lifted her head up to mine. After running my tongue over my lips, I pressed them gently against hers. “I'll see you soon, I promise.”

#

“Jack!” Harmony’s eyes lit up as she straightened her dress. “Well, this is a nice surprise.”

She waved her hand, inviting me inside. “So, you’ve finally come to your senses,” she said smugly as she led me into the kitchen.

I glanced around at the mess.

“I’m baking,” she said defensively. I snorted.

Harmony, baking? That was something that wouldn’t end well. Trust me, I knew. She’d cooked for me before.

“Cut the act, Harmony. You know exactly why I’m here.”

She raised her eyebrow, her eyes hinting amusement. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Leaning against the kitchen counter, I chuckled. My reaction caught her off guard, and she glared at me. If there was one thing she didn’t like, it was being laughed at.

“What?” she challenged.

“It’s just I that thought you were smarter than that, Harm. Breaking in to Rose’s apartment to scare her into not seeing me?” I rolled my eyes and smiled, my jaw twitching. “Is that the best you have?”

“If that skank has left you, it’s got nothing to do with me.”

I roared with laughter. “That’s the thing. We’re not together. This whole thing between Rose and I exists only in your head. All you’re doing is reminding me how lucky I am not to be in a relationship with you anymore.”

“
You’re
the lucky one? Fuck you, Jack. You’re an ass. You can’t even admit you like her, and I’m the idiot? So what if I spoke to her? So fucking what. If you want to bury your head in the sand and pretend you’re not in love with a freaking murderer then that’s your choice.”

“Murderer? What the hell does that mean?”

“It’s when you intentionally and knowingly—”

“I know what the word means, smartass.” My eyes bored into her as I fought to control my anger. “What do you mean she’s a murderer?”

Harmony’s face twisted up into a smile. “Oh my god. She didn’t tell you, did she?” Her laughter echoed, the sound chilling me to the bone. I suddenly felt a new level of hatred toward this bitch. “Your perfect little Rose killed her sister.”

“The lengths you’d go to in order to get me back—”

“Oh no, Jack. I don’t want you back. I just don’t appreciate being treated like shit.”

“If you don’t want to be treated like shit then don’t fucking treat others that way. I’ve never met anyone as cold and clinical as you. I can’t believe I stayed with you for so long.”

Harmony stepped forward so her face was only inches from mine. The cold look in her eyes scared me, but I forced myself to stare right back. She was like an animal, asserting her dominance.

“Get out of my life, Jack. Go shack up with your stupid little ho, and fix your stupid little bar. You’re not worth any more of my time.”

I opened my mouth to retort, and then closed it. How had she known about the bar? I hadn’t mentioned it.

Not even Harmony would be that crazy . . .  would she?

“How did you know about the bar?” I asked.

She flushed bright red. “You mentioned it before.”

“No, I didn’t,” I replied calmly. Her eyes flicked away from mine. She was lying. I could see it in her expression and her behavior. The way she wouldn’t make eye contact was a dead giveaway.

“So maybe I drove past it,” she sneered. “Get out. I want you out of my place, now.” She raced to the front door and opened it, still unable to meet my eyes. Her hands were shaking.

Harmony was scared. She knew I was onto her, and she was afraid she’d been caught.

I walked out, winking at her on my way past. She slammed her door shut.

Outside I fished out my phone. I wasn’t sure I had enough to go on but I knew she was responsible, and she was going to pay. Climbing into my car, I dug out the card given to me by the officer on the scene. With one hand on the wheel, I punched the number into my cell. I waited impatiently for him to pick up.

“Captain Rawlinson speaking.”

“Hi, this is Jack Falcon. Listen, I think I might know who lit the fire,” I began.

“Jack, I was just going to call you. We uncovered a partial fingerprint and we were able to match it from within our system. Does the name Harmony Piper mean anything to you?”

Son of a bitch
.

“Yes, that would be my ex-girlfriend,” I replied darkly.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jack

Three days later they confirmed that Harmony had been arrested for arson, and was being held without bail until her case was heard. It was a relief to finally have her out of my life.

I was headed back to the bar for the first time since the fire. I had the all clear to begin restoring the place, though both Mr. Jefferies and I were staying with Alex until the stairs were completely fixed.

Even though I’d already seen the damage, it felt different walking in there when it was empty and the smoke had settled. Most of the wreckage was around the bar itself, and it could have been much worse than what it was.

I grabbed the trashcan and began to sweep up the smashed glasses and bottles of alcohol. I’d arranged for the painters to come in the next day, which meant I had the rest of the today to scrub the soot of the walls, and clean up. Though the fire had only been around the bar, the smoke and soot had spread throughout the entire fucking place.

It was going to be a long day.

After all the mess had been cleared out, I filled a bucket with hot soapy water and began to wipe. The ash was thick and murky and, after five minutes, the water was black. This really was going to take all fucking day.

“Need a hand there, bro?”

I turned around, surprised. The last thing I’d been expecting was visitors.

Ash, Darcy and Benj walked toward the bar. I surveyed their faces as they took in the mess.

“Holy fucking shit. See, I told you that girl was crazy.” Ash shook his head.

“I guess I should take more love advice from you then,” I chuckled, my comment earning a snort from Darcy. “What are you guys doing here, anyway?

“We came to help,” Benj shrugged, as if it were that simple. “It’ll get done much faster if we all pitch in.”

“And Alex and Rose are coming in too,” Darcy piped up. I frowned.

Alex hadn’t mentioned that to me. Then again, he hadn’t mentioned
anyone
was coming—even him.

I hadn’t spoken to Rose since I’d left Alex’s house to see Harmony the other day. By the time I’d finished giving my statement at the police station, she’d gone back home. Maybe I should’ve called her or gone over to see her, but I’d needed to get my head clear before I spoke to her, which led to me hiding. Until today.

The funny thing was, I’d finally decided what I wanted. This whole thing had made me realize that I didn’t want to keep running from my own feelings.

I was in love with Rose. Everything about her made me want to feel, and deciding to admit that to myself had been a huge relief. Now my only problem was Alex. Without his blessing, I was stuck. He was my only family. If he couldn’t handle Rose and I being together, then there was no Rose and I.

The guys set to work with buckets and sponges. Pretty soon, the place was beginning to look much better. Once you cleaned the soot away, the damage really wasn’t that bad. It made me feel much more confident about having this place ready sooner rather than later.

I pretended not to hear the sound of the door opening; I counted back from ten before I turned around. When I did, Rose smiled at me, her hand closed over her still bandaged wrist. Just the sight of her made my heart race.

God, I needed to sit down
.

“Guys, go grab a coffee, have a break.”

I turned to Rose. “How’s the wrist?” I asked softly. She shrugged and smiled. “Do you want to go get a coffee too? I need to talk to Alex about something.”

“Sure,” she nodded. I reached for my wallet and pulled out a twenty. “That should cover everyone. Do you want one?” I said, turning to Alex.

“Why not?”

Rose took the bill wordlessly and walked over to the others. I waited until they’d gone before I spoke. “How is she?”

“Fine.”

“No, I mean . . . I mean, I know, Alex. I know about her sister.”

“She’s better than what she was,” he sighed, not bothering to ask me how I knew. “It’s going to take her a while to work though things. I’ve talked her into seeing a psychiatrist. I don’t think it’s ethical for me to be counselling her, all things considered.”