Page 37 of Brendan (The Doherty Mafia)
Maybe in a few days he would forget all about it.
We turned the corner to our block and when I looked up, I saw the man again.
The one who was at the bar. The one who had been following me.
Instantly, I pulled Davey close to me, shielding him with my body.
Our block was not as busy at this time of the day when everyone was at work. So even though it was daylight, it suddenly didn’t feel very safe to be there.
“Davey, honey, stay close to Mommy, okay? Hold my hand,” I whispered to him hoarsely, tightening my grip on his hand.
The man strode over to me and grabbed my arm roughly. I cried out in pain but managed not to let go of Davey.
“This is a warning, Rosalie Turner, that we’re watching you,” he growled. Then he looked around carefully, like he expected someone to appear. “Where is he?”
“Who? What are you talking about? You’re scaring my son. Please, just let us go!”
Instead of doing what I begged him to do, he gripped me even harder.
“You should know that we know everything.”
“Know everything about what?” I cried.
Davey was sobbing by now, with tears flooding down his cheeks. He tried to pull me away from the man but he wasn’t going to win that battle no matter how hard he tried.
“You better be prepared to give him up.” Was he talking about Davey? About someone else I knew nothing about?
“Please mister, you have the wrong person. I haven’t been involved in anything. I don’t know anything. I’m not the person you’re looking for,” I cried.
I just wanted Davey to be safe. I just wanted him to be spared—no matter what he wanted to do to me.
The man turned his attention to Davey as his sobs became louder and more like screeches.
I thought he was going to do something to my son so I thrashed around until I was out of his grip. I managed to pick Davey up in my arms and hid his face from the man.
He looked up at me again with heavy eyelids.
“Nope. I have exactly the person I’m looking for,” he said with a smile. Then he turned and walked away from us.
“Mommy! What happened? Mommy?” Davey continued to sob in my arms.
I was just relieved the man was gone. Even though I couldn’t figure out what he wanted from me. I looked over every inch of Davey, just to make sure he was safe. I knew he hadn’t actually been touched by the man, but I felt paranoid.
I wasn’t sure I would ever feel safe again.
Twenty
Brendan
I knew I needed to stay away.
I needed to focus on the problems my family was facing. Besides, Rosalie had made it very clear that she didn’t want me around her or her kid.
For some twisted reason, she had decided I wasn’t good enough for them.
Not that I thought I was.
I knew I didn’t deserve a girl like her.
It was the reason why I had been so drawn to her that first night of the party four years ago. Because she was pure and sweet, smart and beautiful. Because she wasn’t particularly interested in me.
And now I couldn’t stay away.
I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling I experienced that morning while I had breakfast with them. It felt normal. It almost felt like that was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I tried distracting myself with work, I even hung out with Tristian and Nolan at our usual haunt. Nothing worked. Rosalie was the only thing on my mind.
I went back to her apartment. It was late. I figured she would be at work and Davey was probably with his grandmother. So when I knocked on her apartment door, I didn’t expect it to be opened. Least of all, by her.
Rosalie stood there still dressed in the same sexy leggings and sweater from the morning. I was about to apologize. I knew I shouldn’t have come over without asking first. She wouldn’t want Davey to see me.
But then I saw the expression on her face before I got the words out. I stopped.
She looked like she had been crying.
She looked like she was about to cry again.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked.
She threw herself at me, landing on me with a crash. I wrapped my arms around her. It felt good having her pinned to my chest, feeling the softness and perfection of her body, the smell of her hair.
“A man…this guy…from the bar…” She was mumbling, and fumbling with her words.
I pulled her away from me so I could look into her puffy red eyes.
“Hey, I need you to tell me exactly what’s going on. Which guy from the bar? What did he do? Did someone touch you?”
Rosalie wiped her nose with the back of her hand and sniffed deeply.
