sense.
Gwen let me go and narrowed her eyes at Rosie. “Is Cade going to be totally pissed off that you’re here?”
Rosie smiled. “I couldn’t imagine why.”
Gwen clapped her hands. “Epic!” She looked us up and down. “Now I’m guessing you stopped here because you’re about to cause some trouble and you need outfits to go with it?”
“You know me far too well, sister,” Rosie said, moving toward the clothing racks. “Think, mafia takedown combined with an Olivia Pope in Scandal vibe.”
Gwen’s heels clicked as she walked to the front door, flipped the sign to “closed,” then locked it. She clapped her hands together and smiled. “I’ve got you.”
And she did.
They both did.
Which was a good thing, since I definitely didn’t feel like I “had” myself.
No, the only person who truly had me, I’d left behind on a ranch in Montana.
14
Rosie and I spent just over an hour with Gwen. I could’ve spent all day with her, as she had something about her that I wanted to soak up. There was a comfort in her presence, a kindness.
It was almost like, for that hour, I was a woman with two kick-ass, beautiful friends and we were just out shopping. No furious cowboys chasing after us, no broken hearts, no dead friends, no crime boss looking to kill me so I couldn’t testify against him.
But then, as it tended to do, reality rushed back in.
We left the store with two bags...each. I didn’t know how long this takedown was meant to go on for, but I doubted it would be long enough for all those outfits. It was only when Gwen was bagging everything up that I realized I didn’t have my wallet with me. Duke had confiscated it on the first day, because he probably thought I’d try to escape his protection and be stupid enough to use my credit cards. Rosie had paid for everything on the trip, I’d noted that, but I’d been in too much of a haze to understand the fact I had no money, no identification, no phone, nothing. I was relying totally on Rosie.
“Okay, so due to the current situation, I find myself without a way to pay for this,” I began to say to Gwen.
Rosie interrupted by holding up a black credit card with my name on it. She passed it to Gwen. Gwen frowned at her, but didn’t take it. “I’m here as a supplier of bad-ass outfits, I take no currency. This is the most fun I’ve had in a while.”
“Take the fucking card, Gwen,” Rosie snapped.
I didn’t even ask Rosie how she got it, because it didn’t surprise me that she’d have the ability to either find and steal my credit cards or get a whole new one.
“Isn’t using that like some kind of flashing sign to Kitsch that I’m here?” I asked.
Rosie smiled. “Yes, it is exactly that—which is why my sister needs to run the fucking card.”
Gwen looked between the two of us, shook her head but took the card. “Luke is going to be pissed at you,” she said.
Rosie smiled. “Who?”
Rosie had not said anything about what was about to go down, or even where we were going. She was too busy trying to decide which outfit she’d wear.
She’d taken the keys to Gwen’s house from her and drove us out to a beautiful home right in front of the ocean, letting herself in, and showing me to where I’d be staying.
The house itself was decorated in boho glam, whites everywhere, signs of children too—which Gwen mentioned were hanging out with someone called Mia’s children, who were possibly teaching them how to make homemade bombs. She’d sounded disturbingly serious too, though not at all worried.
She hadn’t seemed concerned that I was staying at her home, even though she didn’t know me and I had a powerful murderer after me.
I should’ve fought it more, especially with the many signs that children were here. But I didn’t. I let Rosie show me to the guest room, order me to shower and change into one of the new outfits, and be “ready for battle in an hour.”
Then she disappeared, presumably to do the same.
I looked around the beautiful room. The welcoming bed with the plush bedspread called to me. The urge to sink into it and close my eyes until this was all over was strong. The urge to sink to my knees and sob was even stronger.
But I did neither of those things.
Instead, I showered. I reapplied my makeup.
I put