Love Hurts: The Killing of Rose Read online

  Rose touched her arm, the memory of Sam flashing through her mind. She dropped her head back against the seat. “If she so much as calls me and tells me you and her were fighting about what takeout to order I will tell her. So, I don’t know if you can keep up your end of the deal, but I will keep up mine. Think long and hard about marrying Delaney because I will always be here to out you when it’s needed. And I will this time. I will not let Delaney go through what I went through because of you.”

  Sam stayed quiet, watching Delaney get closer. He furiously flexed his jaw, his foot tapping the gas. Luckily the car was in park or they would have crashed into the side of the hotel he thought.

  “Hey you two,” Delaney said cheerful. Rose got out of the front seat, “Everything alright?”

  Delaney settled in next to Sam. She gave him a look, wondering why she felt an enormous amount of tension in the car suddenly. Rose leaned forward, throwing her hand on Delaney’s shoulder. She squeezed. “Everything is wonderful, Laney. Did you get that fax done?”

  Different versions of Love

  Dylan let out a giggle taking a bite of the pizza in her hand. She dropped the pizza back into the box, dropping back against Frankie’s headboard. “This is really amazing.”

  Frankie nodded, chewing. He stopped the movie they were watching. “I told you greasy dives like Panini’s are incredible.” He tossed his crust, wiping his hands on a napkin, leaning back against his headboard. Dylan and him had been spending time together. The first visit wasn’t her last—in fact, there were probably around a half a dozen now. But Frankie was oblivious of the pattern picking up between the two of them. He enjoyed hanging out with her. He never took the time to get to know anybody before. And it was a bit amusing to him to hear about other people’s lives.

  “So tell me again why your boyfriend cheated on you,” Frankie said, shooting her a scheming smile. Dylan smirked herself, stuffing the dangling cheese into her mouth. She gestured with one finger for him to wait, patting her mouth with a napkin.

  “He said I wasn’t serious enough for him.” She frowned, and then shook her head. “I’m serious enough when I have to be. I also had a boyfriend who dumped me because I was sick. This was back in high school.”

  Frankie trailed his fingers down her leg, working his fingers to her knee and back up again. Even watching her eat enthralled him in a weird way. She was alluring and he wasn’t afraid to admit that. He didn’t think that made him weak or pathetic. “What kind of sick? Why were you sick?”

  Dylan dropped down, resting her head on Frankie’s abdomen, her hazel eyes staring up at him. “I had to have a kidney transplant. I got really sick my sophomore year. My brother gave me his kidney. How cool is that?”

  Frankie stroked her hair. He enjoyed the way it draped all around him, the feel of it, and her scent. He shook his head, trying to shake his mind out of the gutter. “I suppose that is a pretty cool thing for someone to do. I guess your brother thought you were worth it. I don’t know if my brother would ever do something like that for me.” Frankie stared off.

  Dylan poked at his mouth with her fingers. He kissed them in response, making her smirk. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. I’m sure he would.”

  “I don’t need to give myself credit. I know who I am. I don’t sugarcoat things.” Frankie flipped the movie back on tired of talking about nonsense.

  Dylan poked his mouth again. “Who are you?”

  Frankie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want to know.”

  “What if I do?” Dylan asked.

  Frankie shook his head. Wondering why girls were always so inexperienced and ready to fall head over heels for any guy. “Then that would mean you probably have a lot of issues of your own. Knowing a guy like me will get you nowhere.”

  Dylan pursed her lips annoyed that Frankie was so callous about himself. “You’re so pessimistic. It is really frustrating how you rag on yourself all the time.”

  Frankie took his hand away from her hair. “Well feel free to do it for me then, honey.”

  Dylan sat up offended. “Why do you do that?”

  Frankie snapped the movie off. Clearly they weren’t meant to watch a movie.

  “Every time I offer you a flattering remark you blow it off. Or if I want to talk about something other than sex you get all bent out of shape.” Dylan studied Frankie’s stoic attitude.

  “I don’t need compliments. Are you crazy? I offered you pizza and a movie. So sit back and watch the movie and eat the pizza.” He stared her down. He hoped she would keep her mouth shut and not ruin his mood. The idea he could feed off of someone and not kill them at one time was kind of nice. But now that she was in his face and nagging—he wasn’t feeling that way anymore.

  “Fine. You’re such an ass,” she said, taking another bite of her pizza. She reached over Frankie turning the movie back on. She wasn’t one of those irritating girls who didn’t know when to lay off. And something told her she wouldn’t like Frankie when he was heated. But little did Frankie know he wouldn’t like her when she was heated either.

  ***

  Sam headed up the stairs of Frankie’s apartment. He abandoned the elevator as soon as he saw the two girls getting in. He feared if he went along for the ride he might be the only one that resurfaced afterwards.

  Just as he was about to wrap on Frankie’s door he heard something odd coming from his apartment. Laughter. Sam was taken aback. But he knocked anyways. He waited patiently, listening to the weighty footsteps in a rush to answer the door.

  “What are you doing here?” Frankie asked immediately.

  Sam smirked, a little satisfied to be dropping in at the incorrect time. He deserved it after all he put him through lately. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  Frankie rubbed at his neck. Sam readily peered past his brother to the eye-catching brunette sprawled on his brother’s bed with a box of cheap pizza. “Is that your t-shirt?” Sam smirked.

  “What are you doing here?” Frankie asked again, not in the mood to play with Sam. He knew Sam already had his own assumption about what was going on in his apartment.

  “She’s really hot. Like really hot. But I never knew you fed them before the big sendoff. Are you going soft on me?” Sam grinned, slapping Frankie on the arm. He smiled at Dylan causing her to head on over.

  “Frankie is this your brother?” Dylan asked. She gave a lazy wave, pushing Frankie out of the way so she could get a better look at him. Sam couldn’t help but notice how laidback she was in Frankie’s apartment. Or how she pushed Frankie around like she had no idea how sick and twisted his brother was. Or maybe she didn’t care.

  “Yeah, that’s my brother. On the days that he owns up to it,” Frankie said, giving up on keeping Dylan under wraps. He took a seat on his sofa. “So what’s up?”

  Dylan went into the kitchen grabbing Sam a bottled water. She noticed the surprise on his face at her offering. “I’m Dylan.”

  “Wow. Your parents were trying to make your life hell huh?” Sam asked, a smile creeping across his face. Dylan shook her head in disbelief that both brothers were so teasing.

  “I think it worked in my favor. So what’s your name?” she asked, sitting down alongside Frankie. Sam took a seat on the loveseat. He set the water on the coffee table.

  “Sam.”

  “But you’re better off calling him Vance.” Frankie pointed out, taking the chance to stick it to Sam. “Vance is what his fiancé knows him as. He tends to get angry when you call him Sam in front of her.”

  Sam ignored Frankie. “Sam or Vance. Whatever is fine.”

  Dylan shrugged. She didn’t know what to make of the weird tiff the two of them were having. She figured she wasn’t in on the secret and that was fine with her. She stood up. “Well nice meeting you. I am going to finish the movie and eat some more of that incredibly disgusting pizza.”

  Sam waited until she was back on the bed. “This is different. A girl you hang out with without killing. Wow.”<
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  Frankie kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t about to enlighten his brother that he had figured out something that he was on a wild goose chase for. He wasn’t that nice. He’d rather see Sam fail miserably for a while longer. That and he wasn’t convinced if what was happening was even real. He was waiting for her to drop dead. That was probably the reason he let her come back repeatedly.

  “Let me know when you done with the jokes,” Frankie said, settling into the couch pillows.

  Sam sighed, nothing he was saying was getting to his brother at all. “I took Rose to the airport.” He leaned forward, resting his arms against his knees. “She promised me she would notify Delaney the second I even disagreed on the china pattern.”

  Frankie smirked. Sam knew it was him knowing he was right and that Sam was in too deep. But he wanted his opinion. And he also wanted to ask him something, something that had been weighing on his mind the entire ride home with Delaney.

  “I can’t really say that I feel for you, because I don’t.” Frankie scrubbed at his chin. “Didn’t you sleep with that girl?”

  Sam suddenly seemed really uncomfortable. This caught Frankie’s interest.

  “No. I never slept with her. I did a lot of things but I never slept with her.”

  Frankie started laughing. “How did you manage that one?”

  Sam glared at him. “You don’t want to know. But she wasn’t complaining. Look, that is not the point. The point is this girl has my life in her wretched palm. And I came over here to see if I could count on you.”

  Frankie threw his head back, shaking his head in agitation. He knew what this meant. “You’re fine to come around me when you want me to do your dirty work. This is ridiculous. Why don’t you just man up and admit the truth.” Frankie raised an eyebrow.

  “I might as well let Rose tell her then. Because that’s the stupidest idea I have ever heard.”

  “You got yourself into this mess. What kind of guy gets involved with the girl of the best friend—”

  Sam knocked his water over in rage, cutting Frankie off. “I didn’t know she was friends with Rose!”

  Frankie shot his attention to the bedroom. “Keep your voice down. Just because you have all this messed up drama going on in your life and get off on it doesn’t mean I want it in mine.”

  Sam laughed. “What drama? Once you go in there and give her what she’s after, you’ll toss her down the incinerator or into some body of water. Problem solved right?” He headed for the door tired of the futile chat that he thought would provide a way out. Just as his hand touched the doorknob Frankie spoke up. “If you want to get rid of Rose then fine, I’ll take care of it. But I don’t think that is going to solve your problem. You’ll still be here. And you are your problem.”

  Sam didn’t respond. Instead he shut the door behind him still confused on what to do. Killing Rose would solve a lot of problems. But it would also hand over a lot of problems to the person he cared about. Delaney would suffer if she lost her best friend.

  The woman down the hall shot Sam a look, her keys hovering the lock on her apartment door. Sam slowly approached. If he had no way out at least he could take the edge off.

  A test

  Frankie knew where to find her, sitting amid the foliage of the campus on her favorite bench. The one nestled between the cactus and the water fountain. The sky was totally clear of any signs of clouds, an ideal blue background for a perfect day.

  Frankie took his time. Not in a rush to creep up on Delaney today. He watched her fiddle with her purse, pulling out that dreadful book. Today her hair was in a ponytail, exposing the fair skin of her neckline.

  “What’cha reading,” Frankie said, standing in front of her. He needed to get it over with. Delaney snapped her book shut. She rested it beside her and looked up at Frankie not that stunned he was popping up out of nowhere yet again.

  He was wearing faded jeans and the black boots he was known for. The black dress shirt together with the large smirk was enough to make any girl stop dead in her tracks. But not Delaney, she saw passed all of Frankie’s ways.

  “Just a book, what brings you to campus today? Another lunch date with a girl I am not familiar with?” she asked, impatiently awaiting his answer.

  Frankie took a seat next to her. “Actually I was looking for you.”

  Delaney turned her head, a little concerned. She was confused on the reason why Frankie would go through all the trouble to see her. What did he need?

  “Why me?”

  Frankie could sense her mistrust in him. That was very clear each time they were alone together. She didn’t trust him. And he was okay with that. Most people didn’t trust him. And the ones who did had a couple screws loose. “You’re marrying my brother. I thought a little chat was in order.” Frankie sanded his hands together, smiling.

  “I didn’t know you were so worried about us getting married.” Delaney swallowed. She was not used to being on the chopping block. She liked to know that people saw her as a good person, even if they weren’t so good themselves. Delaney had been raised to always make a great impression on everyone.

  “Tell me something, Delaney. When you were a little girl, were you much of a dreamer?” Frankie asked. The question seemed a bit absurd but it was worth a lot.

  Delaney shrugged. “I suppose every girl has dreams about being a princess, or believes in fairy tales.”

  “Even the ugly ones?” Frankie said, “Witches and vampires, ghost and monsters. Did you believe in those too?”

  Delaney raised an eyebrow a little unsure of the conversation. “Sure. Those are the things that scare people.”

  Frankie watched the passing students lugging their big backpacks as they hurried down the footpath, eager to go home or to lunch. “When we were kids our parents always made it a point to tell us the stories about forbidden love. They thought those were the best. Things that go bump in the night, those stupid vampires that want to be loved but are to angry and evil to admit it.” Frankie grew wide eyed and energetic as if he was telling a fairytale.

  Delaney shook her head. “I heard those stories as I got older. Of course my parents weren’t going to tell me them when I was a kid.” She hoped Frankie had a point because she was about to be late for her next class.

  “Have you ever heard the tales about men who lived off of woman? Men who could only thrive when they fed off of human beings, the ones that could never fall in love with a woman because love could kill them.” Frankie studied his nail bed, tossing the innocent enough statement out there as if it was no big deal. “Could you imagine living a life like that?”

  “Like vampires?” Delaney asked.

  Frankie made a disgusted expression. “Vampires are bloodsucking leeches. These men didn’t consume blood they grew stronger after sex with a woman. After using a woman’s body they were unstoppable.” Frankie added the last part in because to him that was how he felt after he fed.

  “Frankie, I got to get to class.” Delaney collected her things. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”

  Frankie sighed. He bit his lip out of sheer frustration. Trying to find a new way to come out and say something without coming out and saying it. “Could a girl love a man who’s genetics made him a murderer? Could you love someone who had to kill to feel normal, someone that couldn’t love you completely because it could kill you if he did?”

  Delaney jumped up, in a rush to get to class. She scanned Frankie’s eye for the real reason he was asking her such insane things. He had to be drunk or stoned. “Nobody in their right mind could love someone like that. And no, I would not. Did that answer any of your questions because I have to go.”

  Frankie stood, shoving his hands deep down in his pockets. He couldn’t help but want to consume Delaney sexually and put her out of her misery. She was that provoking. He jerked his fingers inside his pockets, fighting the urge to influence her feelings toward him. “Yeah totally, you’re like every normal human being. You don’t love the unfamiliar,
I get that. It’s safe.”

  Delaney gave him a weird look. “Are you trying to say that I am judging?”

  Frankie shrugged. “I’m saying you’re like the rest of the world. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  Delaney opened her mouth but was at a loss for words. Frankie raised his hand. “I’m sure Sam would love you even if you were a cold blooded murderer. But that’s just the kind of guy my brother is.”

  He could see the confusion on her face. “You said Sam again,” she said.

  “Because he likes Sam, he is a Sam. And always will be a Sam.” Frankie turned on his heels leaving Delaney gob smacked.

  Maybe he had gone too far back there. Maybe Delaney was now convinced Frankie was trying to imply that Sam was a murderer. But he had to find out the girl’s heart before he did something as stupid as destroy Rose for his brother.