Saving Rose Red Read online

  Anthony wanted the photo. He must have seen her taking pictures and was rightfully worried that she’d snapped one of him with Cisco.

  He looked down at the blithely ignorant beauty and resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to hoist her over his shoulder and take her somewhere safe. Where they’d be alone. Together…

  Focus. He had to get the camera from her, first and foremost, and then worry about how to keep her safe. Maybe Eddie could get some officers to watch her for a while.

  “Here they are.” Andie pushed the camera back into his hands and he looked down to see a rose pattern that he was most likely supposed to be commenting on. He couldn’t even begin to think about tattoos and roses. Not now when she was in danger. Moving over to the window he took a quick look outside. Anthony and his friend were nowhere to be seen but he wanted her out of here and out of this neighborhood before they came back.

  “Do you live around here?” he asked.

  His abrupt change of topic didn’t seem to faze her. “No. I used to, but then I found my mom and I’ve been staying with her. She wants to get to know me—”

  “So you live with your mom?” He let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t live alone. That was a good start. Hopefully her mom lived far away from Brooklyn.

  “Sort of. I was staying with her but then she married my birth father—they have this on-again off-again relationship. It’s weird. Anyway, she’s moving in with him when she gets back from her honeymoon. She’ll probably sell her place, but in the meantime I’m staying there. Jenna, that’s my sister, she said—”

  “So you’re staying alone.”

  She blinked up at him. Perhaps not surprisingly, she seemed surprised by his interest. If she had any sense, she’d be slightly terrified by his interest. But either she had no sense or she was altogether far too trusting of strangers.

  “Yeah, for the next month, at least. Why, you need a place to crash?” She was smiling. Teasing. Yet, there was genuine concern there. Like…if he actually needed a place to stay, she was offering.

  Didn’t this woman have any sense of self-preservation? He was tempted to take her up on the offer just to make sure no one else did. But then his brain took off on another tangent. His mind conjured up delicious images of what exactly it would mean to share a place with this woman with her lavender scent and her slender figure. How she’d look coming out of her bedroom in the morning, all tousled and sexy. In a nightie that just skimmed those thighs…

  And there he went again. If this woman could glimpse where his mind kept wandering, she’d run out of there. Which would be for the best, actually. But he couldn’t have her running away, not while she still had the camera in her possession.

  So instead of telling her his dirty thoughts, he got down to business, shoving a book filled with graphics in her direction as he worked on a rough sketch. After a few minutes she ditched the book and came over to where he was standing to watch him work.

  He’d always hated it when people watched him draw. It was personal. But as her clean, untouchably perfect scent wrapped around him and he heard the sound of her quiet breathing, he found he didn’t mind. When she murmured how much she loved the final image, he may have even liked having such an appreciative audience.

  They made arrangements for her to come back later in the week when they both had time for the actual tattoo. When she was getting ready to leave, he moved closer, ready to strike. She slung the camera and her bag over one shoulder and picked up her jacket. It had been a long time since he’d picked a pocket or stolen a purse, but it turned out robbery was like riding a bike.

  He moved close to her as if he was escorting her out. Very gentlemanly move. Then, right as she reached the door, he bumped into her, slipping the camera off her shoulder as she righted herself with a laugh. She made a self-deprecating comment about being a klutz but he was too focused on simultaneously hiding the camera behind his back while scoping out the street for any sign of Anthony or his lackeys.

  No one. The street was surprisingly empty for a Friday evening.

  She called back her goodbyes and he waited in the open doorway until she was safely inside the cab. The moment she was gone, he took the camera to the back office, gathered his things and headed out the back door. The sooner he could get this image to Eddie, the better. He had a battered old laptop at his makeshift apartment around the corner and he figured he could scrounge up the cord he’d need at the pawn shop two blocks over.

  Stu had slipped out the back earlier so Cole was the last one at the shop. He started to lock up when a car speeding too fast caught his attention. He saw the passenger side window start to lower and instinct kicked in. He dove for the trash cans just as a gunshot went off. Two. Three. Then the car was screeching off. It had never slowed down—a classic hit and run.

  He heard voices in the ensuing silence. Then doors opened and people rushed toward the street. He had to get out of there.

  It wasn’t until he’d hit the end of the block that the adrenaline started to wear off and he realized that his thigh was killing him. He’d known what happened before he saw the evidence. Still, the sight of blood seeping through his jeans had him cursing under his breath.

  He’d been shot.

  Chapter Two

  When Andie walked into the Upper West Side bar, she spotted her sisters right away. Sisters. That was a word she’d never get used to. When she’d set out to find her birth parents, she hadn’t let herself get her hopes up. She’d hardly let herself imagine what it might be like to meet her mother and father, let alone siblings. Granted she only had one half-sister, but her half-sister was best friends with her former stepsister so she’d gotten two sisters in the deal.

  Two sisters who were hard to miss in the back booth of the bar. Beautiful and vivacious, her half-sister, Jenna Knight, and her ex-stepsister, Mackenzie Rivers, were also very important people. That’s how she classified them, at least. Mackenzie was the founder and managing editor of the city’s hippest online news site, HeatMap, and Jenna was a premier divorce attorney—the one who was almost always featured in the gossip pages in those stories about celebrity divorces. Jenna was quick to point out that she was always, always on the winning side. If there could be a winner in a divorce, Mackenzie would add. Lately Jenna had even been talking about opening up a firm of her own, with some financial help from their father.

  Mackenzie waved her over, her wild blonde curls bobbing around her face as she shifted over in the booth to make room for Andie.

  “Hey, Rose Red, we thought you’d never make it,” Mack said.

  Andie slid into the booth and found herself facing Jenna. If she was being honest, she still found her half-sister slightly intimidating. They’d been getting to know one another these past few months and, while Jenna had been nothing but lovely to her, she was also the most confident person she’d ever met.

  At this particular moment she looked forbidding and severe as she frowned at her former stepsister. “Stop calling her that.”

  Mack, as usual, was completely unfazed by Jenna’s disapproval. “Why? She likes it. Don’t you, Rose Red?”

  Andie opened her mouth but Jenna turned to her before she could answer. “You don’t have to appease her, Andie.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t mind.” In fact, she kind of did like it. She was close with one of her former foster brothers but other than that, she’d never had siblings and the idea of having a nickname…well, it made her feel like she was included. Like she had a place in the world, alongside the self-proclaimed Cinderella and Snow White.

  With her sleek black bob and perfect pale skin, Jenna actually kind of fit the description of Snow White. Of course, that was where the similarity ended. Andie would never imagine the fairy tale Snow White to be a divorce attorney, or so very scary when she meant business.

  “See?” Mack said. “She doesn’t mind, she said so.”

  Andie, the she in question, reached for a handful of popcorn and sat back to enjoy the show. Thou
gh the former stepsisters were best of friends, they had a tendency to bicker like teenagers around each other, which Andie oddly enjoyed. Considering the weird way the three of them were tied together—with adoptions and divorces and affairs—bickering seemed so very normal.

  Jenna rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t even make sense. Yes, Rose Red is Snow White’s sister, but it’s a different Snow White.”

  “Now you’re not making sense,” Mackenzie said. Andie smothered a laugh. She and Mack had talked about the Rose Red story—they’d even looked it up on Wikipedia—and Mackenzie knew very well that there were two different Snow Whites.

  Jenna sighed with annoyance. “Andie’s just being nice.”

  “Exactly!” Mackenzie leapt on that statement with far more enthusiasm than it warranted. Leaning over she wrapped an arm around Andie’s shoulders as if presenting her for inspection. “This girl is nice. Too nice, possibly. The nicest of the nice.”

  Andie laughed and even Jenna cracked a smile as she said, “And Rose Red was nice?”

  “Of course.” Mackenzie sounded shocked that they weren’t all familiar with Rose Red. “That’s her whole deal. She’s fair and sweet, even to bears.”

  “Bears, huh?” Jenna said.

  Mackenzie nodded. “Bears. She and her sister, Snow White, take in a bear. Long story short, the bear’s a prince.” With that, she took a sip of her cocktail.

  Jenna turned to Andie. “Have you met any bears recently?”

  Andie laughed as she shook her head. “No bears. Just a big burly guy covered in tattoos, does that count?”

  Mackenzie turned to her with wide eyes. “Of course that counts! Tell us everything.”

  Andie shifted in her seat, not entirely comfortable being the center of attention. She wasn’t typically shy but she much preferred to watch these two interact than be the focus of their conversation. Not just because she was the new sister but because she paled in comparison. They were always telling interesting stories about their careers, their love lives, their families…and Andie couldn’t even begin to keep up.

  She had no career to speak of. Nearly thirty and she still hadn’t figured out what she wanted to do for a living. To be fair, she hadn’t come from money like Jenna, so she’d spent the majority of her twenties taking any job that could pay her rent. She’d just discovered her family and these two knew far more about her parents than she did so she had nothing to contribute there. And as for a love life? None to speak of.

  An image of a large, muscly, shaved-headed tattoo artist came to mind. She shook her head. “It’s ridiculous. It won’t amount to anything…”

  “Why not?” Jenna demanded. “If you like this guy, he would be lucky to have you.” If there was one thing she could say about her new sister, she was overprotective of her family. Including her. Which was sweet, really…albeit unnecessary. She’d been taking care of herself her whole life.

  “I don’t know if I like him.” Sure, she was intrigued by him. She remembered the way her skin had tingled every time he’d drawn near. The way her heart had picked up its pace every time he was close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body. And oh man, that body. She’d never thought of herself as the type to like big, muscular men, but that was before she’d seen him. She’d barely been able to tear her gaze from the chest muscles she could make out through his thin T-shirt or the bulging biceps that were covered with tats.

  Mackenzie started to laugh. “If that blush is anything to go by, you, my fair little friend, you have got the hots for this guy.”

  Andie could feel the heat intensify in her cheeks but she couldn’t bring herself to deny it. “Fine. Then I guess I should say, I don’t know if he’s interested in me.”

  She could see Jenna starting to bristle at that, and quickly added, “We didn’t have a chance to talk much.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she added, “Actually, I’m pretty sure I talked too much. He barely said anything.”

  “Ah, so it was a meeting of the minds,” Jenna said, but her eyes were twinkling with amusement, softening the jab.

  Andie laughed. “More like lust at first sight.” That physical attraction had been the reason behind her inability to shut up. She’d always been like that. Put her in an uncomfortable situation and she could not stop talking. Between his daunting glares and her body’s crazy intense reaction…yeah, she’d been uncomfortable.

  “Ooh, do tell.” Mackenzie looked so eager, Andie couldn’t resist. The words came out in a girlie gush. “Oh my gosh, you guys, he was so hot.”

  “Tall, dark, and brooding?” Jenna said, not surprisingly since that description fit Hunter to a tee. Hunter was Jenna’s boyfriend. He was also the man who’d outed Andie when she’d thought she was being so clever. After finding out her birth mother was a name partner at a law firm, she went to work there as a receptionist and tried to do some digging to figure out who her father was. She ended up learning two important lessons—her father was Jenna’s dad, Donald Knight, and she had absolutely no knack for being a spy.

  She grinned at Jenna. “Not exactly. More like big, brawny, and bald.”

  “Bald?” Jenna repeated.

  “Well, shaved head.”

  “Ooh, like Jason Statham,” Mackenzie asked.

  “More like Vin Diesel on steroids,” Andie said.

  “That’s a frightening thought,” Jenna added.

  Andie shrugged. She couldn’t explain the attraction—every guy she’d ever dated had tended to be the wiry, artistic type. Not a muscle between them. But with him…

  “So what’s his name?” Mack asked.

  “Dagger.”

  Jenna’s eyes widened so quickly it looked painful. “Dagger? Did you say Dagger?”

  Andie stared at her in shock but Mack just rolled her eyes. “Relax, Snow White.”

  Jenna shook her head. “Uh uh. No way. My sister is not dating a guy named Dagger.”

  Mackenzie spoke up before she could. “You do remember that Andie is technically your older sister, right?”

  “Only by a year,” Jenna said. Andie opened her mouth again but Mack was too quick.

  “My point is, she’s a grown woman, not a little kid.”

  “She might as well be.” Jenna turned to her. “No offense.”

  Andie was torn between laughter and a sigh of exasperation. “None taken.” She got it—people always seemed to think she was too nice for her own good. And someone like Jenna who had defensive walls built up around her a mile thick? She definitely wouldn’t understand that being open to people wasn’t a weakness, trusting strangers didn’t make her naïve, and having faith that good would win out didn’t make her an idiot.

  She’d long ago figured out that there were two ways to live. She could either go through life wary of strangers and putting up defensive walls…or she could learn to trust herself. One of the perks of moving around so much as a kid was that she’d learned to pick up on vibes. Reading people and their motives became something of a specialty, and she’d learned to trust her instincts. They never steered her wrong.

  Mackenzie turned to her. “She doesn’t think you’re stupid.”

  Andie nodded. “I know.”

  Jenna leaned over and grabbed her hand. “Just not jaded like me. That’s a good thing.”

  She was outright grinning now. “I know.”

  Mackenzie reached across for the popcorn, breaking up the hand-holding. “So when are you going to see him again?”

  “Who, Dagger?”

  Jenna groaned at the sound of his name.

  “Later this week, he’s going to do my new tattoo.”

  That had them both staring at her like she’d grown a second head.

  “You have tattoos?” Mack asked.

  “Yeah, on my back.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Jenna said.

  Andie shrugged. “It wasn’t a secret.”

  “So this Dagger guy…he’s a tattoo artist?” Jenna clarified.

  Andie nodded and Ma
ckenzie laughed. “Oh this keeps getting better and better. I can’t wait to meet him.”

  She found herself shifting uncomfortably. “Yeah, well, don’t get your hopes up. He didn’t exactly seem taken with me.” If anything, he’d seemed to outright dislike her if his constant scowl was anything to go by. At the very least, he was uncomfortable around her. Which was weird because most people tended to like her. She’d been told more than once that she was easy to be around.

  The chirping of her phone had everyone staring at the hot pink device. For one ridiculous moment she thought it might be Dagger, as if her talking and thinking about him could summon his text.

  No such luck. She frowned down at the phone. Anthony. He’d entered his name and number into her phone himself, as if she wouldn’t be able to spell the name Anthony or something. She hated when people did that. But he’d been nice and flatteringly interested so she’d let him. That didn’t mean she was going to respond.

  “Who is it?” Jenna asked.

  She briefly told them about Anthony, the nice, handsome, well-dressed man who’d followed her into Dagger’s shop.

  Mackenzie let out a whistle. “Whoa, Rose Red. You snagged two men in one day? Good work.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’d hardly say I snagged anyone.”

  Jenna nodded toward Andie’s phone. “What does he want?”

  “To take me out sometime this week.” She stared at the message and tried to summon up some excitement—at least half as much excitement as her sisters.

  “You should go for it,” Jenna said.

  Andie nodded. Maybe. Probably not. There was something about him that she hadn’t liked. Maybe because he’d tried too hard. It wasn’t like she always went for the guys who didn’t seem to like her—she had far more confidence than that. But she hadn’t felt that spark the way she had with Dagger. She normally considered herself a good judge of people but she hadn’t been able to read Anthony.

  Dagger, on the other hand…. While he might have worn a perma-frown, he had kind eyes. They were warm and brown and held far more emotions than he probably knew. And when he was sketching, she’d watched the scowl dissolve and his features had softened.