Page 49 of Carnival

Rose

J ames holds my hand tightly, our fingers intertwined as he leads me out of the dark spot behind the food tent. My eyes adjust to the flashing lights quickly, head turning to the side, taking in the scenery.

“There’s a lot fewer people here now,’’ I yell over the loud music. James stops, turns to look at me, and nods.

“Hudson is working on evacuating people.’’

Relieved, I sigh. “There are still a lot of people on the rides.’’

His jaw clenches. “I know. You need to know that they’re doing as best as possible. Getting everyone to safety will be impossible, hellion. There are over three hundred people here.’’

Deep down, I understand the severity of the situation. The fact that they managed to get at least a hundred people out is more than impressive, especially since we’re on a tight clock, and we have no idea when Vivian will detonate the bombs.

“Has anyone tried speaking to the men that are carrying the bombs?”

“Hudson should be doing that,’’ James explains. “Noelle is currently looking for Vivian. She’s somewhere here; I can smell her.’’

I frown. “You can?”

“I didn’t mean it literally,’’ he deadpans. “I can just feel her around.’’

“She’s somewhere here, then,’’ I say, knowing the importance of trusting a gut feeling. “But where?’’

James starts looking around, and I follow suit.

My eyes skim through various people, rides, and the little spots for souvenirs.

I may not know them all personally, but I can recognize Hudson’s men.

All dressed in professional suits, with an earpiece, with guns in their hands.

They’re still guiding people out, creating two new exits.

Vivian has to be somewhere far from the main impact of the explosion but still close enough to witness it firsthand. The carnival, from what I’ve seen when Maverick brought me here, is located right outside of the small forest, with a few hills nearby.

My eyes catch sight of something, and my hand shoots up, pointing. “There!”

James’ head snaps in the direction of my finger, and he nods immediately. “The perfect spot to watch the chaos she created.’’

It’s a small hill, but high enough to watch over the entire carnival. It’s hidden in the darkness, and if it weren’t for the flickering lights, I never would’ve seen it. There’s no sign that anyone’s there, but then again, she wouldn’t just broadcast it to everyone.

“Okay, now we need to—’’

My words get cut off when I hear someone scream out my name. My head snaps to the side, and there stands Hudson. Around ten feet away, his hair was disheveled, and his blazer was slightly wrinkly.

His eyes light up with pure joy and relief when he sees me, and I can’t control myself.

My feet carry me toward him, dropping James’ hand — and he lets me. Tears swell in my eyes, threatening to spill right over. I start running, ignoring the piercing pain that intensifies with each step, my destination clear.

“Dad.’’

Hudson’s eyes immediately change. He rushes forward, opening his arms for me. I fall into his embrace, his bigger frame encircling me perfectly. He hugs me tightly, my face buried in his chest. I let the tears fall, his shirt soaking them all up.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,’’ he murmurs against my head, pressing a kiss to the top of it. “I’ve got you.’’

His words only make me cry harder.

For years, I’ve tried to act like it didn’t bother me that I didn’t have parents growing up. I tried to reject any sort of parental relationship with Hudson and Noelle, just because I was so fucking scared of not being what they wanted, what they needed.

The thought of being a burden for them still haunts me, and it’s something I fear the most. They took me in with open arms and treated me like one of their own right off the bat, and I was a selfish brat to put them through so much.

“I’m so sorry,’’ I cry out, clutching the back of his blazer, hands trembling. “I’m so, so, so sorry.’’

“Let this be the last time you ever apologize for something that wasn’t your fault, Rosalie,’’ Hudson says, voice stern.

He pulls back enough to look at me, and I already need more of his hugs.

His eyes are filled with unshed tears, his lips pulled into a thin line.

“I’m just so fucking happy that I didn’t lose one of my kids. ’’

I can barely see him through the tears, and Hudson pulls me into another bone-crushing hug. I let it all out, weeping and wailing into his chest. He strokes my back softly, trying to soothe me. Hudson always smelled like fresh pine, and somehow, the familiar scent is much stronger now.

The fact that they all came for me means more than words could ever describe.

The feeling of finally belonging somewhere, that I finally have my own village, is overwhelming.

My heart almost bursts with all the emotions I can’t quite understand, but all I know is that I’ll never make them worry about me. Never again.

“I hate to interrupt the moment,’’ James announces his presence, not sounding apologetic at all. “But we really need to make a move on this before Vivian does.’’

Hudson pulls away reluctantly, his shoulders tensing at the mention of the woman. He nods, then glances down at me. His eyes skim over me, pausing to observe all the marks James left on me, brows narrowing.

“You bastard, what did you do to my daughter?”

James lifts his hand in faux surrender, a smirk on his lips. “Nothing she didn’t ask me to, I assure you.’’

“I should’ve killed you while I had the chance.’’

“Aw, are you saying I’m not your favorite in-law?

” James’ voice drips with sarcasm, and I roll my eyes.

This banter is something I’ve seen between Cove and Hudson already, although Cove’s is more on the quiet side, so it doesn’t happen as often.

Something tells me this will become my day-to-day play to witness.

Hudson gags. “Absolutely the fuck not. Blair is the only acceptable daughter-in-law. You and Cove can fuck off right to hell.’’

James winks. “We’ll wait for you there.’’

“Alright,’’ I clap my hands together, drawing their attention to me. “Focus. Dad, have you tried to speak with the men that have the bombs?”

The title rolls off my tongue with ease, and Hudson’s eyes light up in happiness. He doesn’t comment on it, though. He probably doesn’t want to make it weird, and I appreciate it beyond words.

“Tried, yes,’’ he draws out, vaguely, before explaining. “All fifteen had their tongues cut off.’’

“Wait—fifteen?! There’s fifteen of them?!”

I don’t know whether to focus on the fact that their tongues have been cut off to prevent them from snitching or asking for help, or the fact that Vivian did such a monstrous thing to fifteen people. Fifteen.

Hudson nods, his expression solemn for a moment.

“Yeah, there were fifteen of them. One of our men used to work for the EOD. The men don’t have detonators themselves.

Their hands are in their pockets because they all have weapons to kill anyone who tries to approach them.

We managed to subdue four thus far, leaving eleven men. ’’

“How hard are the bombs to detonate?” James asks, stepping closer.

“It took Neil twenty minutes for one. By now, Vivian’s probably noticed that she’s down four men. She’ll attack soon.’’

“Then, if Noelle’s looking for her, let’s focus on the evacuation process, too.’’

“You’re right.’’

I point toward the hill. “I think she’s there. I can’t be certain, though.’’

Hudson doesn’t even look at where I’m pointing. He pulls his phone out, and takes a picture of the hill, even from such a large distance, and then sends it to Noelle. He’s trusting my words blindly, and I can’t help but appreciate it.

Yet again, Hudson looks at me — really looks at me. His eyes fall down to my ruined feet, jaw clenching shut. His fingers twitch by his side, and I know that look — I’ve seen it one time too many. He’s itching to pull his gun out and start shooting.

“She hurt you,’’ he doesn’t ask; he states the obvious. It’s almost as if he’s trying to understand the depth of Vivian’s insanity. “You’re her granddaughter, and she hurt you.’’

“She did,’’ I take a deep breath. “But I’ll be okay.’’

“I promise, Rose,’’ Hudson puts his hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “She will pay for what she did. This will not go unpunished. She will pay for all the blood she spilled, for every single time she dared to lay her hands on you. I promise.’’

Hudson De Santis is one of the scariest men I’ve ever seen.

I’ve heard whispers about him. Not only on the illegal side, but on the legal side, too.

His business is extremely successful, and everyone who knows who he is, is terrified of the power he holds.

And when someone touches his family? He goes nuclear.

He doesn’t think about the consequences because he can afford not to.

He can decapitate a man in the most crowded street and face no legal issues.

Because he took over a ruined empire and made it bloom.

The reason he’s respected is because he always keeps his promises. Whether you’re a friend or a foe, if he makes a promise, he’ll see to it, even if it means your life is over. So, I smile.

A genuine smile that hasn’t happened since Vivian took me.

“Thank you, Dad.’’

Hudson kisses my forehead, then pulls back, looking at James.

“Noelle will catch Vivian.’’

“Is that your wishful thinking, or is it a fact?”

Hudson really doesn’t like the tone of James’ voice.

“Listen, boy, while you were playing around with your little butcher knife, my wife was killing ten people at once, with no weapons at all. You will not doubt Noelle Campbell, nor her abilities, because I will not stand for any disrespect that comes her way. Do you fucking understand me?”

Hudson doesn’t know this yet, but in this moment, James truly starts respecting him. I see his eyes flicker with something only the two of us can decipher, and instead of provoking him further, James simply nods.

“Alright.’’

Hudson straightens up, anger slightly disappearing. “Then, let’s move quickly. The goal is to find all the men with bombs and get them as far as possible from the carnival while Aria, Arlo, and Blair continue to evacuate people. Rose, go join them.’’

“What? But—’’

“No buts,’’ he cuts me off, eyes narrowed. “I don’t want you anywhere near bombs, do you understand?”

“Yes,’’ I sigh.

I glance at James one last time, and he nods, clearly agreeing with Hudson’s sentiment. I smile a little, then turn around, walking away from the two men.

Spotting Aria isn’t difficult, her split-dye hair peeking through the mass of people. When she sees me, she drops whatever it was she was doing and rushes to my side. She’s crying into my shoulder, hugging me tightly, and I return the favor, tightening my hold on her, as if my life depended on it.

When she’s finally ready to let go, the two of us start rapidly leading people out of the carnival.

From what Aria told me, Blair is with some of their men, stopping all rides and forcing the workers to leave as well, which is difficult because all of their equipment is very expensive and not easily replaceable.

We spend the next twenty minutes forcing people out of the carnival. Each minute seems like an eternity, my anxiety rearing its ugly head. I’m just waiting for a bomb to go off, and the fear is causing me to yell at unwilling people. Some think this is a part of the play, that we’re joking.

A stern look from Aria seems to deter them, but not my yelling. Apparently, a five-foot, five-inch blonde girl in a puffy princess dress isn’t intimidating enough. But a girl with a resting bitch face, and a gun in her hand is enough to scare them away.

When the crowd lessens, so does the burden on my shoulders.

It’s still there, the fear lingering in the background, and although the thought of a single person dying here tonight, because of me, is killing me on the inside, when I see two pregnant women safely leave and girls around my age gone from the scene, I can’t help but feel relieved.

“Our side is done,’’ Aria comes to stand next to me, taking my hand in hers. She’s not very open with her emotions, but this is enough for me. She’s grounding herself, reminding herself that I’m here and that I’m safe. “Approximately another fifty people are left.’’

I take in a deep breath; the number is way lower than I expected it to be. The pleasant surprise doesn’t last for long, because as I’m about to open my mouth and start asking what our next move would be — I don’t have to.

“Get down!”

Aria yells, pulling me to the ground harshly.

My ears start ringing as the sound of explosion replaces the silence, the blast wave sending shocks through my body. The thunderous rending of metal fills my senses, my body going rigid.

Aria falls on top of me, shielding me from the direct impact.

The impact is deafening, but my chest rumbles. In that moment, time stops, and all I can see are blinding lights, a ghostly silence following.