Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True

Chapter Thirty One

Rosco softened as he felt her melt in his arms. The plan had gone exactly as he'd planned. He was delighted when he'd heard her yell for help. Rosco had pretended to fumble with the keys outside the door. Then he'd had a brilliant plan, Rosco would make a hero's entrance and he kicked down the door.

He couldn't forget how small she would look under Ben's body. It was almost like she was being crushed. Rosco had felt a surge of adrenaline at the scene and pulled him off of Jaime. He hadn't quite planned Ben to get that far. He had told them to scare her so he could "rescue" her, not do any of the things he saw Ben doing.

Rosco didn't know what made him do it but he punched Ben in the stomach. Ben had this surprised look on his face. He had yelled at him, "What do you think you're doing?" and Ben had felt the full impact of his punch. He had crumpled before him. He remembered yelling at him again. "Don't you EVER do that AGAIN! Did I not say, don't touch her?"

When he had turned to comfort Jaime, he found an empty room. Rosco ran to the top of the stairs. He felt a wave of relief when he saw that Jack, Cam, and Dale had enough sense of mind to come to the stairs. They had stopped her from escaping.

Then he saw her. She had curled up in a ball. It was the first time he really saw her. It disturbed Rosco. He then told them to take her to his study. He got Ben and Jake up and got rid of them. He paid them a couple day's wages and sent them on their way.

"Hey!" Ben exclaimed, "I should get extra for the pounding you and she gave to me!"

Rosco sneered, "I never told you to touch her or try to get your jollies off. I told you to frighten her. Make her think you are after her."

He handed him a little extra and stalked off.

Rosco never imagined when he entered that room he'd feel remorse.

I never told him to do that to her, just frighten her. I shouldn't feel guilty.

His arms wrapped around her tighter as her tears continued to flow.

She was so small. What was I thinking? I could have done it a different way!

Rosco held her until she fell asleep. He slipped his arm under her knees and lifted her up in his arms. "She's lighter than I thought," he whispered.

As he climbed up the stairs he opted to put her in the bedroom beside his. Rosco didn't think she'd want to stay in the other room. He laid her down on the bed and tugged the covers that lay under her out from under her and tucked her in. Jaime's hair covered her face as she turned on her side. Rosco sat on the bed and stared at the feisty woman he'd always been riled by, now lying quietly asleep.

Rosco reached over and brushed her hair out of her face. She was beautiful. In some unsettling way, he didn't blame Ben for wanting her. Rosco shook his head.

What was he thinking?

He straightened his tie and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door.

Get a grip man! Rosco walked away with Jaime on his mind.

***

Jaime sat up with a start. "No!" Her body felt cold and clammy.

Was it a dream? Am I back in Venice?

Jaime looked around her. The room didn't seem familiar, but she knew that it hadn't been a dream. She had been attacked the other night.

Rosco.

He had been the last one she'd expected to rescue her. Rosco had also been the last one she'd thought of to comfort her. His arms had been strong but gentle. Jaime closed her eyes for a moment.

He must have carried me upstairs last night.

Jaime lay back onto the pillow. Had she been wrong about him?

Knock knock.

Jaime sat up quickly, grabbing a hand full of cover to pull against her chest. "Come in."

It was Rosco. He seemed hesitant to come into the room. "How are you?"

Jaime couldn't let him think that she was as wishy washy as she had been the night before. "I'm fine," she stated. Jaime noticed a pile of clothes at the end of the bed. They were hers, just washed and pressed.

Jaime got out of bed and grabbed the pile of clothes. Then she noticed something about Rosco. Jaime couldn't pin point it. Something was different about him.

Rosco's disposition seemed to change with hers. He was all business. "I figured you might be getting restless in the room so I thought I'd offer to let you use the gym I've found."

"What do you mean, 'found'? Don't you own this place?"

He paused and then changed the subject. "There are clothes in the dresser drawers if you need them."

"So wait," Jaime still on the topic, "Are you saying that you're in someone else's house?"

Silence. How frustrating?

Suddenly she realized what it was that was different. Rosco wasn't wearing a suit. He was in a pair of jeans and a tight t-shirt. You could see the bulge of his muscles. Jaime shook her head. She didn't even know why she noticed that.

Jaime found that in this room was access to a bathroom with shower and tub. She definitely liked this room better. Jaime closed the door on Rosco and she went to change. After brushing her teeth, brushing her hair and putting on some lip gloss she'd found.

Not that I need to look pretty for him or anything, she laughed to herself.

Jaime walked out of the bathroom half expecting him to have left, but he was still standing there, in the same spot. "Don't you have mobster things to do? You know, people to hurt or scare?"

He smirked.

Good. Things are back to normal.

"Oh, no. I'm here to be at your beck and call," he said facetiously.

"Oh, well then. Can I get some breakfast?" Jaime batted her eyes like a fair damsel in one of those sickening silent movies.

"Of course."

He seemed to stare at her more intensely than before. Jaime swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't tell if he was serious. Jaime had been having her meals in her room ever since she'd been there. But she didn't know what was happening with Ben and Jake gone. Or she'd hoped they'd gone.

Rosco seemed to move out of the path of the door and gesture her to walk through them. Jaime flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked down the stairs. There was a man down the stairs standing against the wall.

It's like living with my Father!

Jaime hated this life. She looked behind her. Rosco smiled intently at her.

Creepy.

Jaime had to admit though she appreciated the idea that he wasn't a complete cretin. A gangster with morals? Jaime didn't quite believe that about Rosco.

Rosco walked behind her until they reached the foyer and he then took her by the elbow to lead her to the dining room. It was a fairly big room. It had large oak china cabinets stained darkly. The table had been set for two.

So he planned this breakfast? Jaime had an unsettling feeling about this situation. God, what is he planning?

The maid set down plates of bacon, eggs, and toast. It had been the first time Jaime had ever seen anyone except Rosco's men. They ate in silence.

Jaime didn't quite know what to make of Rosco. She knew him to be a callus angry man. But she'd never seen him quite as tender as last night. Nor did she wish to, but it happened. "Why are you treating me like this?" she asked breaking the silence.

He looked at her, studying her face. "I'm keeping you captive, I'm not here to torture you."

Before Jaime could ask another question, one of his men brought a cell phone to him. "A call sir."

Rosco took the phone, all the while his gaze content to rest upon her. "Hello? Yeah. No. We were supposed to have let …" he paused and turned away from her whispering. "We were supposed to let her go by now."

Jaime caught the tail end of the conversation. So he wasn't the mastermind?

She began picking at her scrambled eggs when Rosco looked at her to check if she was listening.

Maybe he wasn't so bad?

Jaime still wasn't so sure about that though.