Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! It really means the world to me! So thank you to: TheTruthAboutThe Wallflower, Blissangel91494, Indira (guest), lisablackrose, ilovesos9467, ariegentry22, swimmer07, , maggiescousin, and guest!

Author's Note:This chapter has been edited and revised as of 01/06/2017. A huge thank you to my friend and beta, Mordinette, for all of her hard work!

Chapter Four

Christian hadn't been kidding. Apparently, he and Lissa had taken it upon themselves to book our flight after our meeting in the coffee house.

"We weren't going to give you the chance to say no," Lissa had said, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Besides, it's about to get cold here," Christian added. "I'm not ready for the snow yet."

True to Dr. Olendzki's word, I had been discharged from the hospital late the following afternoon, complete with painkillers and a list of office numbers for some of the best psychologists in New York that I had zero intentions of using.

I did, in fact, press charges against Jesse. According to Ms. Karp, the police had once again taken him in and I had been able to go pack up the stuff I still had at the condo that hadn't been destroyed. The condo had been in complete shambles. Jesse had pretty much destroyed anything that belonged to me; my phone, my laptop...everything. I was still waiting to hear from my lawyer when I needed to fly back for the court case, which I wasn't looking forward to. I did not want to have to face him again.

It was freeing, in a way, to finally be away from that situation. I'd lost my home and most of my possessions. But those were simply material things. I'd also lost Jesse. It may seem strange, with everything he'd put me through, but he had been a huge part of my life since high school. It was hard to let something like that go.

A part of me would probably always love him, or at least the man he used to be. He had been my first real boyfriend, my first and only lover. It was going to be...weird, to say the least, without him there. I only hoped he was able to get the help he needed.

That just wasn't my job anymore.

But despite everything, I had to admit, I was excited about the trip, even if I looked like something from a slasher film. I wasn't going to try to impress anyone. I was going to clear my head, soak up some sun, and hopefully get some writing done. I was going to completely forget about men for a long, long time.

After making a few calls, utilities would be turned on by the time we arrived. Since the house wasn't used often, it was being maintained by close friends of the family.

"Are the Castiles still looking after the house?" Lissa asked as we finally made our way through security at JFK and headed to our terminal, only stopping momentarily to grab a cup of coffee from a nearby vendor.

I nodded. "It's mostly just Eddie now. Janice and Collin aren't really physically able to do it anymore. He's going to meet us at the airport and give us a lift."

I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached our terminal. My ribs were screaming at me in protest by the time we sat down and I tried to adjust my arm sling more comfortably around my neck to keep it from chafing. Taking a sip of my coffee, I glared over my sunglasses at Christian, who was looking decidedly smug. "You just had to pick the earliest flight available, didn't you?"

I was so not a morning person.

He shrugged, unconcerned with my rancor, draping his arm around the back of Lissa's seat while propping his ankle onto his knee. "Consider it payback."

I raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. "Payback for what?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said, a hint of bitterness in his tone, "maybe for not telling me the extent of what was going on, Rose. For not telling me just how bad it had gotten." He looked at me then, eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and pain. "And for making Lissa lie to me."

"Christian -" Lissa warned gently. "Not here, please."

I gaped, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at my friend. "You told him."

She bit her lip, her jade green eyes pleading with me to understand. "He... saw what was left of the picture. He kind of figured it out."

Christian nodded. "Had I known back when it originally happened, that bastard would have been dead already and you wouldn't be sitting here like… " he waved his hand towards me, "like that, and I wouldn't have to be carrying your stuff."

I snorted. "You would have been carrying it anyway because you're a gentleman."

"Not the point."

I shook my head and was about to respond when a woman dragging a small child behind her took a seat across from us.

The little boy was adorable, and couldn't have been more than four or five years of age. His big brown eyes widened when he noticed me and he tugged on his mother's coat sleeve. "Mommy, what happened to that lady's face?"

Hastily, I brushed my hair over my still bruised face and adjusted my sunglasses over my eyes.

The woman placed a gentle hand over the child's mouth and glanced at me apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Kaleb is still learning about manners." She removed her hand and spoke to him firmly. "Tell the nice lady that you're sorry and that you hope she feels better soon."

Kaleb pouted adorably as he turned his attention back to me. "I'm sorry. Does it hurt?"

I smiled at the boy and shook my head. "Not anymore," I lied.

"Did they go to jail?"

I cocked my head to the side. "Who?"

"The person who beat you up."

"Kaleb!" his mother exclaimed, obviously mortified.

I smiled at her reassuringly, waving off her apology. "It's okay. Really." I turned and addressed Kaleb again. "Yes, he did."

He widened his big, brown eyes. "Boys aren't supposed to hit girls!"

The woman smiled and ran her fingers through her son's soft-looking brown hair. "That's right, sweetie." She kissed his forehead and I felt my heart clench. "You just remember that."

Kaleb grinned at me. "I hope you hit him back."

We all laughed at the boy's enthusiasm. "Not this time," I told him truthfully, "but he won't get the chance to do it again."

The little boy nodded. "That's good. I hope you feel better." And like most children, his attention span waned and he turned back to his mother. "I'm hungry."

Chuckling, the woman stood and bid us farewell. Before leaving, Kaleb turned back to us. "Hope you feel better soon!"

I watched the two as they wandered off, smiling softly to myself. I felt Lissa gingerly place a hand on mine and give it a light squeeze. With a heavy sigh, I shifted to lean my head against her shoulder and closed my eyes.

We were all exhausted by the time we landed in Honolulu. The total flight time had been over twelve hours, including a three hour layover in Phoenix. Luckily, thanks to my pain medication, I managed to sleep for most of the trip.

Eddie Castile was waiting for us at baggage claim. He stood leaning against a pillar, scanning the area for familiar faces. Our parents had been close, so the two of us had basically grown up together, along with Lissa. It had been so long since I had seen him, but I recognized him right away.

He hadn't changed much in the few years since I had last seen him. The boyish features I remembered had matured, but his hazel eyes were still kind and welcoming with a hint of the mirth that always hid just beneath the surface. His sandy blonde hair was cut short, and his tall, wiry frame was nicely toned.

A slow smile started to form on his face when he noticed us, but quickly faded when he really looked at me. "Christ, Hathaway. What happened to you?" he asked as we approached, his eyes narrowing with concern. He nodded in greeting to Christian, who was walking off to grab our bags from the carousel.

I exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Lissa before shrugging at Eddie and giving him a careful hug, wincing when he squeezed a little too hard. "Perks of living in the big city, Castile. I was mugged."

I could feel the disapproving glare coming from my best friend, and a growl coming from Christian somewhere behind me, but Lissa shook her head and embraced Eddie. "It's been such a long time, Eddie. Thank you so much for meeting us here. How's Jill?" she asked as they separated.

Finally, the smile reappeared at the thought of his long-time girlfriend, Jill Mastrano, as he helped Christian with the bags. "She's good. Really good, actually. She apologizes for not being here, but she got called into an emergency case just before I left."

"She still working as a vet assistant?" I asked as we headed towards the exit and the waiting car.

He nodded. "Yeah, she loves it. As soon as she finishes school, she's hoping to open up her own clinic."

I nearly moaned in pleasure as we stepped out into the pleasant Hawaiian afternoon, tilting my head back, letting the warm blissfully kiss my skin. It was in complete contrast to the mid-November chill of New York.

We continued to make small talk as we made our way to Eddie's car. "I know you guys had a long flight, but if you're up for it, my band is playing tonight at The Kahu tonight. Jill will be there. She'd love to see you." He grinned. "Plus, a buddy of mine owns the place, so I can get you in for free."

I grimaced. The very last thing I wanted was to be surrounded by a bunch of drunk people, but I also knew that Christian and Lissa would want to go. I turned to them. "If you guys want to go, feel free. I'm not sure I'm ready to go out looking like this," I said, gesturing towards my face.

Bars were always crowded with people dancing and bumping into each other. With my ribs still so badly bruised, I wasn't sure I could handle it. Physically or emotionally.

Lissa gripped my good arm. "Come on, Rose. We're here to have fun, and you need a night out. You need to get Jesse out of your head."

Eddie's blonde eyebrows shot up and he glanced around, noticing for the first time that Jesse wasn't with us. "Where is loverboy anyway? I thought he never let you out of his sight."

"He didn't, until she finally wised up and dumped his sorry ass," Christian stated proudly as he and Eddie tossed their bags into the back of the car.

I could feel Eddie's eyes on me, his brow pinched in thought. I sighed. There was only one way out of this. Before he could say anything, I asked as we all climbed into the car, "So what time should we be there?"

The house was exactly as I remembered it, and my heart ached painfully at all of the subtle reminders of my parents, the personal touches bearing their influence. From my mother's favorite white gauzy curtains fluttering in the Hawaiian breeze, to some of the more masculine furniture that screamed of my father's more... eclectic tastes.

It was all natural stone, hardwood floors, marble, and huge windows facing the small backyard. To the side of the house was also a large lap pool and outdoor entertainment area. From there, a stone pathway that wound down to an iron gate that would lead them to the beach.

I had taken up residence in my parents old bedroom, which had a large sliding glass door that led out onto a small balcony that held a breathtaking view of the ocean, as did all four bedrooms this place had. A little excessive for a family of three, but that was my parents.

But my absolute favorite part of the room was the bay window, complete with padded bench. Each side was accented with bookcases filled with literature my parents had collected over the years. It would be the perfect place to sit and write for hours.

It was a bit surreal to know that this place actually belonged to me now.

Taking my eyes from the stunning view, I glanced towards the clock. It was six-thirty. Eddie would be here in an hour to pick us up to take us to The Kahu, which I had learned translated to The Guardian.

Sighing, I grabbed the black jeans, tank top, and light hoodie that I had set out for the night. I knew it was probably going to be hot and stuffy at the venue, but I didn't want people to see the marks and bruises on my skin. Not being able to wear sunglasses was going to be bad enough. There really wasn't enough concealer in the world to cover up the bruises and cuts on my face.

It was going to be a long night.

An hour and a half later, Eddie pulled into the crowded parking lot of The Kahu. Exiting the car, he inclined his head towards us, insisting that we follow him. He led us to a back entrance of the bar, where we were greeted by a tall, handsome man with stylishly messy brown hair and gorgeous emerald green eyes. He was leaning against the brick wall of the building, smoking a cigarette.

"Ivashkov," greeted Eddie with a wide grin, giving the man a quick handshake. "These are the friends I was telling you about from New York. This is Rose, Lissa, and Christian. Guys, this is Adrian Ivashkov. He's the owner of this dump."

Adrian snorted. "Watch it, Castile. Keep in mind who does your booking for this 'dump.'" Finally turning to us, he flashed Lissa and me a charming smile and gave an exaggerated bow. "It's an honor to have such lovely ladies grace my fine establishment."

Lissa and I grinned at him, and I had to laugh at Christian's indignant scowl. Lissa giggled and laced her arm through his and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Ignore him, Christian. Don't let the charm fool you, he's happily married, his wife is probably inside waiting for him."

Adrian sighed playfully and placed an arm, gently, around my shoulders and ushered us inside. "You spoil all my fun, Castile." He winked down at me. "C'mon, drinks are on me tonight."

As expected, the place was crowded. Eddie excused himself to go meet his bandmates and set up as Adrian led us through the throngs of people to the fully stocked bar in the back. He grinned at the pretty blonde behind the bar, leaning over it and placing a kiss on her cheek. "Sage, I'd like you to meet my new friends." He gestured to us. "This is Rose, Lissa, and Christian. Make sure my cousin takes good care of them. Guys, this is my beautiful wife, Sydney."

Sydney beamed at us, reaching over the counter to shake each of our hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

As soon as Eddie's band started, with him on the drums, the area around the bar cleared out and everyone crowded around the stage or congregated on the dance floor.

"You wanna go dance?" Lissa asked, giving me a wide smile as she leaned into Christian, whose arms were wrapped around her from behind.

I snorted, not sure if she could hear me over the loud music. "No thanks, you two go ahead."

Her eyebrows pulled together in concern. "You sure? We don't want to leave you here alone."

I waved off her concern. I loved my friend dearly, but the last thing I wanted was to be the third wheel. "I'll be fine. Go have fun."

With one last look at me, Christian pulled her towards the dance floor and they disappeared into the crowd.

Sighing, I took a sip of the bottled water Sydney had handed to me earlier and watched the people move and sway to the music.

I tried to lose myself in the sounds around me. His band, Compulsion, was actually really good. I was so caught up in the music, I didn't notice the man step up beside me. "Want to dance?"

I jumped, startled. The man wasn't bad looking, but I could smell the liquor on his breath. He had gotten that close without me realizing it. I forced a polite smile. "No, thank you. I'm not the dancing type."

"Aw, come on, honey. A pretty thing like you shouldn't be up here all alone."

I was getting a really bad vibe from this guy. I moved away from him as much as I could without stepping off the bar stool I was on. "I'm not alone. My boyfriend's just gone to the restroom. He'll be back any minute now."

The man chuckled and reached up to brush a hand across my cheek. "Just one dance. Your boyfriend never needs to know."

Fear started to settle into my stomach. I batted his hand away. "No, please just go away."

"Aw, don't be like tha-"

"I believe the lady said no," a voice interrupted from behind the bar.

My head spun towards the new arrival. He was tall, really tall. Brown hair tied back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a lovely chocolate brown that were currently focused in warning on the man next to me, his lips set in an angry frown.

He had to have been the most gorgeous man I had ever laid my eyes on.

The man held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, man, no harm done. Was just havin' a bit of fun, is all."

"I suggest you take your idea of fun some place else, before I remove you myself," the new guy stated. His voice held a slight accent, that if I had to guess, sounded Russian, and was very sexy. His words, though angry, were like velvet over my heated skin. Down girl, I scolded myself.

With a scowl, the man sauntered off. I turned back to the man behind the bar and smiled meekly at him. "Thank you." I extended my good hand to him. "I'm Rose. Rose Hathaway."

He looked me over for a moment, I guessed to ascertain that I was alright, before a soft smile played on his lips. He accepted my hand with a soft squeeze.

"I'm Dimitri. Dimitri Belikov."