Page 59 of Scars Run Deep

He settled against the wall beside an open door of one of the storage units. “There is a condition to my assistance.”

Of course there was. “Aside from you expecting me to defer command to you? Don’t you think that’s a big enough ask as it is?”

“No,” he said, his voice taking on a harsher tone. “You’ll say your goodbyes to Aurora. She’ll disappear, I’ll help you bring down the Infidels, and then I’ll follow her, until I’m able to deal with the other situation. By the time we remerge back into the world, you would’ve made sure to forget about her and you won’t come near her again, you won’t contact her in any way.”

“Denied.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“You weren’t this foolish and short-sighted when we crossed paths before. You know what an asset my help is and you’d pass that up? You’re making a decision with emotion. I respected that you were above that beforehand. Don’t make a mistake by falling victim to it here and now.”

“I can do this without your help. I have the means.”

“Asher, to destroy your enemy, you can’t only know them, you have to become them. As you well know, Carson Monroe is a monster. And it will absolutely take another to destroy him. If Aurora remains a part of this, she’ll be treading a very dark path. I won’t allow it. I haven’t worked this hard to keep her out of this nightmare, just for her to end up entrenched in it forevermore.”

“That’s not your decision to make.”

“She’s not in a position to make it herself.”

“And why is that?”

“She had to enter into a certain frame of mind to immerse herself in this world, in your company.”

There it was. “She hasn’t been corrupted.”

His eyes darkened. I watched one of his hands fist. His control was being tested to a level he obviously wasn’t used to. Revenant was as calm and collected as they came, even in the most extreme and fucked-up of situations. But, clearly, when it came to the love he had for his daughter, it was another story.

Just like Carson was my Achilles Heel, Aurora was his.

I’d obviously suspected that. It wasn’t always the case, not all parents cared for their children and would go to great lengths to ensure their wellbeing. Especially not parents in my world. So I hadn’t been sure about him. But when I’d found out he’d made himself vulnerable and put himself back on Carson’s radar all for his daughter, it had been confirmed.

Seeing it up close now, it was staggering just how deep it ran, how much he loved her.

It should’ve been a weakness through and through, but it actually made him all the more dangerous. I could feel it from him, that there was no limit, no line he wouldn’t be prepared to cross in order to protect her.

Given that I was obviously currently in his sights, being viewed as somebody she needed protection from, so much so that he was planning an extraction, I should be worried. Well, from a logical standpoint, anyway. Emotionally, I couldn’t really be intimidated by anybody, not after the life I’d led, the things that had been done to me. That part of me was… shut down. It should’ve been a threat to my plans, though.

As it was, I was finding myself fucking smiling.

Because I was happy for Aurora.

Happy that her dad was the man she’d thought he was. That, despite all the shit that had happened to him, the twisted things Carson had done to him, he was actually the person she’d believed him to be, that he was focused on her, on doing what was best for her, on taking care of her.

I knew better than anybody that it wasn’t something to be taken for granted. Or as a given.

“What do you think you know about it?” I asked. “Because perceptions can be distorted.”

“If I didn’t already know that and understand you were putting on a show for the Head Infidels, you’d be choking on your own blood right now.”

I frowned.

Not at the threat.

That barely registered.

He couldn’t have eyes right inside Hexwood. It would be far too risky to get that close to her. Not to mention, I would have picked up on it. “You intercepted something?”

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