Page 37 of Kiss of Ruin (Brutal Empire)

“He’ll never agree to that.”

I look at the driveway where the gate clicks into back into place from where he left. “And that’s why you’re not going to tell him. You know my plan is the easiest and fastest way to get your hands on her.”

“I agree, but Scarlett?”

“Yes?”

“You best not fuck this up.”

“I won’t.”

“I’m counting on that. We’ll leave in the middle of the night. I’ll send a car to pick you up at two.”

With that the line goes dead. I turn and head straight for my room. I need to pack my bag before Nico returns.

All that matters is this war will end and he’ll be safe.

ChapterSixteen

Nico

Bait. What the hell is she thinking?

I know I’m an asshole for leaving, especially after everything she learned from Carlos and Andreas. For as smart as she is, she’s asking to walk into a death trap. Elena won’t hesitate to kill her.

Stopped at a red light, I reach into my pocket for a cigarette. I light it just as the light changes to green. It’s only after the first inhale that I open the window to blow the smoke out. I’m already infuriated, the last thing I need to do is set my mother off by bringing the smell of smoke into her home.

Knowing my parents are unique in this business, makes me thankful I have them. Thinking about Scarlett losing her parents and being left alone except for Luis. If only I’d have stepped up and let her know how I felt about her then, maybe I could have stopped all this before it began.

I drive around the city, not paying an ounce of attention to the beauty of it. I’ve lived in many beautiful places. And not a single one compared to New York. To the place Scarlett called home.

After a few hours of driving, I find myself heading back to the house. Scarlett deserves to know why I did what I did. Not from Andreas’s mouth but from my own.

The gate opens slowly and I notice that my parents car is sitting in the drive, along with the car Miguel normally drives. We’d had no luck with the car and I’d come back to the house to do more research on the men who were sent after Scarlett.

I climb from my car, bypassing all the main rooms when I enter the house. Scarlett’s room is the first place I go, hoping I will find her there. I knock before entering.

Considering how I left earlier, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s justifiably angry.

“Come in.”

I push the door open slowly. At first, I don’t see her in the room. It’s not until I glance over toward the windows that I see her curled up in the seat simply staring out the window.

“Scarlett?”

She turns to face me. There’s no anger or frustration on her face. Instead, her lips curve into a smile. I walk over and pull the ottoman out a bit so that I can sit facing her.

“Are you all right?”

She shrugs. “I forced them to tell me. I can’t be upset about what I learned.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m sorry I continued to lie to you.”

She lays her hand on mine, where it rests on my thigh. “Why did you choose to leave? You could have had it all and you agreed to leave it Luis with everything you knew he was doing. I don’t understand.”

“You looked so happy every time he walked into the room. It was the first time after your parents died that you looked genuinely happy.”

“I don’t know about happy. More like I didn’t feel alone anymore.”

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