Page 56 of Scar

“We’re on the cusp of war,” Scar says. My heart races at his words, the implications of what he's saying sinking in.

It’s no longer just about survival; it's about taking control of our own destiny. The weight of the situation crashes down on me, but I refuse to back down now. I’m fully committed to this cause. And I know exactly where I stand.

“What do you want me to do?” My voice remains steady as I meet Scar's intense gaze.

He looks at me with a sense of admiration amidst his turmoil. “I need you to stay safe,” he says firmly but gently.

“I am safe...as long as I'm with you.” My words reflect my own unwavering trust in him.

CHAPTER 49 – SCAR

“The Jekyll is well versed in financial warfare,” Caleph says. “As you can see, he’s managed to fleece our enemies of more than ten million dollars in contracts he didn’t even undertake.”

Allegra whips her head around to the tall man hunched on the other side of the room. I don’t think we anticipated his visit when we were building this underground bunker. I watch the man carefully, once an enemy, now an ally. He says so little, his voice a reluctant visitor in the underground chamber as we carefully deconstruct our plans. He saved my wife’s life today, and now he’s here helping to save us all and everything we stand for.

His eyes blaze with a burning fire as he looks at Allegra. His gaze drops momentarily down her body before he rights himself and turns back to us. But not before I notice the attention he’s paying my wife.

I flinch as my lips curl into a predatory snarl.

“What is it?” I ask, stepping forward.

I stand like a formidable barrier between The Jekyll and my wife. He may be bigger than me, but I can damn well protect what’s mine or die trying.

The air in the room is suddenly stifling as an invisible line is drawn down the middle between their side…and ours. My brothers form a line on one side of the room, and the newcomersare bound to the other. Clearly defined lines. And Allegra is standing right down the middle.

“You know why we’re here,” Dante says, his eyes filled with warning. “The Jekyll’s values will not be questioned.”

Dante Accardi believes in The Jekyll like he’s the second coming. That should be enough for me to take a step back and chill, but I don’t. Not where my wife is concerned.

I step forward and bridge up to The Jekyll, whose eyes skirt Allegra’s way again, narrowed to fine pinpricks. It’s like he wants to say something but is holding his tongue.

“What’s so interesting about my wife, huh?” I hiss. I’m about to unleash my beast, and I know what that could mean; I don’t want to undo the plans we’ve made here today, in this hole in the ground. I understand that we have some good, solid backing in the boys from Seattle, but I’m sure our guests wouldn’t tolerate an attack on one of their own.

Allegra shifts and puts herself squarely between me and The Jekyll, then pushes me back with all her might. She takes me by surprise, not only by her strength that she could tumble this immovable mountain, but that she would step in and intercede on this stranger’s behalf.

“Allegra…?”

She slides a hand down her tired face and sighs.

“I’m pregnant,” she blurts out.

I’m beyond overjoyed that Allegra is carrying my child. But this adds another delicate layer to our already fragile plans. I can’t risk her or the baby, yet I’m having a hard time trying to convince her to disappear for a while until we carry out our plan.

“I was never not meant to be part of your plan,” she argues, stubbornly. “But I’m not leaving you again.”

“You didn’t think to tell me?”

The excitement has worn off, and I face her with a confused look on my face. I’m a little irate. Okay, maybe a little mad.

After she explained to me that The Jekyll noticed when she wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach, and that’s how he realized, I finally understood the looks the man was sliding my wife’s way had more to do with his concern for her involvement in a war that could go south quickly.

“Honestly, Scar, this is still news to me. I don’t think I’ve even wrapped my head around it.”

“Yet, you were willing to put my child’s life in danger?”

She gasps. She looks like she wants to slap me.

“Don’t you dare turn this around on me, Scar. I’ve found myself in several precarious situations that were not of my choosing. And that all started when you took me against my will. So don’t preach wounded to me.”

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