Page 30 of Devil's Valentine

“Yeah,” the older one sneers, “that bitch deserves it.”

I rear back, disbelief flowing through me. This makes no fucking sense.

The back door of the bakery swings open and Scarlett steps out, her eyes darting around and landing on me and relaxing. Seeing her pisses me off and has me seeing red. I stomp over to her and tangle my fingers in her hair.

My voice is low and filled with warning, “I told you to stay in your office until I came to get you.”

“I checked the camera,” she murmurs, “and saw you have everything under control.”

“I’ll be spanking your ass later for this,” I warn her, and she bites her lip as if she’s trying to hide a smile.

She looks around me and sees the two kids still being contained by Lucifer and Hacker. Her mouth falls open and then she opens the back door to the bakery.

As she motions inside, her voice holds no room for argument, “Bring them inside right now.”

The guys maneuver them inside and then toward the front of the bakery which now has all the lights on. I follow right behind them and watch as they’re shoved, gently considering how I’ve seen men treated by my brothers before, into seats.

Scarlett hustles into the dining area with a plastic container and places it on the table between the boys. She looks at them and then points at the container. “Have a snack,” she insists and my mouth drops fucking open.

The older boy sneers at my woman, his voice dripping with disdain, “I’m not eating anything you’ve made bitch.”

My hand flexes at my side wanting to react to the kid, but I know I can’t. He might be an asshole who is disrespecting my woman, but he’s still a kid. The younger of the two looks at the container with a longing in his eyes.

Scarlett lets out a frustrated huff and opens the container which is filled with cookies. She arches an eyebrow and shrugs, “Help yourself or don’t.”

She pulls a chair closer, but I stop her from pulling it too close. Even though she shoots me a look, she doesn’t fight me. Which is a fucking good thing, I’m already on edge enough.

I cross my arms across my chest along with the rest of my brothers as we surround the three sitting figures. The longer the silence stretches between us, the more the boys start to fidget.

“Why have you been messing with my bakery?” There’s an honest curiosity and an undercurrent of anger in Scarlett’s question and pride swells inside of me.

Okay, and my cock perks up and takes notice, but now is not the time for that.

The younger boy dives for a cookie and shoves it into his mouth as his brother shouts, “Ezekiel, no!”

Ezekiel isn’t phased, and just shrugs. He looks around him and then at Scarlett. “You ruined our lives and don’t deserve to have this nice bakery,” he informs my woman with a straight face.

Scarlett’s mouth opens and closes. Her eyes are wide and it’s clear she wasn’t expecting that answer.

I step forward and rest my hand on my woman’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze of support. She looks up at me with so many questions in her eyes.

Lucifer’s voice is filled with authority as he barks, “Explain.”

“Our father,” Ezekiel says as if that’s explanation enough even though it’s not. “He told us how Scarlett is the only good thing he’s ever done. He told us how he’s so proud of her and what she’s built.” He looks at his older brother and demands, “Tell them, Malcolm.”

My woman’s eyebrows pull together, her voice hesitant, “Your father?”

Malcolm raises his head, his eyes hard and filled with malice, “Your father, too.”

Scarlett sucks in a breath and tears start to stream down her face. She shakes her head a few times. “I’ve never met my father,” she informs the boys, and their faces fill with confusion. “He left my mom before I was ever born. I don’t even know who he is because his name isn’t on my birth certificate and my mom always told me it was better that way. She didn’t tell me before she died.”

“That can’t be right,” Malcolm insists. “Every time he takes his belt to us, he yells about how he went and visited you and how much better you are than us.”

Scarlett sobs and I can’t take it anymore. I lift her from her chair and sit in it as I settle her on my lap. I watch as Lucifer crouches down in front of the boys and talk in hushed tones. I know he’ll get more information out of them, but right now my woman is my concern.

I run a hand up and down her back as she whispers, “My father? I have brothers? They’re my brothers? He beat them?”

“It’s okay, Sugar,” I soothe her, “we’ll get to the bottom of this and make it right.”

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