Page 58 of Shadows Within
“I know why you did it, Callum. I know that it was your way of protecting me.” Her saying it makes it real.
“Is that why you think I did it?” She still doesn’t understand.
“Well, why did you do it then?”
“You still don’t get it. I don’t just want to protect you, I want to break you. I want to hurt you so badly that you scream for me to stop. I’ll never be done with you, Scarlett. You’ve dug under my skin into whatever is left of me, and I’m not letting you go, not now.” I expect her to fear the beast that’s been tamed within me. Instead, her eyes meet mine and she licks her plump lips. The intensity between us shifts.
“I want to trust you. Can I ask you a few things?” I’m not afraid of much, but her quiet tone worries me. I don’t want to lie to her anymore.
“Anything.”
“What is The Society really about? I know by what I saw and the way that you talk about it that it’s more than what you’ve made it out to be.”
I pause to process my thoughts before I say anything.
She can’t know too much.
“It’s tied to the university,” I finally say. “The group is made up of a lot of powerful men in the community who dictate what some of us do and how we control things.”
She takes in what I’m saying, but I know that the answer will lead to more questions.
“Are the things that you guys do legal? What kind of things are we talking about?”
It’s a loaded question.
“I can’t tell you too much because then you’ll be at risk, Scarlett.”
“You can trust me—I won’t tell anyone.”
“I know that you wouldn’t but it’s more than that. It’s the fact that you could get hurt if they know that I’ve told you. I’ve done too much, Scarlett. Once you know, things won’t be the same.”
“So, try to help me understand. I want to know all of it. The good. The bad. I want to know what I’m getting myself into and what my mom has gotten herself into.”
She’s worried about her mom’s involvement.
“She isn’t just a stripper, is she?” She quietly adds.
“No.”
“What does she do then? What’s her part in all of this?”
“I don’t know the full extent of her role yet, but I’m trying to figure it out. These men don’t tell anyone anything unless they need someone to know. I have some sources with the Highers—that’s what we call some of the guys that lead us. What I do know, is that she spends a lot of her time with one particular Higher.”
She frowns. “Who is it?”
Shit.
“Scarlett, he’s a really powerful man. I don’t want to-”
“To what Callum? The worst has already happened. I already found out about her double life and all this bullshit that comes with it. Her safety is at risk. What could be worse?”
“It’s Archer Alden.”
“Harrison and Stirling’s dad?” Her forehead scrunches up.
“Yes.” Her eyebrows come together and form lines above her nose. Doubt fills her face. “I know they look like the picture-perfect family from the outside, fuck, we all do. But he isn’t a good man, Scarlett.”
Her eyes drop with worry.
