Page 79 of Collateral Claim
“Jesus, Scar. I’m coming to get you.”
Damn it. I eye the latex gloves. “I have a plan.”
Chapter 32
The plan
Endo
Scarlett is her father’s pawn.
She is my pawn too. I don’t live with the delusion that I’m better than him in any way. But I am no hypocrite in this case because she’s not my daughter.
And I’ve been upfront with my intentions toward her right from the start.
Around three in the afternoon, we move to sit under the gazebo that my mother used to sit under. She’d spend at least a few hours each day out here reading. When I asked her why she read outside, she would tell me women require solitude and time for themselves. She found that when she was outdoors, people bothered her a lot less. In the house, people constantly needed something from her, even when they could get it for themselves.
I got the message: Leave Mother alone.
Scarlett hasn’t come out of the house yet, so I assume she needs time alone. This morning was rough. The twenty-four-hour hard deadline I imposed on her father must weigh on her asmuch as it’s weighing on me. If Daniel doesn’t deliver, I will have to follow through.
That means Scarlett will pay his debt.
For some people, taking their freedom is akin to taking their life. I have already collected her and taken her freedom. If her father fails, I’ll go the extra mile. I’ll marry his daughter and, by doing so, ensure that Wilfred abandons him. Moreover, if his daughter is married to someone like me, he’ll never get elected to a position he craves.
Marquis’s head falls to the side, and his eyes close. A soft snore tells us he’s fallen asleep.
Connor picks up a carnation from the vase on the table and tickles Marquis’s cheek while Declan tracks Slada, who is scouting possible exchange sites. When Daniel comes through with my brother’s location, I will need a neutral site where I can return his daughter to him.
Perhaps that’ll happen tomorrow. Perhaps even tonight.
My chest constricts painfully. I rub it.
Dec looks up from the laptop. “Something wrong?”
“No.”
“You’ve rubbed that spot a lot lately.”
“I have?”
He nods. “Won’t you let the doc check you out?”
“I’m fine.”
“Your father had a heart condition,” he reminds me.
“I said I’m fine.”
He jerks his head. “Speak of the devil.”
I turn to see Scarlett walking toward us. Sitting up, I fix my shirt, dust off my pants, and put my shoes back on. “That’s no devil. And if she’s the devil, what does that make us?”
Declan shrugs. “Don’t know, but I’ve got three options.” He turns the computer over so I can see the layouts of three possibleexchange sites. We’re on good terms with the local underground kings who rule all three cities.
“Any preference?” I ask Declan.
“Second one.”
