Page 66 of Ruthless Keeper
Eric pauses for several moments. I can hear the gears whirring in his head as he tries to process this information—possibly tries to vet out if it’s a lie.
“There were signs of a struggle and multiple footprints at your apartment when I checked on it,” he says for a while.
Scarlett’s eyebrows lift in question, and she glances at me. I shrug at her. I had Max and his team make it look like a home invasion, so the story she’s telling adds up with evidence we purposefully left behind.
“Who killed the first batch?” Eric demands. “Where did the bodies go? Why did they agree to let you come with them, and why thefuckdidn’t you call me?”
Scarlett swallows. Tears shimmer in her eyes. “Your protection failed me twice.” Her voice cracks over the words. “I panicked. I don’t know where the bodies or evidence went, and the men who saved me agreed to let me come with them because I can run a farm on their fortress grounds. Make them self-sustaining.”
A soft, pained noise escapes Eric. “Scar…” he exhales. “I wouldn’t have failed you.Youinsisted on living under the radar without protection. I shouldn’t have let you, but I didn’t want to turn into Dad—” he cuts off with a sharp exhale. “It doesn’t matter. Where are you? Who are you with? I’ll come get you.”
Scarlett squeezes her eyes shut. “They call themselves the Nighthawks. I don’t actually know where we are—”
“The fucking Nighthawks took you in?” Eric roars, cutting her off. “No.No.Put one of the operatives on the phone—I’m getting you the fuck out of there right now. You don’t know who they are, Scarlett. They’reassassins—”
“I know,” she interrupts softly. “And you’re an arms dealer who works with assassins, mafias, and gangs, Eric. It hasn’t stopped me from loving you. And the nature of the Nighthawks hasn’t stopped me…” she trails off, shaking her head. I squeeze her leg, partly in a gesture of support, and partly to keep her on track.
“Stopped you from what?” Eric asks. His voice is haunted now, as if he knows what’s coming. When she doesn’t respond, he prods, “Stopped you from what, Scar?”
“Stopped me from developing feelings for one of the guys,” she says after a long moment. “As I recently found out, you work with the Nighthawks… and you work with him. We connected the dots yesterday—”
“Who?” Eric shouts. Scarlett flinches back. “Is it that motherfucker, Cain? He’s a psychopath, Scar. Fuck, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. I’m coming to get you—”
“Not Cain.” Scarlett’s eyes flash open, and she shudders. “Greyson.”
Dead air meets her admission. I try to catch Scarlett’s eyes, to give her a nod of encouragement, but she pointedly keeps her gaze averted.
“Scarlett…” Eric seems lost for words. “I don’t know what you think you feel, but you’re not safe there. They’re in a war with Dad right now—a war that they’re fighting alongside my organization. You don’t understand—”
“I understand that I don’t want to leave,” Scarlett says, her voice admirably sharp. “I understand that I’ve found a place here that I never did out in the world. I understand that I feelsafefor the first time in my life.” She grimaces at the lie, but her words don’t even have the slightest ring of insincerity. If I didn’t know she was bullshitting, I couldn’t have guessed from her tone alone.
“Scar,pleaselet me come get you,” Eric says, begging now. “You’re caught up in something you don’t understand. You’re in over your head. Get some distance, clear your mind, and if you still think you want what you want, we can figure something out.”
“No.” Her denial leaves no room for negotiation. “No. I’m not leaving the place that has become my sanctuary. I’m not going back into the world, where my life will constantly be at risk. I’m here, and I’m staying here.”
Eric snaps. “You’re behaving like a stupid little girl!” Scarlett shrinks back at his tone, and I swallow hard, wishing I could fix this for her. Wishing I could give Eric Sharpe a piece of my goddamn mind. “You think you know so much, Scarlett, but youdon’t. The Nighthawks are the worst of the worst. They kill anyone—anyone.If I put a hit out on you right now, you can bet your ass they’d killyou. They’re not trustworthy, Scarlett. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, and as always,Ihave to bail you out. You want to choose them overme?Some guy you’re fucking over your ownbrother—”
“Speak to me like that again and you won’t be my brother anymore.” Scarlett’s face has fallen into a hard mask, even as tears flow down her cheeks. I can feel her devastation over her brother’s words as if it were my own. Itismy own. My woman’s crumbling, and I don’t know how to hold her together. “I wanted to hear your voice… but now, I don’t think I want to hear from you any time soon. So, I guess we’ll talk when we talk.”
“Scarlett—”
She clicks the end button on the call. Brushes my hands off her knees and stands. She faces me with a straight spine and straight face, despite the tears still flowing freely. “Take this off,” she says, tapping her necklace. “From now on, I want—demand—the choice to wear it. I am no longer your slave. Now, I’m the person who can set my brother on you.” She swallows, fear flickering in her eyes. “So, unless Cain wants a war that will destroy everyone involved, he’ll stop treating me likeproperty,as will you.”
Her words are partly bluster… and they’re partly true. I know Scarlett’s terrified for her brother’s life, but she’s also smart. She knows as well as I do that all of Cain’s actions have shown hedoesn’twant a war with Eric. And while Cain believes he could win it—which I’m not so sure about—it would be devastating to all sides. My brave, beautiful girl has found a sliver of power, even in this crushing situation.
I’m awed by her. I want to fall to my knees and worship her.
Instead, I reach into my drawer and withdraw the magnet that’ll remove the necklace. Scarlett turns around, pulling her hair over her shoulder. I press the magnet to the clasp, and she catches the diamonds as they fall from her neck. After a moment, she sets the necklace on the desk and turns to face me again.
“It’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready for it.” I brush my thumb over her cheek. “I’d like a kiss.”
A broken sound escapes her, half-laugh, half-sob. “And I’d like a time machine. That way, I wouldn’t have just lost the only person who ever loved me.”
“He’s not the only one,” I tell her softly. “Far from it.”
She turns around. “I need alone time.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Bedroom’s yours. I have a few hours of work to do.”
