Page 22 of Torment

How was it that this man knew her so well?

“I don’t think she has a choice here, Hunter. It’s the only way to stop Brent.”

“I’m telling you now, there is no way in hell Scarlet will go claim that inheritance. There isn’t enough money in this world to make her face him again.”

Scarlet’s heart fell straight down to the pit of her stomach. He was right. They could offer her the fucking crown jewels, she still wouldn’t face the devil.

“What happened to her, Hunter?” James asked, his voice low, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“You need to ask her that.”

“I watched over her as much as I could through the years. And after I heard about her running away, I searched for her. When I found her, I made sure there was always someone close, keeping her safe and out of trouble.”

Hunter snorted. “Now it all makes sense. It was you. I never could understand how she managed to get away, why it was so fucking impossible to find her. But it was you. You worked behind the scenes to make sure she disappeared without a trace. You made it happen.”

“I did. I figured that whatever happened that made her run away from her home was big enough to justify her needing a little extra help…without her knowing it.”

Scarlet stared down at the floor. Suddenly everything made sense. All those times Scarlet managed to get away, how everything just always seemed to work out for her—it was James. He made it all happen without her suspecting anything.

“That was until you, of course,” James said. “When I got word that a new PI had been hired to find Scarlet, I looked into you. Hunter Keaton. PI by day, illegal cage fighter by night.”

“You knew about me?”

“I did. But I had a gut instinct about you, which is why I allowed you to get close.”

“You allowed me?” Hunter snorted again.

“Turns out my gut instinct was right.”

Scarlet’s head was starting to spin. It was like an information overload going down inside of her brain.

“Tell me, Mr. Baxter.” Scarlet heard the threat in Hunter’s voice. “If you were so fucking resourceful, and so good at protecting your daughter, then why the fuck did you not know what the hell Brent was doing to her?”

Fuck! Scarlet charged into the office. “Hunter, no!”

James, who was sitting behind his desk, jerked his head up while Hunter spun around, both of them staring at her, wide-eyed.

James narrowed his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about, Hunter?”

“Hunter, don’t.” She didn’t want James to know. She didn’t want anyone to know. It was her burden, her cross to bear. No one else’s.

“Scarlet, he needs to know.” Hunter’s green eyes bore into hers, and what she saw was pure resolve. He was going to tell James. If she didn’t tell him, Hunter would.

“What do I need to know? Scarlet, Hunter, what the hell is going on?” James got up, his chair screeching across the floor.

When Scarlet looked into James’s eyes, she knew she wouldn’t have to spell it out for him. He knew. Just by the way he stared at her, he knew.

“You already know, don’t you, James?” Scarlet sneered. “Deep down you know what that psychopath did to me.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I knew…I knew you had to have a very good reason for leaving home, but I always assumed it was because he killed your sister.”

Scarlet froze. “What?”

“I assumed you left because Brent killed Willow.”

“What the hell did you just say?” Hunter’s voice roared through the room, and James turned to him.

“Brent ran Willow’s car off the road, that’s why she crashed.”

---