Page 62 of Ruthless Legacy

Chapter Sixteen

Archer

I wake up with her scent surrounding me, that mix of her favourite perfume and her strawberry body wash. She is fast asleep, lying on her side with one leg draped over me. Her scarlet curls frame her face, contrasting beautifully with her pale complexion. If I was ever asked what my ideal woman would look like, it would be her. She is slim, but with curves in all the right areas. Her tits are the perfect handful. I never sleep with a girl. I take what I need and send them on their way, but with her I find I enjoy waking up with her beside me. When my grandfather informed me that Wilbur had discovered an estranged granddaughter, I’d envisioned her in my head. Nothing could have prepared me for her beauty. Those big expressive chestnut eyes that burn with fire and defiance, but there’s a vulnerability hidden there that she doesn’t allow anyone to see. The large scar on her right thigh is a reminder of what a warrior she is. She cheated death and came back stronger. My plan had always been to claim her and then destroy her, to chip away at her self-esteem until she became a shell of her former self. To destroy her the way her father destroyed my mother. What I hadn’t planned for though, is how well she fits with us. Vee adores her and even Seb and Rafe like having her around. My cock stands to attention, desperate to have her again. She is becoming addictive, but I have to remember my endgame. She must pay for her father’s sins.

Her eyes flutter open and meet mine, with a lazy smile on her face as she stretches out that delectable body. “Morning.”

“Morning,” I reply. I reach for her waist and roll us over until she is underneath me.

Her eyes widen as she feels my cock against her stomach, and she bites her bottom lip and looks over at her bedside clock. “We’ll have to be quick,” she says, wrapping her legs around me, giggling when I throw the covers over us and rub my stubble along her cheek.

Driving to school, I tap the steering wheel to the song on the radio. I’m in a top mood. Morning sex and a shower with Scarlet is the best way to start the day. I pull into my spot at school and climb out. I spot Georgie deep in conversation with Alexis’s son, Chester. I didn’t know they were friends. Georgie spots me from across the school grounds and hastily throws her hair over her shoulder and rushes off to the main entrance.

“Did you see that?” I ask Scarlet, and she looks up from her phone with a blank look on her face. “Never mind.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Familia,” Seb greets as he throws his arms around both our shoulders. “How are we this morning?”

I side eye my best friend. He is awfully chipper this morning. “Who were you with last night?” I ask, knowing for sure that a girl has put him in this good mood.

Seb shrugs, tapping the side of his nose with his finger. “Ah, a gentleman never tells.”

Scarlet sniggers and Seb’s eyes jump to hers with mock upset. “You wound me, little red. Speaking of, are you responsible for the upbeat mood I detect from Archer?”

Scarlet pops her phone in her pocket and, winking at him, says, “A lady never tells.”

Seb pulls his tongue out at her but drops a kiss on her cheek. If it was anyone else, I’d likely tell him to back the fuck away, but he’s my brother and I know he would never hit on any girl I am involved with.

“Any news from the police about the creepy dead bird in a box?”

I see Scarlet’s face change from a look of amusement to anxiety. Whoever this fucker is, he is messing with her head.

“Nothing,” I tell him. “They are going to test for prints and DNA.”

Seb nods as he walks along beside us into school. “It must have been someone who saw her fight that night, right?”

I nod my head, resting against the lockers as Scarlet stops and grabs her books from her locker. “There must have been at least seventy to eighty people there that night. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“It creeps me out to think they are watching me,” Scarlet shares. “I hate not knowing who this is or why they are targeting me.”

I lift her chin with my finger, getting her to look at me. “We’ll find them Scarlet and when we do, they will pay for daring to threaten one of our own.”

She nods her head. “Oh, when we find them, I’ll be the one making them pay.”

“See,” Seb grins, nudging me with his shoulder, “she’s fucking perfect for our world.”

Seb is right. She is tough and can fight her own corner, but like it or not, we rule the Bay and whoever dares to think they can get away with this will answer to us and pay the price.

Eliza

It’s during second period that I notice the stares and whispers. I’d forgotten how it feels to have everyone looking at you and talking about you. Since the Aces had publicly declared me one of them, no one has bothered me. Don’t get me wrong, some girls still give me bitch glares, and some look at me with respect for turning up out of the blue and sliding into position as an Ace. I try to switch off from the stares and whispers and concentrate on my Business Studies teacher who is talking us through our project brief. When the bell rings, I grab my bag and high tail out of there, feeling like all eyes are on me and like I am missing out on some great secret.

I’m heading to my locker when I spot Vee rushing towards me from the other direction. Her face is twisted in anxiety.

She grabs a hold of my wrist and without a word she pulls me into the nearest classroom and closes the door. “Look, don’t stress, okay? The boys will get it shut down in no time.”

I scrunch my face. What on earth is she jabbering on about?

“You’ve lost me.”

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