Page 18 of Ruthless Legacy

I nod my head. “No nightclubs?”

Verity shakes her head. “Sorry, no. You’d have to travel two towns over to find a nightclub.” She clocks my disappointment. “What kind of fun is it you’re after?”

It’s my turn to waggle my brows. “Where does the real fun happen? Any underground fighting rings or racing?”

Verity’s eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, okay, I see.” She looks around her and leans in closer. Her voice drops to a whisper, “I have heard of a place that the boys sometimes go to. I followed them there once. It’s in Redwood, about a twenty-minute drive from here.”

I rub my hands together. “Now we’re talking. We’ll go Friday night, yeah?”

Verity eyes me as she sips from her drink. “Why do I get the feeling life is suddenly going to get very colourful with you around?”

I grin at her. “Honey, my middle name is fun.”

I look up when the door to the café opens, and the place suddenly falls silent. I frown when I see the three of them strolling in like they own the place. They head this way and I see Archer falter slightly when he spots me.

“This should be fun,” Verity mumbles to herself as she puts her head down and concentrates sharply on her drink.

The three of them come to a stop at the end of our table and stare at me.

“Move. Now,” Seb orders me coldly.

I sit back in my seat, placing my arm over the back of the one next to me and lazily observe them. “These seats are taken.”

“Scarlet, pick up your drink and move off our table,” Archer tells me with a bored expression. His eyes focus on the view outside the window, as if he can’t even be bothered looking my way when he speaks to me.

I sigh, putting my hands on the table, making it look like I’m about to get up before I lean back in my seat with a smug smile. “Like I said, these seats are taken.”

His jaw tics and before I can blink, I’m plucked from my seat and lifted in the air as he takes my place, and then places me down in his lap.

“What the fuck?” I attempt to remove myself from his knee, but he has a firm grip around my waist. “Get your hands off me, Savage.”

He ignores me as Seb and Rafe take the two spare seats, either side of Verity.

“Verity,’ says her brother, “you need to teach your new friend the rules around here.”

Verity shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t think Eliza likes rules.”

I’m surrounded by Archer’s woodsy scent. I can feel his warm breath on my face. “Let me up, now,” I growl.

Archer keeps a firm grip on me. “You had your chance, Scarlet. Now you’ll sit here like a good little girl and learn your place.”

The waitress arrives with mine and Verity’s order. “Hey boys,” she says, smiling warmly at the three of them. She places my burger in front of me. “What will it be? The usual?”

I scoff at her flirtatious behaviour. Jesus, does everyone around here hang off their every word? I hate that I’m super aware of him. I can feel everywhere his body touches mine and I don’t like the goosebumps it gives me. I do not want to be affected by his presence.

“So, what were you girls talking about?” Rafe asks as he reaches over and takes a bite of Verity’s burger.

“Arsehole,” she snipes, and he grins at her.

“What’s yours is mine, sweetness.”

Verity frowns but then releases the smile she’s been fighting and pulls her tongue out at him.

I wrinkle my forehead, watching them. I can’t help thinking there’s a story there, between the two of them.

“Eliza was just asking what we all do for fun around here.”

I snigger as I chew on my burger, and I feel four sets of eyes on me. “And I don’t mean of the torture and bullying kind.”

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