Page 61 of Tainted Rose

Xander

After I get done laughing with Beau about Micah’s strip poker escapades earlier this evening, I go in search of Scarlett. I can’t imagine that she and Aria talked for any longer than was absolutely necessary, and it’s been almost thirty minutes. I thought Scarlett would come back to me when they were done, but maybe she found someone else to talk to. Maybe Max showed up? Definitely not Daphne. That girl is like a hermit. Nice, though.

I make a circuit of the main floor of the house and then the patio, but I don’t see any sign of her. With my heart rate starting to quicken, I go back inside to find Beau. Something doesn’t feel right.

I pull out my phone, shooting Scarlett a text.

Me:Hey. Where are you?

Me:We can leave if you are ready.

I wait several minutes, my anxiety climbing.

I stare at my phone. Nothing.

My jaw clenched, I burst right into the middle of a conversation Beau’s having in the foyer with a few of our cheerleaders. “Has anyone seen Scarlett?”

Farrah nods toward the patio. “Last I saw, she was out there talking to Aria.”

“Yep. Aria told us to give them a little space so she could make nice. That’s what you told her to do right?” Alora gives me a little smirk. “You’re really dating her, huh?”

I ignore the obvious snipe as my gaze shifts quickly to Danica, who is easily the most human of Aria’s friends.

She doesn’t even wait for me to ask. “I was watching because I was curious how it was going to go.” Her cheeks flush. “She and Aria shook hands, which was kinda weird but whatever, and then Aria came back in and left. I didn’t pay a lot of attention after that, but I swear someone sat down with her.”

“Who?”

She shakes her head as her teeth sink into her lip. “Maybe we could help you look?”

I exhale sharply through my nose. “That’d be great. I’m going downstairs to see if she’s wandered down there. Can someone check the rooms upstairs?”

Beau grits his teeth and raises a hand. “I will.” He drags Alora with him. “Let’s go.”

She squeaks, “What are we going to do, barge in on everyone and their mother doing the nasty?”

Beau and I both look at her with concentrated stares. “Yes,” we both bark at the same time. They take off toward the front of the house, and I head to the other staircase. I grit out over my shoulder, “The rest of you, could you keep an eye out down here and outside?”

They nod, quickly picking up on my urgent tone and fanning out around the first floor of the house and out to the patio.

I don’t like this at all. She wouldn’t have left without telling me. We weren’t planning to stay very long. I fly down the stairs, figuratively kicking myself in the ass for even letting her out of my sight. I burst into the darkened movie room where Top Gun is playing on the big screen. Light from the movie flickers over several couples engaged in things I really don’t want to think about, much less look at. Not a single pair comes up for air or even seems to care that I’m observing them. After a cursory glance, I know she’s not here. No gorgeous red hair anywhere to be seen. No pale, delicate skin. No stunning blue eyes.

My heart hammers as I continue down the hallway to check the bathroom. I pound on the door when I get there. “Scarlett!”

“Nope,” comes a low male voice from inside.

I can hear a second person in the bathroom. Not good enough. I back up, then throw my shoulder against the door. It pops open, slamming against the wall. The girl’s dark-hued hair registers in my brain as she shrieks, and both she and Beau’s younger brother Griffin jump in surprise. They are frozen in place—her on the counter, legs spread wide, him with his dick buried inside her.

I slap my hand over my eyes. “Fuck. Sorry. I’m looking for Scarlett.”

“Haven’t seen her man. Sorry.” He flings the door shut behind me right after I turn around and run out.

From somewhere upstairs I hear a deep bellow and the muscle inside my chest stops beating. “Xander!”

It’s Micah. I thunder back up the stairs, and he grabs me as I burst through the doorway. “What the fuck is going on? Beau told me you can’t find Scarlett.”

Gasps fill the room from the growing crowd of curious onlookers gathering behind us.

My hands go to my head, and I grasp my hair, yanking hard. I know they remember the night Justin tried to take advantage of her in a bedroom upstairs. That seems like child’s play compared to this. I sense all eyes on me and don’t care that they are about to see me lose my shit. The only thing that matters right now is locating Scarlett and making sure she’s unharmed. I trust nothing and almost no one because we don’t know who is behind all the recent bullshit.

---