Page 35 of Beautiful Chaos

Fuck. She knows none of us can say shit to that. The entire room holds their breath as I sigh. “He’s still a prick.”

“He’s still a prick,” she agrees, her hurt and confusion marring the sentiment.

“Let him in, I guess,” I concede. As much as I would love to burn him at the stake, it would only hurt Rachel more. I really had thought their shared grief would help mend the damage from their pasts. I thought he was stepping up to be by her side after the funeral. I never thought he would abandon her. Blame her. Fucking destroy the little bit of hope she had left.

Kade and Ryder fall back into their seats as Noah takes over getting the door. I watch as Rachel shrinks into herself with every step he takes out of the room.

Is it too late to change my mind?

He would make such a pretty corpse.

Chapter Nine Declan

“Didn’t ever really expectfor you to be back here,” Scarlett sneers as Nic follows Noah into the room. I suppress my smile and maintain a cool indifference as I track his movements into the room. His eyes are immediately drawn to where Rachel sits at Jade’s side.

Scarlett is quick to jump to her feet and move in front of the pair. They may have demons from their past made worse by the rawness of their pain, but there is no justification for the way he’s turned his back on her. Learning he was the intended heir only makes his behavior that much more suspicious.

“Never thought I’d have any reason to be back here,” he says dismissively and Scarlett bristles even as she rolls her eyes. Her foot taps in her anger as she doesn’t bother to try and mask her reactions for him. She had been softening towards Alec’s less than likable twin despite his first impression. She even pushed for him to comfort Rachel during the funeral, thinking she could have a piece of her family back even if she lost her other half.

Rather than bring comfort, all he’s done is hurt her. Even as I think it, Rachel flinches behind Scarlett, her small frame cowering away from his obvious disdain. My fists clench at my sides at being reminded just how broken Rachel is.

“Spit out your reason for showing back up or leave,” Scarlett demands, her patience obviously waning. A glint of silver makes me smirk as I catch sight of Ryder’s less than obvious threat as he fingers one of his favored blades. His only saving grace is the shared belief between us all that he still has some common sense and wouldn’t show up on our doorstep without a damn good reason.

I cock my head to the side as I analyze him, waiting for his response. There’s a flicker of regret in his eyes as they drift to where Rachel has curled in on herself on the couch. I wonder if he even recognizes her. If he feels any remorse that he continues to push her further into her grief, or if he’s relishing in his ability to stroke the flames of her guilt that Alec’s death is somehow her fault. It’s not.

It’s no one’s. Not hers, not Scarlett’s. Though they both seem determined to carry the burden of blame on their delicate shoulders. There is no logic or reasoning in grief or guilt. The only way for them to see the truth is to hand over the man truly behind Alec’s death. Everything points to Romano, yet none of the pieces we have fit together to paint a clear picture. I can’t help but feel we are missing key elements that led to Unbidden Desires blowing up that day.

As quickly as I saw it, that flicker disappears from Nicholis’ eyes. Any sign of his humanity vanishes once more as his cold demeanor returns with a sense of business. “Thought you would benefit from knowing the Alvarados have declared they will no longer do any business with Romano.”

Hmm, that does have my attention. I mirror his indifferent expression while my pretty girl cocks her head to the side and hums, “Interesting.” There’s a lot left unsaid with that single word. A lot of blanks that still need to be filled in.

The Alvarados hold a lot of power, not only in this world but in mine and Scarlett’s former one as well. A family known for openly riding the line between the depraved underworld that lives in the elite’s shadows. They might have their own moral code, but it isn’t one that wholly aligns with ours. There’s enough overlap that they’ve earned our respect, though not our friendship.

They’ve never had a problem working with Romano all these years even when they themselves never participated in human trafficking. What caused their sudden shift in allegiance?

“They’re claiming he’s unreliable and causing too much havoc.”

Kade snorts, “And we aren’t?” I tilt my head in agreement. We were the ones to openly declare war, the ones who’ve left a rather large, and attention-grabbing, trail of bodies behind us.

Nic smirks, a bit of the guy we had all started to get to know and like shining through. “Guess you are the type of chaos they endorse.”

“Hmm,” Scarlett hums to herself. She’s clearly weighing the news without giving away her thoughts to the outsider. Making such a public statement is the equivalent of the Alvarados announcing their support of us. No one who matters will miss their intentions. Uncovering their motivations is an entirely different story however.

My phone beeps, alerting me to the security going off again. I meet Luca’s eyes only to find the same questions reflected back at me. Everyone else is already here, most of them unaware of yet another unexpected guest. Scarlett’s body tightens as her unease wafts off her in palpable waves.

“Another surprise guest?” I ask, cracking my neck and moving closer to Scarlett. “I don’t think I like that,” she murmurs softly, just loud enough for me to catch as I reach her side. My hand wraps around her smaller one as I pull her closer into me. Everyone else slowly catches on that something is wrong as they stop having their side conversations to focus on us.

Noah already has his computer open and is looking to see who it is. A grimace settles across his face as he gives Scarlett a helpless look, all but confirming her sentiment. “I don’t think you’re going to like this.” My grip tightens on her hand as I pull her against my chest and into my arms.

Luca rips the laptop out of his hands before Noah can stop him and immediately starts cursing. If the two of their reactions weren't enough to give it away, the way Luca doesn’t turn to Scarlett, but rather Kade would be.

Scarlett’s entire body goes rigid and I swear she even stops breathing. I glare at Noah, knowing he’s the cause behind this latest development. The reason for the imminent meltdown of our girl.

Noah’s already watching her, a guilty and fearful look in his eyes. Her body shudders as she forces herself to take several deep breaths. Obviously, trying to regain the control she seems to always lose in the presence of her past.

“He wouldn’t be here unless it’s something big,” he attempts to console her.

“That does not make me feel better,” she mutters to herself. I squeeze her hip in comfort. I can’t be confident that she was ready for this confrontation, but it needed to happen. She leans back into me and true worry sparks in my chest as I soak in the riotous emotions coming off of her. My pretty girl has come so far from the desolate woman I met in the bar. She’s stronger, more whole. Charles and the demons he brings with him threatens to topple that back down.

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