“Barely. I lost everything I owned. He tried to kidnap me, and I almost didn’t get away. I’ve been running ever since, and I’ve only just stayed ahead of him. At least until now.”
Scarlett’s eyes are huge as she looks at me, and her face has gone extremely pale. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” she says. “Are you sure you’re safe now?”
“Honestly? No, I can’t be sure. I’m not even sure how I stayed ahead of him all that time. I’d just get this feeling…like, high anxiety, something telling me I had to move. The few times I didn’t listen, he got way too close, and it was difficult to cover my trail. So, I just learned to move on as quickly as possible.”
“You haven’t had that feeling since you got here?”
“No. I have to say, I feel so much better around Brad.”
Scarlett smiles and gives my arm a friendly rub. “It’s so great that you two found each other again. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” I chuckle. “For a long while, I blamed him for leaving me and getting me in trouble with Paul.”
“Oh,” Scarlett says, her eyes shining with sympathy. “It was that bad?”
“He just left me so vulnerable,” I say, looking off into space as I remember the aching feeling of abandonment I suffered when Brad left. “I needed support and comfort, and Paul was so attentive and caring. It feels really silly sometimes, because I didn’t know Brad for that long, but we just…clicked. I could tell. It felt so right, and I couldn’t understand why he left me.”
My thoughts spin on this point, worrying at it as if it’s a terrible knot in my mind. Brad still hasn’t explained, and I’ve been too distracted to pursue it.
Maybe it’s time I got him to confess. We can’t truly move forward until I heal this wound.
“Look, I’ll never forgive his actions,” Scarlett says, going for another sip of chocolate milk. “But I do understand how difficult it would have been for Brad.”
“Excuse me?” I say in nearly a whisper. It feels like Scarlett just shot me point-blank in the heart.
“No, no, don’t take it the wrong way,” she says, putting down her glass to take my hands. “I’m not defending him! I’m just saying it wasn’t as black and white as you think. With him being a secret agent, there would have been a good reason why he had to leave.”
Excuse me…fucking what?
“Yeah,” I choke out, my voice rasping through my closed throat. “I’m sure it was…important.”
“Probably for your protection,” Scarlett goes on matter-of-factly. “You know how these big missions go. Wolf’s Shadow works for the good of shifters and magic workers all over the world.”
Wolf’s Shadow?
I’ve never heard of it.
“Uh-huh,” I answer, nodding. I don’t trust myself to speak. There’s a scream building in my chest that’s desperate to get out, and I don’t want Scarlett to hear it.
How could Brad do this to me? I’ve been completely open with him, laid my soul right open…and he kept this from me!
“Are you okay?” Scarlett asks, sensing my anguish. She rubs my shoulder.
“I…I’m just considering a few things I never thought of before.”
“Well, it’s no wonder you feel safe!” Scarlett says, finishing her milk. “With Brad, one of the top agents, sleeping beside you, and Wolf’s Shadow patrolling nearby, your ex will never get to you!”
“That’s a relief,” I mutter, swallowing as I try to settle my churning stomach.
I haven’t felt well all day. The nightmare shook my nerves right out of my body, and now this hits me like a fucking train! My body is going to disintegrate if I take any more shocks!
“It must feel so much better between you now,” Scarlett says. “I know it was the same for me when I found out about Rex. I mean, of course, I was still upset at being left behind, but understanding why helped me to make peace with it, especially after he made it absolutely clear how much he loved me.”
None of this makes any fucking sense! I gave Brad all the space he needed to come to me, to be open with me, and he kept his whole fucking life a secret!
Am I just an asset to him? Is he using me for one of his secret missions?
“I need to get going soon,” Scarlett says. “I have to get home to take care of my son, but let me know if you’d like me to stay for a bit longer. You’ve gone very pale. Are you really okay?”
