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Just as I inhale deeply to scream for Declan again, I hear him rushing through the living room. I instantly start to relax, knowing he will be able to fix this. He stops briefly where Jade and Ian must be and snaps at them to get her into the guest bedroom.
“What the fuck is happening, Scarlett?” he asks as soon as I’m in his line of sight.
I huff a laugh. “That’s what I would like to know.” I look back down at Rachel, confusion pouring through me at how we ended up in this position.
I’ve never hated the woman, always had an odd sort of respect for her. Especially after these last couple of months. But it doesn’t mean I can trust her with something as precious as one of my people. Jade is mine and I won’t let anyone hurt her. She’s had far too much pain in this life already.
Rachel’s never made any moves against us, then again, she’s never had a reason to. What if that isn’t true anymore?
This latest revelation doesn’t clear anything up for me. It only makes it that much more confusing.
Is Rachel friend or foe?
Declan drops next to me, studying my expression as he tries to determine what course we are going to take here. Fuck. I’m trying to figure that out too.
Rachel’s someone that has always piqued my curiosity. A woman in power with as much insanity running in her blood as my own. She could be our greatest friend. It could also mean she could be our worst nightmare. It almost makes me sad to think I might have to kill this woman in my arms.
Dammit.
I can’t let her die like this. On the off chance she really is Jade’s sister. That she doesn’t have nefarious intentions. She could be the first and last bit of family that girl ever gets. We believe in choosing your family, but Jade has the right to have that chance. Especially if there is a blood tie left for her.
I stop hesitating and nod to Declan as I remove my hands so he can examine Rachel.
Just as he puts his hands on her, my phone beeps alerting me to someone coming up the drive. Fucking hell.
What the fuck now?
I don’t have to wait more than a few seconds before a black escalade comes flying around the corner and screeches to a stop in front of the house. I watch from the open doorway as Alec jumps out of the car before it has even fully stopped moving.
His body shakes in his rage as he comes flying towards us.
I prepare myself to take him out if he makes one wrong move towards me or Declan. Declan is left exposed as he puts all his focus on stemming the flow of blood from Rachel’s wound. Before he even reaches the door, Kade materializes out of nowhere, cutting his pathway off.
“Move! I’m going to fucking kill her!” Alec roars. I blanche at his audacity, cocking my head to the side as Kade growls. I thought Alec was smarter than this. Openly threatening me is a death sentence, even if I wasn’t trigger happy.
Kade pulls a gun from his waistband and presses it underneath Alec’s chin. “Be real careful what the fuck you say next,” he warns in a dark whisper.
Alec curses, still vibrating in his rage. “Scar’s neck is not the one I want to wring. Now get the fuck out of my way.” He shoves past Kade, no fear or hesitation as he does. Alec is more reckless than I realized. I kind of like it.
I watch as my big guy comes back to himself, letting him do it. The threat was never towards me. Clarity dawns on both of us that all of Alec’s ire is directed at Rachel herself.
His fear and anger are clear as it wafts off of him as he watches Declan’s careful movements. Luca looms over us, analyzing everything that’s happening with a careful eye.
Declan clears his throat, eyeing Alec like he might actually try to wring Rachel’s neck while she’s unconscious. “I need images to be sure, but the wound seems fairly shallow. There’s a lot of blood, but what I’m guessing was a knife, just tore through fat and some muscle. Stitches and a blood transfusion should be enough. I can’t be entirely positive though.”
Relief pours through Alec, but I can still see how hard his anger is riding him. Rachel is not going to have fun conversations when she wakes up. He sighs as he shakes his head. “Our doctor took images. She just needed to wait for fucking stitches.” He caresses her cheek so gently, an amusing contrast to the acid in his tone.
It reminds me of Luca and Kade. Of the way they love me and want to throttle me ninety-eight percent of the time. It almost makes me chuckle. Almost. But once again, I’m covered in blood. Needing answers.
I catch Noah’s eye and nod to where the guest room is. “Go check on Jade and Britt.” He nods, already turning to check on the girls. I wipe my hand down my face, forgetting for a moment about the blood covering me.
I make a face as I feel the slick, warm blood smear down my forehead and cheeks.
“Mother fucker,” I curse to myself. Kade’s lips twitch as he hands me a towel. I look down and cringe. Strange how sometimes I crave the exact thing that is causing me so much discomfort right now. Ugh, I know I don’t have the time for a shower right now either. Too much to piece together.
Jade must have overheard what Rachel said and fainted from the shock. That’s really the only thing that makes sense.
“How did she not set off the alarms in the drive?” Luca asks, pointedly looking at Alec.
