AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Everyone out,” I cut him off. The guys start to protest, but I throw them a look that promises retribution if they continue to push me. They walk out silently, throwing menacing glares at Charles the whole way.
Joe stops just inside the door and closes it after the others. I open my mouth to question him, but he shuts me down in a way only he can. “I understand why you don’t want them in here, but Scarlett, if you think I’m leaving you alone with a man we do not know or trust, you’re stupider than you look.”
I hold my tongue. Not wanting to argue with him in front of Charles. “Fine,” I agree, if a bit petulantly. A slight tremor runs through my fingers and I know I’m not as strong as I'm pretending to be. I didn’t want the guys to see my weakness. Not here. I don’t want to break in front of Charles, and having them here makes it all the much harder to stay strong. When all I really want to do is collapse in their arms and cry for the girl that used to love the boy in front of me.
I won’t admit it aloud, but I’m thankful for Joe’s silent presence behind me.
“It’s Scar now,” I remind Charles. “Any single one of those guys will kill you if you use that name again.”
“I understand,” he murmurs. “Scar,” he says slowly, like tasting my name to get the feel of it. I watch as he tries to reconcile who I am now with the girl he remembers.
“What do you know about that night?” I ask, changing the subject. I aim to maintain my perfect calm. Not give anything away. But fuck, it’s a lot harder than it ever has been before. I keep my trembling hand out of Charles’ sight.
“I know it wasn’t as the news made it out to be,” he starts. “My father was there.” He closes his eyes, lost in his own memories. “He wasn’t the only one there.” There’s anguish lining every word. It makes me mad. Pisses me off that he feels pain over my trauma when he didn’t help me.
But it also makes me sad. For some inexplicable reason, sadness weighs me down at the thought of the kids we were who were dealt a hand we had no hope of being capable of handling. We were always helpless against the wishes of our parents. I wonder what his father pulled behind the scenes to turn even Charles against me back then.
“Do you know who the others were?” I ask, trying to shake off the grips of melancholy holding me down. I don’t want to feel sympathy for him. Not when he hurt me too. I’m not ready to analyze those emotions yet. For now, I just want to use him.
He shakes his head and a bitterness fills me. “My father never told me what happened. He doesn’t even know I know.” He opens his eyes, searching me out. “I put some of the pieces together myself, but I only knew those couple things for certain,” he whispers. “Scar,” he starts again, but I shake my head.
“I don’t want to hear your excuses or your reasons.”
He looks shattered, but for some reason I feel the same way. Tears rise in my eyes, blurring my vision and I hate him for it. “I’m not ready to forgive you,” I admit, swallowing my emotions. I hate that I get the feeling I will be forgiving him, but not today. Not right now.
“Then use me,” he replies. “Use me to get your revenge. Use me however you need to.” He hangs his head. “I failed you once, Tootsie Roll. I won’t fail you again.”
The nickname is a brand of regret over my already sensitive heart. I open my mouth to respond, but snap it shut almost as quickly. No. Charles will be nothing but another tool to get my revenge. Nothing more.
* * *
I pullthe cover over my head as I hear the door open and close. I can take a guess on who just walked into the room, but I’m not ready to talk about it yet. So I hide. I burrow myself under the blankets and sheets. Just like I left Charles and hid in here.
I only waited long enough to give Joe instructions on getting him settled. I know I’ll need to pull myself from this hole and go out there to make plans. I still have so many questions for Charles. Have to figure out exactly how I can use him.
A moment was needed before I could do all that though. A moment to wallow in my own despair and confusion before putting on the brave face to push forward.
The bed dips on both sides of me. I don’t move, waiting for them to pull me to one of them. The covers are removed from over my head and I find Noah giving me a soft smile as he pulls me on top of his chest.
I rest my cheek against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Declan lays on his side, resting his hand on my back. I figured it would be one of them that came in to check on me, I didn’t expect it to be both of them. I give Declan a small smile that he returns, rubbing circles into my back.
“Want to talk about it?”
My smile falls off my face and I turn my head away from D and bury it in Noah’s chest. It rumbles under me with his laughter. It might bring a small little smirk back to my face, but I’ll deny it.
“I’ll take that as a no then,” D teases, lightly tickling my sides. I humph in response, not lifting my head at all.
“How about telling us what you want us to do?” Noah encourages, squeezing my hips.
I sigh, if I had an answer for any of them, I wouldn’t be hiding in here. I don’t want to admit that though. “I just needed a moment,” I deflect, lifting my head to meet his eyes. I catch them trading looks and know I’m not getting off that easily.
“And what do you plan on doing after your moment?” Noah prods.
I roll my lips back as I think about it. Plans have been my happy place for a long time. Meticulously figuring out the next steps to take to maximize our outcomes and minimize the risks. Maybe focusing on a list of what I need to do will help my head stop spinning.
Who said I have to figure out the convoluted feelings Charles dredged up right now?
“Charles is going to help us,” I start. Noah tenses under me, but I push forward. I know none of the guys are going to love his presence, especially Kade, but there’s no denying this is the best move forward. He has access to everything we need to get my revenge. He said to use him, and regardless of what my feelings are, I plan to use him for everything I can. “I need to figure out just how helpful he’s going to be.”
