Scarlett laid her face on my chest and hugged her arms into herself. Then she sighed softly—contently—and I felt her melt against me until she was loose muscles and easy breathing.
She fell asleep so fast, it killed me to know I was all she needed to sleep.
It killed me because I loved it. I fucking loved being something Scarlett needed.
Just for tonight.
I repeated the sentiment in my head as I laid there, clutching her lithe, lavender-rich body to mine. Tonight was something worse than a nightmare. It was traumatic for us both, and so just for tonight, we’d use each other just a little bit.
Eventually, somewhere between an indulging stroke of her soft skin and a reminder not to enjoy how it felt, I finally found sleep.
In an unanticipated miracle, I somehow slept past 10.a.m.
I woke up in the exact same spot I fell asleep in to find Scarlett hadn’t moved an inch either. Moving her without waking her was painful and relieving in a mental fuckery kind of way. I both wanted to get as far away from her as possible and never leave the warmth we created together at the same time.
God, this day. This fucking day was already a mess.
And it only got messier as I forced the call with Scarlett’s father to tell him about Derek. He picked up on the second ring and was already forming haphazard theories about what happened to Derek with little sense and even littler concern for his missing agent.
“Have you noticed anyone following you?”
Ignoring the fist in my gut as I lied, I spoke, “Not necessarily, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t just slipped my radar.”
Agent Avery grumbled on the other end of the phone. “I would bet my life it was one of the Vitalis who got him. Probably saw Derek leave in the middle of the night, followed him, and things got ugly when he didn’t give them what they wanted.” He cursed below his breath. “Fresco was a damn good agent.”
Like you’re a good father?
“I’ll have his family notified that he’s gone missing, but if the Vitalis are involved, we can presume he’s not coming back.”
Not unless he can dig himself out of a six foot hole.
“What do you want us to do moving forward?” I asked quietly. Scarlett was still sleeping soundlessly behind me.
“If you’re being followed, you need to change up course. And take Scarlett’s phone away. She’s probably texting that Demitri boy updates of your whereabouts.”
At the reminder of him, heat flashed across my chest so unexpectedly, I almost jerked back at myself.
Sweat pooled on the back of my neck in seconds, and I felt like I needed to sit down and smash the wall in at the same time.The sudden rush of red-hot heat swamped my head as I struggled to listen to his orders.
“Full transparency, there’s been some strange activity and rumblings surrounding the family that we’re not sure what to make of. Their weapons business is usually international, but there’s been some targeted activity in the Northeast, which is too close to home for comfort. You need to get Scarlett talking. Find out what she knows and get that goddamn location of their headquarters out from her. She’s been sitting on that golden nugget for two years, and we could use it.”
Use it.
Use her.
The random pulse of heat from moments ago morphed into something familiar beneath my skin, something rotten and furious. Red rounded along my vision, and a telltale swell of rage built a deadly storm in my chest.
Did he even fucking care about her? Did he ever stop for one goddamn moment in his life to—
“Reyes?”
“What?” I spat into the phone, losing all sense of ranking between us.
“Are you listening to me?”
Are you listening to yourself, you fucking piece of shit?
Biting my teeth together, I grit out, “I’m listening.”