Page 53 of Beautiful Chaos

I wake up to an empty bed and a dark room. Reaching out, I feel the sheets beside me, noting the coolness of the soft material. Cat rarely wakes up before me, and she never leaves the bed without my knowledge. The stress of the last few days must have knocked my ass out.

I hate not being aware of her waking up. Although I’m reasonably sure that her memories from earlier are safely tucked away in her head, I can’t be sure until I see her.

I tilt my head to listen for movement in the house, but hear nothing. The silence is deafening, and I don’t fucking like it. There should be music playing or footsteps on the stairs. A shower running or the sound of pots and pans clanking. Cat doesn’t like the quiet. She says it makes her feel alone. So there’s always some form of sound. Maybe the TV set on low or the soft lyrics of one of her favorite songs.

Quickly tossing the covers off me, I get out of bed, moving straight for the pants and shirt I threw off earlier.

If the house is silent, that means Cat’s not in it, and that nearly has my bones freezing in fear.

Whisper’s threat to Cat hovers in the back of my mind.

I don’t know when or how, but he has plans to come after her. I won’t let that shit happen, but with her out of the house, it may be out of my control.

My palm twitches to lash it against her ass. It’s not her fault—the chances of her remembering the threat are slim—but I still want to punish her for putting herself in danger, whether she realizes it or not.

I’m snatching my phone from the nightstand when I see a note sitting beside it.

Going to Sunnyside. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.

Love you, Husband.

Cat

“Goddamn it,” I growl and scowl down at the paper.

After shoving it into my pocket, I leave the room. Taking the stairs two at a time, I check my phone as I go. I have a couple of missed messages. The first is from Mathias. How in the fuck did I not hear my notification go off?

Mathias: Cat took off. Damon and a couple others are trailing her.

As soon as I punch the alarm code, I leave the house and run to my SUV. Slamming my door, my anger and fear mounting, I pull up the second message. My jaw clenches as I read it.

Scarlett: I need you.

Motherfucker.

I shoot off a reply to Mathias.

Me: Keep a couple men on her, but send a couple back to the house to watch things.

Mathias: Got it.

Using the app on my phone, I pull up the map that shows Cat’s exact location. After a moment, it loads and shows her where she said she would be.

Next, I pull up the camera feed at Scarlett’s house. Although the rooms are dark, the cameras are equipped with night vision. I switch from camera to camera until I find Scarlett wandering the halls of the house, making her way to the master bedroom.

The muscles in my jaw tense as I clip my phone into the holder so I can keep an eye on the screen. Backing out of my driveway and almost clipping a mailbox, I speed down the road.

For the moment, Cat is safe with Mathias’s men watching over her. While I want to be with my wife and make sure she’s safe, Scarlett needs me more right now.

* * *

After entering the dark house, I forgo my usual drink and head straight upstairs, where Scarlett is waiting for me.

I slip off my ring and slip it into my pants pocket. My shirt is ripped over my head and the button on my pants is unfastened when I make it to the room.

Using my foot, I kick the door open and it slams against the wall. I’m still angry with Cat for leaving the way she did. I’m angry with Scarlett for pulling me away from my wife. And I’m fucking pissed at myself for being so goddamn weak.

The loud bang of the door hitting the wall has the woman on the bed, wearing only a black thong, jerking up from her slouched position. Scarlett’s eyes, wide with a hint of fear, watch me as I stalk across the room. I’ve never laid a hand on a woman out of anger. Scarlett is the only woman I’ve ever physically hurt, and she begs for it. Nevertheless, I’m fucking livid at this moment, needing to punish the woman in front of me. If not for her, I’d be with Cat right now. If not for her, I wouldn’t have this twisted need to dole out the pain she craves. She allows me to show the darker side of my desires, but she pushes my limits. Since Scarlett entered my life, I’ve done things I would have never done before. She brings out the worst in me, and I keep coming back for more.