Page 6 of Psycho Saints

"I can't." I knew the brothers might not keep the secret for me, and one of them would need to get the pill for me. Would Cristian hurt me? That was the one question I was unsure of right now. He'd said he'd not kill me, but if I did this, would that all change? No, I still wouldn't, and not because of him. Because of Lily, my sweet baby. I couldn't.

My mind drifted to Cristian. I hadn't seen him since he'd stormed out yesterday, frustrated but accepting of his brother's order to leave.

"I haven't seen Cristian since we all found out," I murmured.

"Maybe that's for the best," Naomi said. "How did it even come up?"

"No clue, I came downstairs to Tyrone pinning him on the table, furious. I guess Cristian told them, maybe? Who knows, it doesn't matter now."

"True, but still. It's been a wild run for you, Scar. Can you actually imagine living in a life that messy with them if you are pregnant and keep it? I hope for your sake that this is just a scare," she said honestly.

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Yeah, I know. Hopefully I'm not."

"Just have to wait until your period. It'll be there, and then you can come home," Naomi reassured me. "I still hate that they're changing the month deal, but I guess, from their side, it's understandable. A Silvestri baby is a big deal. Dangerous for you if you're not with them. Lots of people out to hurt them."

Great, just another thing I needed to think about. A part of me wished I could just get rid of the baby if it wound up being there, or take the damn pill. But there was some stupid, broken part of me that plain out refused, unable to do it.

"Can we talk about something else? How's things with you, anything new?" I asked, desperate to move from the subject.

"Right, sure. Well, Steve asked if I'd consider being his private lady, move in with him, all that jazz."

"Let me guess, only if he gives you an allowance the same as you earn there, right?" I said with a snort, but my mind was wandering.

"Clearly," she scoffed. "He's not a terrible guy, but you never know what someone's truly like behind closed doors."

She was right on the money there, and I closed my eyes.

As we continued talking, my thoughts kept circling back to Cristian. Where was he now? What was going through his mind? The uncertainty of it all made my stomach churn.

4

SCARLET

Icurled up on the couch, flipping through movies on the massive TV. Julian sat beside me, his arm draped casually over the back of the couch. Kenny purred contentedly in my lap, kneading my thigh with his paws.

"Anything catch your eye?" Julian asked, his fingers absently playing with a strand of my hair. This new side of him was welcome, and the tender touches, it was pleasant. I couldn't help nestling into him more, enjoying his comfort.

I shrugged. "Not really. I've seen most of these."

"Right." He paused in his teasing of my hair before he reached for something on the side table. "Maybe this'll keep you entertained instead, keep your mind occupied."

I blinked in surprise as he handed me a sleek handheld gaming console. "For me?"

"Thought you might like it. There's a bunch of games already loaded on there."

A smile tugged at my lips as I turned the device over in my hands. It was a thoughtful gesture, and I found myself oddly touched by it.

"There's a few games we can play together," he added as he reached for his own device while mine booted it up.

We settled into a comfortable silence, the TV droning in the background as I explored the games on my new console. Time slipped away, and I lost myself in the virtual worlds playing with Julian until the sound of the front door opening jolted me back to reality.

Cristian strode into the room, his presence immediately filling the space. His eyes locked onto mine, a storm of emotions swirling in their depths.

"I need to speak with Scarlet," he said, his voice low and intense. "Alone."

Julian's body tensed beside me. He glanced my way, a silent question in his eyes. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Cristian, whose jaw clenched in frustration.

I swallowed hard and gave Julian a small nod. He hesitated for a moment before rising from the couch and heading upstairs, Kenny bounding up alongside him.