Page 81 of His To Claim
“Well, not really. Long story short, Ace just drugged her, tied her up to a chair to interrogate her, then I came to the rescue, only to be captured and tied to the chair next to her, only to have Agent Servite join us and threaten to do something to us if we didn’t help him find Scar’s mom Lilith, who he apparently knows,” Jade says, but Stella doesn’t seem any more at ease.
Instead, Stella just sits and takes it all in. “Wow.”
“Like I said, you needed to sit down for this. Anyway, he threatened me. Told me I had to help him find my mother or he’d make sure you all would be expelled and sent to who knows where now that the foster home won’t take us back.”
“That motherfucker!” Jade shouts, and we both laugh. “And I say that literally. We think he’s involved with Lilith. Intimately involved, or at least was.”
“Wait, Agent Servite knows your mom?” Stella asks, and I nod.
“I obviously agreed because I’m not going to let him hurt you guys because of me.”
Jase reaches for me and smacks me hard on my arms. “Scar, why the fuck would you do that?”
“Ow, Jade. I will let nothing happen to you guys. You’re my family. I need you all by my side and he threatened that. There was no other way.” She sits back on the bed, quietly contemplatingwhat I’ve said and I know she knows I’m right. “Drake, Kai, Jax, even Ruby, they don’t deserve to be in this mess. It’s my mother and your father who are the ones to blame. And I won’t let him hurt you.”
Jade leans closer to me and takes my hands in hers. “How many times do I need to remind you we are only three months apart? Stop acting like you need to protect me from the big wicked man. I can protect myself,”
“But you shouldn’t have to. It’s my mom he’s after. Two weeks ago, after the Gods and Monsters party that Drake and I didn’t go to, Agent Servite summoned me. He told me he’d received information my mom was in town and was going to the masquerade ball. He said it was her favorite, like she’d gone to it before. He told me I needed to lure her out so he could talk to her.”
“Why did he think she’d risk getting caught?” Stella asks.
“He said she’s out of money and she’d do anything to get it. When I told you, Stella, that I was going to the bathroom, I actually snuck up to his study where he told me she’d go looking for the money. But when I heard her come in, I panicked and hid under his desk. The thought of seeing her again scared the hell out of me. I heard her going through the drawers, but she couldn’t find the money because I hadn’t unlocked the drawer like he’d asked me to.”
“Oh my god,” they say in unison.
“That’s not the worst part. Ace came in and found her going through his uncle’s things. He threatened to call security if she didn’t leave and he found me under the desk. He said nothing till she ran off. But then, Agent Servite came in and was pissed I hadn’t followed through with his plan. He was furious, and I took off running.”
“Scar, the fire!” Stella shouts out. “Do you think it was in Agent Servite’s study?”
“It can’t be a coincidence. What if someone knew my mother would be there?”
“That someone is obviously Servite,” Jade snickers annoyed.
“So, what happened when you left, did you come here?” Stella asks, but I shake my head.
“Ace led me to a back house he lives in and we,” I stop, not being able to bring myself to say the words.
“Oh, Scar,” Jade mutters as the realization hits her. She scoots closer to me and embraces me in a hug.
“I didn’t mean to. I can’t believe I did that. I cheated on Drake, Jade. When he finds out he’s going to hate me. Worse, he’s going to retaliate,” I say, nervously.
“He won’t find out, Scar. You can’t tell him. You know how fucked up Drake is, and how much he hates Ace. He can’t risk getting in a fight, he already has a strike against him,” Jade says.
“I know, but how can I face him again after what I did?” I say, as Jade looks over to Stella who’s just realized that what I meant to say is that I slept with Ace. That I practically cheated on my loyal boyfriend with the asshole.
“You didn’t cheat. You guys broke up, you agreed to take a break. You told me so yourself. You just need to make it permanent now, end things for good. It’s the only way to make sure he doesn’t find out. Break up with Drake, tell him it’s over, and then you need to date Ace,” Jade states, anxiously running a hand through her hair.
“What? Are you crazy?” Stella and I say at the same time.
“It’s the only way to keep him out of this. If you end things with Drake, Ace doesn’t have any reason to tell Drake what happened between you two. And if you get together with Ace, Drake will know you’ve moved on and back off. Besides, you still need to use Ace to find out why Agent Servite wants to contact Lilith. He seems to be willing to go to extremes to find her and that can’t be good. Scar, you need to help him find your mom. I need to know what happened to Chaz, not because I care about the asshole, but because I need to find my brother. I need to know that Roman isokay and finding Chaz is the only way. I know my father knows where he is. He always has.”
“Jade, I…”
Jade nods, her tears filled to the brim with tears she’s trying so hard to hold back. “I know what I’m asking of you, Scar. It’s selfish and cruel but you’re my sister and I need your help. You obviously like Ace or you wouldn’t have slept with him. I can see the attraction you two have to one another. It’s electrifying, magnetic. Like Stella said, the sexual tension when you two are in a room together is intense.”
“She’s right,” adds Stella. “I’ve never seen Ace react this way with anyone else. The way he looks at you, the way he responds when you stand up to him, when you challenge his power. You throw him off his horse, literally. He seems out of control when you’re near, almost human, not the ruthless robot they’ve trained him to be.”
“I…” I stutter unsure of what to say.