Page 70 of Hers To Keep
“By doing this to Ace, who is not at fault for his father’s sins, nor am I for my mother’s, you’re condemning us to the same fate as your sister.”
“It’s the only way to save you. To ensure this doesn’t happen again. This world must be destroyed, including everyone that is a part of it. The heavens can only be rebuilt when all the fallen angels are annihilated. Only then will it be restored to its full glory.”
Ace appears under the shadow of the horizon, startling me out of my flashback memory. I knew he’d show up. Having left myphone in the cabin that is now blown to smithereens, I asked Roman to send Ace a message, telling him I was here.
Obviously, the text was from a burner phone roman ditched on the side of the road as soon as he sent it. All it said was if he wanted to see me again, he needed to come here. I figured Ace was going crazy right about now searching for me all over the woods near the cabin. I needed to ease his mind and let him know I was safe. Well, sort of.
This would not be a pleasurable reunion.
The sun is setting behind dark storm filled clouds, making the sky an unnerving gray, pink, and red, like blood falling from the heavens, preparing to drown the earth in its sorrows. He approaches closer, my hearing focusing in on his footsteps as they thump loudly in my ear, only to realize it’s the loud beating of my heart.
“Scarlett, where the fuck have you been?” he shouts, rushing toward me and embracing me in a tantalizing hug. He grips my face with his hands, worry clouding the blue of his eyes making them appear dark and gray. “God, when I heard the explosion, when I drove up to the cabin, and saw what remained of it, I nearly died then and there. Fuck, Scarlett, I’ve never been so scared.”
“I’m fine, Ace,” I assure him. “I made it out before the explosion, just a couple bruises and scrapes but I’m fine.” I try to back away, but his grip on me tightens, not allowing me to move.
“Where did you go? I found the guys in the woods, they said they got there right before the explosion. They saw you run out and ran after you but something about gunshots and then you all but disappeared.” The earlier worry turns to confusion, but it quickly is going to shift to rage after what I’m about to do next. I close my eyes mentally preparing myself for what’s coming.
“I ran into your uncle,” I lie, following Marchesi’s script. “I had a pleasant chat with him, actually. You don’t have to act like a martyr any longer, Ace. I know the truth.”
I look up at him, his eyes filled with ire as he watches me tryingto make sense of what I’m saying. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he growls.
I pull away from him at the first sign of him losing his composure and turn away, not able to look him in the eye as I speak. “Wesley told me everything. How you were the one who brought my mother back to Hillcrest when you found out some parentless poor kids from the slums were going to infiltrate your kingdom. He told me how you were the one who’s been pulling the strings all along. You started the fire tonight. He showed me the video of you pouring gasoline all around the house, and around the yard, dressed in a red cloak.”
The rage in his eyes fades to humor as he bursts out laughing, his body folding forward by the force of his laughter. “Oh man, babe,” he says, catching his breath. “How fucking hard did you hit your head, Red?”
I ignore his laughter as it threatens to break me further. This is going to be a hell of a lot harder than I thought. “It’s over, Ace, just let it go.”
His mood turns somber as he realizes I’m not joining in on the laughter. “Okay, babe, now you’re freaking me out. What the fuck are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”
“You and me, it’s over. I’m done with this. I thought I could forgive you after everything you’ve done but I realized there was only one reason I couldn’t.”
He reaches for me but I back away swiftly, only irking him more. “Oh really, and what’s that?”
“I didn’t want to. I fooled myself into believing I was reluctant to trust you again because of what you’d done, but it’s because I simply had no desire to.” He laughs again, not believing any part of what I’m saying. I told Marchesi he wouldn’t buy it. Ace knows me better than I know myself.
“That’s fucking bullshit, Scarlett!” he shouts, and I know I need to step this up. I need to make it more believable, it’s for his own safety.
“That’s the thing, Ace, it’s not. I spoke to Wesley and my mother, and I’ve agreed to work for him at The Gallows.” His eyes instantly are consumed with rage.
“Are you fucking crazy? Why the hell would you do that?!”
“I realize that I’m only hurting myself more by denying them, and I’m tired of fighting. Ultimately, they’ll win. So I’ve given in, accepted my fate. I know it’s not something you’ll ever understand, which is why it’s best we go our separate ways.” I try to maintain a shield of indifference as I speak to him, mainly to protect myself from the pain I see in his eyes.
“Okay that’s it, we’re going to the fucking hospital. We need to get your head checked out; you’re not making any fucking sense.” He reaches for me, grasping my arm but I quickly tug away from him.
“Oh, but on the contrary, I see things clearly now. This is what I need. He’s told me the salary he’s going to pay me and fuck if I’ve never seen that many zeros before. My future is set. I won’t have to struggle to fill my plate, to find a place to sleep.”
“Scarlett babe, come on you’re not making any sense. What has he threatened you with now? I know the explosion must have been scary, but we can do this together.” His hands caress my cheek as I turn away, tears threatening to flood out.
So instead I force a laugh out, I’ve gotten rather good at faking it. After all, I've turned into a bold-faced liar. “You honestly think we ever had a chance at defeating him? Please, we were only fooling ourselves. You know what they say, if you can’t beat them, join them.”
“You’re wrong, I won’t do that. I’m done being his fucking puppet, his slave who answers to his every beck and call. I sure as hell will not let you do that either.”
I step into him, running a hand across his chest. “Well then, maybe he’s been right about you all along, you don’t belong here, you never did. You’re too weak. You act all high and mighty but you’re a coward. Promise after promise of fighting against him, ofkeeping me safe, but you’ve done none of that. However, he promises I’ll want nothing else. He’ll give me everything I need.”
“That’s bullshit, Scarlett, just stop fucking playing around. You’re pissing me off.” He wraps his arms around my waist pulling me into his body as he leans his forehead to mine. “I’ve been thinking for a while now, I think we should just leave. You and me, let’s get out of here, just the two of us.”
“And where would we go?” I ask, for a moment almost giving in to him. The small glimmer of hope in his words makes me almost want to fight. But then I remember it’s not just Wesley’s threat that looms over me.