Page 8 of Hers To Keep

Chapter

Two

ACE

She ran to him. She fucking ran to him. She’s down on her knees before him, as he sits there bloody and bruised, and worst of all, she knows I put him there.

Not directly. Sad to say, I didn’t get my turn at the bastard after finding him at The Gallows. My boys had all the fun once they brought him here a couple nights ago when he followed us. But he’s here by his own doing. He’s here because he went snooping. He stuck his nose where it should have never been, and now he’s stuck in this predicament.

We found out he’s been asking around about us. Our people are loyal to only us, and while they may have spoken out of turn, they came crawling back to ask for forgiveness and gave the poor bastard up. It was them that led him to The Gallows. The rumor mill in this town is the only thing that spreads faster than the drugs we sell. And it was a huge mistake.

Rumor is he thinks we have something on Little Red and are forcing her into something she doesn’t want. He would have beenright when she first got here, but now, whether or not she believes it, she’s exactly where she wants to be.

But he saw things he shouldn’t have. Found out things he’s better off forgetting, and it’s up to us now to make sure he never speaks.

“You son of a bitch, you did this!” she shouts, angrily pounding against my chest. Big eyes red rimmed and glossy, a soft, almost iridescent blue. I grab her wrists, holding them down on my chest to stop them from banging against me and her small fists feel like a ladybug’s tiny legs tapping against my chest—barely noticeable, but I see it’s taking everything in her. Her breath hitches as she senses me stiffen, her hands vibrating in sync with the beating of my heart.

“I may have been the one to put him in this chair, but I didn’t force him into this difficult situation. Trust me it wasn’t without warning. He just couldn’t stay out of it,” I say, her eyes darkening at my admittance.

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do with him,” my Uncle Wesley says. “He knows too much and unlike you, my dear, he’s not needed.” The fury in her eyes that burns like a raging fire turns somber as she looks at my uncle. A plea of sorts visible in her vivacious blue eyes as she all but crawls to him, falling into submission.

“No!” she mutters in between sobs, “I’ll do it. I’ll do what you ask, whatever you want, but please don’t hurt him.” My uncle steps forward, squatting down to meet her. Her head hangs low as he reaches out, cupping her chin and tilting it up toward him.

“I knew you’d see it my way. It’s the only option you have.”

“How didyou know she’d agree to that?” I ask, furiously slamming my hands upon my uncle’s desk. Bass stands by the door, his head hanging down, acting like he’s not paying any attention.It’s his usual move. I know he heard what Eli Hargrove admitted to me the night I questioned him at The Gallows, but he won’t say a word. Not until I am the one who confides in him. It’s how we were taught–to not ask questions unless it’s asked of us.

“Ace, my boy, you still have a lot to learn,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “Her beauty has blinded you. I understand that better than anyone. Trust me. Us Servite men, as much as we would hope to be, are not immune to a rare, extraordinary beauty such as hers. But you weren’t able to see past that, to understand her true weakness.”

I shake my head at his cynicism. “I did as you asked, you told me to isolate her from her friends. That she needed to feel alone with no other options in order to be more susceptible to your demands.”

“Yes, son, but I also asked you to make her vulnerable. You were so blinded by your dick, and by its affection toward her, you missed a vital clue. Her relationship with the Dragon boy went beyond two lovers. They are connected by their past, linked by their pain, and sown together by their need for a family. Simply breaking them up would not do the trick.”

“So you threaten her with his life. You tell her you will destroy him, kill him, unless she complies with whatever you ask of her. That she must convince him to keep quiet,” I sneer furiously, once again not understanding the point to his endless charades.

“A girl like Scarlett doesn’t care what happens to her. She’s selfless, blindly puts others' well-being before her own. Honestly, nothing like what I expected her to be. It’s refreshing. Her mother is the complete opposite. Selfish is Lilith’s middle name, but Scarlett is not motivated by false threats. Despite what has happened in her life, she still hopes to see the best in people. That, my boy, is her greatest flaw and it will be her downfall.”

“And the perfect opportunity for us,” I scoff at his arrogance.

“Exactly. What happened here today will be a minor setback. She will try to fight you. Deny the feelings she has for you. It’s hersurvival instinct. You and the boys were raised with everything you could ever dream of. She was raised with nothing. So it’s natural for her to doubt everything, to trust no one. But she will come around, if not for her own feelings then the fear we’ve instilled in her today.”

“Why?” I whisper barely audible.

“Why?” he repeats, mockingly.

“I ask nothing of you. I don’t demand reasons or explanations from you. I do as I’m told and turn a blind eye to everything else that doesn’t concern me in your businesses. But I ask now, why her? What is so special about Scarlett Steele? Why is she here?”

He walks over to the bar located beside his desk, looking out the window as he pours two glasses of bourbon. He slowly heads over to me and hands me one as he gulps down the other.

“There is a reason, son, but you’re not ready to hear it. She’s not ready to hear it. And despite what you believe, the moment I tell you, you’ll run to her. So for now, you do as you’re told, and continue - no questions asked. You’ll be eighteen soon, a month away, and you’ll know more. More about our business, more about your place in our world. It will all make sense soon. As for now…”

“I must act like nothing’s changed. Be her shadow. Continue to follow her, follow her every move, and report back,” I say, filling in the blanks.

He steps closer to me, placing a hand upon my shoulder. “Exactly, I have my own eyes on her, but you are my middleman, my most trusted soldier. My family, my blood.”

I shrug out of his hold, turning to walk away, but stop, turning back to him. “What did you tell him? When I left the room last night, what did you tell him that suddenly made him submit?”

He turns back toward his desk, pulling out his chair and sitting down as he continues to speak. “Just like her, I threatened him with the one thing he cares for most. If he speaks out of turn, I made it quite clear I’d ruin her, with the one thing he fears most. I’d make her work for me at The Gallows.” He crosses his armsacross his chest, a cold shield of indifference covers his eyes as he speaks.