Page 81 of Hers To Keep
I hurriedly move to slide past him but don’t get far before his hand reaches out to grab a hold of me. I cringe as his hand wraps tightly around my elbow, his mouth lowering to my ear as he whispers harshly against it.
“Not so fast, baby girl,” he growls, his hot breath reeking of tobacco and liquor. “I warned him this would happen, but the bastard never believed me. I told him he should have never trusted you, should have never given you absolute power.” His tongue comes out to lick the skin of my ear as he bites down harshly on my lobe abruptly, pulling the papers and ledger out of my hand. He drops the papers looking down at the ledger in his hands and then back up at me. “But I’m sure we can work something out. You know, he doesn’t have to know you snuck in here. I don’t have to tell,” he adds, cleverly sliding the ledger into his back pocket.
His words suggest a crass innuendo of trading something in return for his silence and it’s sickening to even contemplate. Of course, like every other guy I’ve met thus far, Luke is gorgeous. Though his green eyes, hidden under a thick layer of black eyeliner, which watch me wantonly, do nothing but repulse me.
“You’re fucking pathetic, Luke,” I sneer, trying to tug away out of his grasp. “Like I’d ever stoop so fucking low.”
He grins wickedly, a single silver tooth I hadn’t focused on before appearing behind his lips. “Oh baby, but you are forgetting one particularly important fact. I’m a Prescott. I’m fucking royalty here in Hillcrest and they won’t give a shit what I do with you.” His free hand moves to my lower back, gripping my ass as he bites down on the skin of my neck.
It sends a wave of anger and disgust through me. I spit at his feet and knee him right in between his legs making him crouch forward in agony. “I haven’t forgotten, but you’re wrong about being royalty.” I snicker as he groans in pain. “You’re the scum beneath Wesley Servite’s feet. Nothing but his pathetic little bitch begging for whatever measly scraps your master offers you.”
“You fucking bitch!” he shouts, straightening up as he backhand slaps me across the face. The sting of his hand against my cheek burns but I have no time to react as suddenly Luke falls to my feet as glass shatters around him.
I stand stunned as I watch him, lying motionless on the floor before me, a small puddle of blood spreading across the floor beneath his head. Looking up, I find Remi standing above him, her breathing hasty as she holds the remaining pieces of a cracked vase with blood smeared across it in her hand. Her eyes are wide and angry as she watches him.
“What the fuck, Remi?” I shout, looking back down at Luke and the blood oozing out of the large gash on his forehead.
“God, I’ve wanted to do that for fucking forever,” she says as she smirks widely, a look of satisfaction in her eyes as she stares at him unconscious at her feet. After a moment, her gaze meets mine,a realization of what’s happened clouding them. “Come on, Scarlett, we don’t have all night, he’s on his way.”
I don’t move a muscle, astounded and speechless, I look up at her as she tries to pull my arm, dragging me toward her. “Who’s on his way, Remi?” I ask, looking from her to the body before us. “We can’t just leave Luke here.”
“Um, yes we can. He’s a fucking dickhead. He got what was coming to him for putting his hands on what isn’t his. And what do you mean who? Ace, of course.” She pulls me with her, the shock of her words making me too weak to fight back.
“Wait, why is he coming?” I stutter confused as I follow her, but not before I reach down and grab the ledger from Luke’s back pocket. I walk down the hall with her, past the crowd huddled around by the bar, and toward the back employee entrance that stands unoccupied. My heart thumps fiercely in my chest, something it hasn’t ceased to do in months, with each step we take getting closer to the exit.
“To save your ass,” Remi says, dragging me towards the door. “Although why he puts up with your stubborn little ass baffles me.” I can feel her rolling her eyes, the flaunt in her steps showing she’s obviously not doing this because she wants to.
It’s then I finally process the gravity of what she’s said. Ace is on his way to save me. “But we…”
“Broke up, yeah, babe, sorry to tell you but no one is buying that shit,” she scoffs, interrupting me. “Now let’s go before another one of Wesley’s goons shows up.” That’s all that’s left to say.
A flood of relief washes over me when I hear her say our break-up was nothing but a ruse. That means there is still hope I haven’t completely fucked things up and my man is coming for me. I hold the ledger tightly in my hand, the key that will end Wesley Servite once and for all, and I couldn’t be happier.
But you know how that always ends for me.
In tragedy.
Chapter
Forty-Five
ACE
Idrove away before they could stop me.
Stealing the keys to Maxwell’s rental was easy, mainly because I think he let me take them on purpose. He knows how dangerous these two men are—he knows that every moment Scarlett remains there with Wesley is another moment her life is in peril. She's there because of Marchesi.
I’m done sitting around and waiting for something to happen. I’m fucking done being patient. Enough is enough.
Tonight, I’m bringing my girl home.
I drive out to The Gallows, ready to barge in and take her no matter the consequences, no matter the wrath that will ensue. After the conversation I heard Marchesi have with Scarlett, where he ordered her to sneak in and get the ledger, I rushed over to Hillcrest. On my way here Remi called and told me Luke caught Scarlett sneaking into Wesley’s office, but that she’d followed him and would take care of it. Minutes later, she texted me and let me know she’d slammed a crystal vase into his head.
I’ll have to give Remi an extra thousand for that stunt. Although the way Luke’s treated her and her sister in the past, I’m sure he had it coming.
I gave her instructions to sneak Scarlett out through the back employee entrance where I’m waiting in our getaway car, ready to take her the hell away from my uncle and this fucking place.Is this the smartest thing to do?Probably not. But I'm taking things into my own hands now.
Scarlett has the ledger and together we will figure out what comes next.