Page 27 of The Scarab's Game

Hot tears stung my eyes. “I don’t care what her dad did. That’s not her.”

“Sweetheart,” he said in that condescending tone he always used, “I know you can’t see it now, but one day, when you’re older, you’ll thank me for this.”

“I won’t thank you,” I sobbed as I marched from the room, “because I’m never speaking to you again.”

My threat had lasted all of a week. Until I needed a ride to Kelley’s house, and my mother wasn’t available.

“Boys learn how to be men from their fathers,” he said after ten minutes of silence. “But girls? I looked into Scarlett’s mother?—”

“You what?”

“The investigation cleared her. It looks as though she was as much a victim as the rest of the country. I’m still not happy about it, but you’ve made your point. I’m prepared to negotiate a cease-fire. We’ll have a long discussion about red flags, and then you can spend time with Scarlett.”

He backed down for the first time ever.

My silent treatment had worked! “Thank you!”

His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. “But not her brother. He’s trouble, and I want you to stay away from him.”

Dad’s warning had come a week too late.

Emmett stopped talking to me the morning my father forbade me from talking to any of the Reynolds kids. No idea why, he just shut down all communication.

One kiss. One knee-weakening, heart-wrenching kiss. He’d intertwined his fingers with mine, and his free hand had slid over my hip. It had been amazing.

But that was it. The end. No texts, no emails, no DMs. Just nothing.

At fifteen, I’d blamed myself. Thought I was such a bad kisser that it scared him away. Or he was disappointed I hadn’t tried to go further with him. It took a while to get past that.

I hadn’t actually avoided Scarlett that week, like my father thought. After Emmett ghosted me for days, she’d known something was wrong. I cracked under her interrogation and told her about the kiss.

She offered to kick his ass.

I said thanks, but told her to leave it alone.

Emmett and I barely spoke for a year after that. Every time I saw him, I remembered the kiss. Felt the sting of rejection all over again. He’d used me and discarded me.

Like Simon, who’d used me, then slept with someone else.

The guy before Simon? He got angry when I wouldn’t loan him ten thousand dollars for something he claimed he couldn’t explain to me.

Before that? A co-worker who dumped me after stealing my ideas and getting the promotion I should have. He was the real reason I left my old job.

And before that?

God, who could keep track of all the bad news I’d invited into my life?

But Emmett wasn’t like all of them. We were fifteen. No one knew how to express their feelings when they were fifteen. Break-ups were ugly, even if the break-up happened after a single kiss.

He’d taken care of me last night. Wrapped me up in those arms, brought in a team to help, and insisted I sleep close to him so he could keep me safe.

Emmett isn’t a bad guy, Dad. And he’s nothing like his father.

Chapter 11

Emmett

Jean-Philippe guidedme through the third floor, which included their old-world antiquities. Patrons strolled through the space, admiring display pieces, and a few discussed potential purchases.