Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 91064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Storm saves me from answering when she bursts in without knocking and leans against the door frame.
“Aw, well isn’t this just the cutest thing I ever did see.”
She’s clearly back on the mend and feeling like herself again, as her eyes rake over my naked chest before she winks at Scarlett.
“Did you need something?” Scarlett snaps.
“I want to play with my toys now.”
“Fine,” Scarlett groans and then looks at me. “Can she go play?”
“You’ll have to find Alexei,” I tell her. “He’ll let you in. And supervise.”
“I don’t need any supervision,” Storm scoffs.
I don’t bother to argue with her because I already gave Alexei the rundown, and he knows the drill. He’ll make sure they’re still alive when Scarlett is ready for them.
“No tattoos,” Scarlett tells her before she slips out the door.
“Tattoos are for the living.” Storm winks and disappears down the hallway, humming a happy tune.
“Do I even want to know where you found her?” I ask Scarlett.
“Why?” she snipes. “You want another mental case to save since you failed with this one?”
I kiss her because fuck she’s hot when she gets all worked up like this.
“Are ye jealous?” I murmur against her lips. “My little green eyed monster.”
“She keeps looking at you and I know you know it.”
“So what would ye like me to do?” I laugh. “Cut out her eyes?”
Scarlett doesn’t answer, and I can see her struggling with these new feelings. Jealousy is probably as foreign to her as the issue of trust.
“Satan.” I grab her by the shoulders and haul her towards me. “Get your arse over here.”
She lays her head against my chest and sighs. When my fingers tangle in her hair, her eyes flutter shut, and within a few moments, she’s back to sleep.
We lay there like that until the afternoon when there’s really no more putting it off.
I’m needed back in Boston, and there’s no reason to keep delaying the inevitable.
“You ready?” I ask when she emerges from the bathroom dressed in some of Talia’s clothing.
“As I’ll ever be,” she says.
Her voice is wooden, and the shutters have come down on her face. She’s locked herself down tight, my little warrior. I still don’t know what’s going to happen when she sees them. If she’ll really go through with it.
But the choice is Scarlett’s to make. And whatever she decides, I’ll be right there beside her.
We walk hand in hand to the basement, and she doesn’t let go.
Storm is waiting in the hallway, happy and carefree as she sucks on another lollipop.
“My work here is done,” she says. “And the Russian guy organized a ride for me, so I’m going to skedaddle.”
Scarlett reaches out and grabs her by the arm, and Storm flinches at the human contact.
“Sorry.” Scarlett releases her. “I just wanted to say thank you. For everything.”
“No problem.” Storm shrugs. “It was fun. We should do it again sometime.”
Scarlett looks up at me and then shakes her head.
“I’m out of the game now,” she says. “For good.”
Storm smirks and then sighs. “I figured as much.”
“But there’s one last thing.” Scarlett pulls a card from her pocket and fiddles with it. “I didn’t mention it before.”
Storm crunches some of the sucker between her teeth, eyeing off the card. “What is it?”
“There’s a fed. And he’s got it bad for you.”
“Oh yeah, that guy.” Storm nods. “He’s been asking around.”
“I didn’t give him anything,” Scarlett tells her. “I won’t. But he wanted you to have this. In case you ever need help, I guess.”
Storm takes the card and gives it a curious glance before shoving it into her own pocket.
“Thanks. He might be fun to play with.”
“No,” Scarlett says. “Not him. He’s one of the good ones.”
Storm looks at me, and I nod. She doesn’t believe it though.
“Fine,” she sighs. “I’ll leave the poor little federal agent alone. You never let me have any fun.”
“I guess that’s probably for the best,” Scarlett agrees. “But what do you want me to tell him?”
Storm runs her tongue over her teeth in a playful gesture.
“Just tell him to catch me… if he can.”
Storm is long gone, but she definitely left her mark.
The two blokes strapped to the table have been sliced and diced and burned and god only knows what else. Because their eyes are practically begging for death at this point.
What Scarlett doesn’t know is that Alexei has his own way of dealing with men who assault women. And before Storm ever laid hands on them, Quinn and Duke enjoyed a long, passion filled night with Boris.
Boris is over two hundred pounds of pure muscle, and he likes his men submissive and leather bound.
Which explains the assless chaps lying on the floor, I suppose. Along with the empty bottle of lube.
Scarlett doesn’t miss them, of course, but she doesn’t ask about them either.
She’s staring at the first bloke. Quinn.