Page 82 of No Longer Mine

I didn’t bother with saying anything because all that mattered was the woman huddled on the floor. Her dress was hiked up around her thighs, her cheeks were stained pink. All I wanted to do was kiss her. I rushed forward a step and stopped myself.

“Are you okay?”

Her eyes widened. “Am I okay? Have you lost your ever-living mind? How did you find this place? How did you get up here?”

Cleo kept the gun trained on me as she dug her phone out of her pocket. She rolled her eyes. “Oliver texted, ‘That Cristof dude found the safe house. Letting him up.’”

I held my hands up and hooked one thumb over my shoulder. “Seems like the door thing could have been avoided.”

Cleo placed the gun on the counter. “You get a pass because for whatever reason Oliver trusts you but the moment you piss me off, I’ll either put a bullet in you or crush your head with my thighs, ‘kay?”

“Seems reasonable.”

She reached up and yanked on her blonde hair before it slipped free, and purple locks fell to her shoulders. “I’m going to take a shower. If either of you decide to fuck, please take it somewhere else. The walls are too thin in this building for that nonsense, and I would love to sleep after the fun we’ve had.”

Scarlett pressed her lips together and refused to speak.

“I saw my father approach you and I don’t know what happened after, but…” My shoulders deflated. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Scarlett shook her head before she closed the laptop and crossed her legs beneath her. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to know you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” She smiled at me with tight lips, and I knew she was anything but. “I don’t need a savior. I don’t need you snooping around my life.” She gazed up at the ceiling, my eyes followed the slope of her neck. “You already know too much.”

I didn’t know what I should give up. I didn’t know what kind of information she needed from me in order for her to trust me. “I fucked up. I shouldn’t have told you that I knew some of your past that way.”

She held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. You snooped and you found out what you needed to know. I don’t want you to interfere with my life. I don’t want you here.”

“I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

She laughed. “Safe? Seriously? You wanted to kill me and then fuck me and now you worry whether I’m safe?”

I was digging myself deeper and deeper, it seemed. “I’m sorry.”

“Convenient timing.”

“What can I do for you? What can I say?”

She pursed her lips. “You can leave.”

I got eyes on her. I made sure she was safe. So instead of trying to plead my case, I did as she asked and I left.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Scarlett

After the stuntOliver pulled with Dimitri, I decided it was time for me to give him a call back. I knew he was only paying me back for not answering his calls or texts. His way of saying ‘check mate’. It was a bold move, I should have known he would retaliate in such a manner.

“You have my attention,” I said to Oliver through the phone. I was staying at Cleo’s home instead of going back to my own penthouse, too afraid of what Sinclair would do or even Dimitri. I didn’t know if I would have the strength to tell him to leave if he came back around with his puppy dog eyes. He’d looked so broken when he burst through the door. I wanted to comfort him and scold him all at the same time, but I knew I couldn’t give in. Men like him bought and sold what they wanted. I wouldn’t be one of those items. He had enough information on me. I wasn’t going to be his pawn. There was only so much a girl could take.

“You have a job offer,” He started with. I didn’t know if I was ready for a job.

“What about the drive?” I didn’t want to hear about the job offer.

“I was calling you all week because of the job.”

“Okay, but I want to know about the drive.”