Page 18

At some point, my growling stomach awakens me. I satisfy it with a few bites of a croissant so buttery and delicious that it makes me forget why I'm here for a moment. The coffee is cold by then, but enough cream and sugar make it drinkable.

With a yawn, I channel surf, wondering where my dad is and how he's doing. He's all I have left in the world after Mom's death. Even before that, we had always been close. I hate that I'm being used as a bargaining chip, tarnishing his good name.

I almost throw up the croissant and coffee when I realize that this wouldn't have happened if I had paid more attention. I should have listened to my gut when Fred wasn’t standing at his post, replaced by the suspicious man. I should have gone to the coffee shop instead of ignoring it and entering my building. If I had heeded Dad's warning, Carlos's goons wouldn't have abducted me.

It's all your fault,Scarlet, Mom's voice chastises me.I always knew you would be the death of his career.

My fault, my fault, my fault, my mind screams at me. I'm a bad daughter. I don't deserve a father like mine.

Tears build in my eyes, and pain sears through my chest, making it hard to breathe.

It’s been a long day,mostly because I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman waiting inmybedroom. My bedroom. Mysanctuary. I’ve never allowed a woman in there before. Not once. It’s my space, the one place in this house that is entirely mine. And yet, Scarlet is in there, wearingmyshirt, sleeping inmybed.

As if her presence there isn’t vexing enough, she managed to sneak into my thoughts during business meetings, phone calls, and while I was inspecting the site of a new warehouse. No matter what I did today, she was there.

And now, I find myself standing in front ofmybedroom door, hesitating, one hand raised to fucking knock. Fuck this. I rip the door open, harder than I intended. My eyes sweep the room, sharp and searching, and land onher.

Scarlet sits on the bed, still too pale but looking stronger than before, her long hair loose around her shoulders. And beside her?—

Doc.

The old bastard is perched on the edge of my fucking bed, ready to remove Scarlet's IV. He doesn’t even look up when I step inside. Scarlet, however, does. Her head snaps toward me, and her blue eyes widen, but not in fear—with something else. Something that makes my pulse kick up a notch. Before I can say a word, the old coot beats me to it.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up,” Doc mutters dryly. “Thought maybe you got yourself kidnapped, too.”

I exhale slowly, shutting the door behind me. “Doc.”

I take in the way she sits upright now, watching me, instead of avoiding my gaze—the way my shirt drapes over her frame, too big and looking too damn good on her. I should say something. Instead, I glare at Doc. “You done?”

“Almost,” he drawls. “I know you’ve had a long, hard day of being scary and brooding.”

Scarlet lets out a small, choked laugh before biting her lip, attracting my gaze straight to her mouth, and I immediately regret it. Those lips. Fuck. I can already see them wrapped around my dick, sucking.

With effort, I force my eyes back to Doc. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I say flatly.

“Immensely.”

I clench my jaw. “Hurry up.”

Doc rolls his eyes. “Jesus, you’re impatient. Maybe if you spent more time here, you wouldn’t be hovering like a goddamn mother hen.”

I narrow my eyes. “You done?”

“For real this time?” He yanks the IV out in one smooth motion. Scarlet winces. It’s a small sound, barely anything at all, but it pisses me off anyway. I tense.

Doc, oblivious to the danger he's in, waves the IV in the air like it’s a trophy. “There. You happy, Don Cranky-Pants?”

Scarlet actually laughs. It’s soft and unexpected, and it does something to me. Something I don’t fucking like. Still, it's enough to extend Doc’s life for a while—if he's done pissing me off, that is. I like the sound of her laughter. He stands, grabs his bag, and smirks at me. “Try not to scare the poor girl while I’m gone, alright? She’s been through enough without you growling at her.”

I cross my arms. “Good night.”

He chuckles and then puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's always good to see you, Toni."

He eyes me, like he’s trying to decide whether or not he can get away with mouthing off one more time. He decides yes. “You know,” he muses, lowering his voice, “you got a real problem, kid.”

I arch a brow. “Oh?”

He grins. “She’s in your bed.”