Page 138 of Carved Obsession

Frowning, I sift through my brain for any indication in my previous research that this man ever did drugs. Or hard drugs, anyway.

“I don’t remember finding any clue that he was any sort of addict.”

“He wasn’t,” Carter answers with an amused expression. “I’m almost one hundred percent sure his father killed him and paid the right people off to rule it an overdose. This is revenge.”

“Because of your attack on him, you think?”

“Well, he certainly found out there was a spy with nefarious intentions in his midst. He probably pieced together who it was all on his own.”

I slide off of his lap, and he rises and walks over to his antique wood-carved wardrobe to dress. Such a shame to cover that tattooed ass and exquisite legs.

“He killed his own son...” I trail off, wondering what’s to come now. If Duval is capable of that, he’ll be capable of anything.

“We’re going to Midnight. You and Morrigan, who’s already there, will go with some of our security to meet Vincent’s mother, Evelyn, and Maya. The guys and I will take our teams and get ready for Duval.”

“No!” I rise to my knees at the edge of the bed, blood boiling at the idea. “Why are you separating us and sending me off with the women like I’m some chick who can’t hold her own?”

He walks over, still towering over me as he stands at the edge of the bed. “You’re not coming with us, Scarlet. That’s out of the fucking question.”

“But I can—”

His hand grips my throat, firm but careful. His other hand presses against my back, holding me close. “I know you’re strong, but even I’m not sure what we’ll be dealing with. I am not, under any circumstances, risking your goddamn safety, Scarlet.”

His gaze bores into me, filled with raw sentiments I bet my ass he doesn’t understand, but they fucking shine in his eyes.

“Do you understand me? You are important, Scarlet.”

Those words echo through me, a rippling effect that caresses my soul, pulsing behind my ribs.

Eventually, I nod. How could I not when he speaks such things to me?

“Good. Now let’s get your clothes from the dryer. We really need to go.” He presses a final kiss to my lips and gives my throat a playful squeeze before he steps away.

Carter

Finnigan walks into the speakeasy only a couple of minutes after Scarlet and I arrive, bringing with him the last of the team leaders we’re debriefing before we go into both defense and attack mode.

“Tina said there’s no sign of the mercenaries.” I waste no time revealing the tech team’s findings. “There weren’t a lot of them in the company, but the leftovers being MIA is not a good sign.”

“Duval has also gone into hiding. He’s not at home or any of his usual locations, and we can’t track him down,” Beau, one of our team leaders, says.

“Something’s happening. It’s too quiet.” Finnigan runs a hand through his blond curls, worry etched deeply in his features.

“It’s time to go. Beau, take your team and get Morrigan and Scarlet to safety. Maddox, I think—”

The rest of my sentence evaporates in deafening chaos.

The floor bucks under my feet. The walls tremble like they’re ready to collapse. Heat slams an invisible fist into me as the air fills with smoke so thick it burns my throat.

“Scarlet!” I scream as I find her through the haze.

She stumbles, and I don’t think—

I grab her waist and yank her behind me as wood splinters and plaster explodes above us. My pulse is a roar in my ears, but I force myself to focus, to think.

“The alarms!” someone screams over the commotion.

I scramble to pull out my phone.