Page 51 of Carved Obsession (The Sanctum Syndicate #4)

She wraps her hands around his throat, the muscles in her slender arms showing just how powerful she built herself to be as she holds the flailing man down.

“Carter,” she says through gritted teeth, and I’m right there, hand gently gripping her shoulder. “Take me away before I kill him.”

Bending down, I wrap my hands under her armpits, and with some resistance, I lift her off of him, bringing her to my chest as I step away. She circles my waist and looks up at me with a chaste smile that seems both victorious and defeated.

“Thank you for not stopping me,” she says.

I wanted to. A primal need, which lay dormant within me until I met her, urged me to protect her. To keep her away from harm. But logic sneaked through. Scarlet is who she is because of the strength she honed all on her own. I won’t treat her like a damsel in distress. Not unless she wants me to.

I plant a kiss on her forehead before turning to Alvaro Camora.

He steps forward as his brother peels himself off the ground. “You’ve been busy, brother. Stealing from the family business to feed your own addiction. More than one, considering how you look.”

“It’s not like that,” Bernard says. “It’s fine. I can pay it all back and—”

“And our reputation? The people you owe money to know you’re a Camora. What a fucking disgrace you turn us into when we’re trying to honor Dad’s legacy! Build up the business he left us!” With each sentence, Alvaro’s tone grows louder, anger streaming through the vowels.

“It’s my business too. I can still—”

“He’s turning in his fucking grave!” The gravelly rage falls silent in the next moment as Alvaro pulls out his gun, and on a shattering pop, a bullet splits his brother’s skull.

“Nooo!” Scarlet rips out of my hold, hands pressed against her temples as she rushes toward her ex’s body.

Her screams are agonizing, her reaction tearing at the muscle hidden behind my ribs that, until now, I thought was only there to pump blood through my body.

But fuck, it hurts as it fills me with new and unwelcome sentiments. My chest aches, pressure building within it as my stomach hollows.

Was I that utterly wrong about her?

I can’t fucking move. I can’t breathe.

“He was an asshole, Scarlet. You know that,” Alvaro says, attempting to calm her.

“I fucking know that!” she shrieks, the words soothing something within me. “I’m crying because now I can’t get a fucking divorce! Not with this motherfucker six feet under in an unmarked grave! What the hell do I do? I have to wait years until we can declare him missing or some shit.”

My fucking Scarlet! My unhinged kitten.

I’m on her before she’s finished her rant, one hand on the back of her neck as I yank her into an all-consuming kiss. My lips crash onto hers, tongue forcing its way inside her sweet mouth, devouring her essence like it’s my life force. And goddamn it, it is.

The sheer relief washes over me like a warm summer storm.

“I’ll get you divorced by the end of the week, kitten,” I promise her as I reluctantly break away from her soft lips.

Her gaze widens, happiness exploding like fireworks in her coffee-colored eyes. “Really?”

“You have my word. Having a judge in our pocket pays off.”

“Fuck yeah! Oh my god, I fucking lo—” She halts the rest of the sentence, eyes bulging, mouth still open as her creamy cheeks turn lobster red.

She wasn’t about to say what I think she was about to say. Was she?

That word has floated around me my whole life. An odd word that can only make sense along with the associated sentiment. A sentiment I could never understand. Not when it turned people into irrational, mad, blind fools who forget themselves and instead live for someone else.

I could never understand why people yearn so deeply to hear those words aimed at them.

Yet, as I stare into Scarlet’s eyes, I see a future that was never in the books for me before, and I can’t help but be curious how that word would land if spoken to me.

She clears her throat and takes a step back, turning to Alvaro. “Why did you kill him? He’s your brother.”

The man shrugs. “This way, the business is split in two, not three, and a thief is out.”

“That simple?” I ask.

“Yes. He was dead weight. No pun intended.” He snickers.

“He’s been causing nothing but trouble, and we had a feeling he’s been doing something shifty on the side.

I guess it’s time to rehire the accountant we fired.

I’m thinking the three of us can do it all ourselves.

Maybe it’s our own fault. But, anyway, you’re free, Scarlet. ”

“What about Ariana?” she asks.

“Yeah, she’ll be a tough one. But we’ll spin the gambling debt around and tell her he skipped town. Took a boat out and fled the continent.”

“I still need to go to his house tonight. He stole something from me, and I need it back. Ariana will know of it too. I can’t risk it,” Scarlet says.

“Go, then. Just make it look like an ambush or something. She’ll fold fast. I mean...you already know the woman.” Alvaro shrugs.

“Do we have to make sure you’ll tell your brother the truth about who killed Bernard?” I ask, itching to end this conversation and leave. “Because if you dare blame it on Scarlet or us, we’ll be back, and the Camoras will be nothing but a word in the wind.”

“Um, no. You’re good.” The man twitches.

“Good.” I wrap my arm around Scarlet’s back, pulling her attention to me. “Let’s take you home.”

“Ariana first!” she squeaks.

“Of course, love.”

She smiles as I guide her out of the cabin. Everyone follows as we head back to our cars.

The things I’ll do to this woman once I get her in my fucking house. She’ll have me imprinted on her body for eternity.