Page 65 of No Longer Mine (Rags & Riches #2)

Chapter Fifty-Four

Scarlett

Dimitri opted to stay back. Don picked him up in the SUV while I caught the subway to go meet Oliver, much to Don and Dimitri’s discouragement.

There was nothing wrong with me continuing to take public transportation.

I enjoyed people-watching when I was out and about.

I liked blending in with others. I didn’t want to constantly live my life in the backseat of someone else’s car.

Dimitri’s team was pushing for him to attend a benefit at The Met so he could continue to rub elbows with the city’s most elite.

He wanted me to go with him, but I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea.

After all, he did say he wanted to protect me but then again…

I had pushed for him to not hide me. But at The Met?

That seemed like a huge splash. The paparazzi would eat it up, and as much as I thought I was ready for it…

I now wasn’t so sure as I sat alone with my thoughts.

Obviously, I wanted to be seen with the most eligible bachelor of the city and make sure everyone knew he was taken… But with that came the inevitable spotlight and I thought I’d been ready… I really had.

But instead of telling Dimitri all of this, I merely smiled and told him that I would have to pick up a dress on my way back home, and the last thing I wanted to do was drag him and Don all throughout Manhattan.

I also didn’t know if it was the right move for us to show up together, so I insisted that I meet up with him there.

It would take him off the market but maybe not shine such a bright light on me. At least that was what I told myself.

I got off of the subway and headed toward the safe house. It was the only place Oliver ever felt safe meeting about business. The door automatically opened when I got to the safe house. It was brand new and didn’t look like Dimitri had kicked it in just a few months prior.

Oliver was seated at the kitchen table in the middle of the room. Monitors surrounded him at every angle, as well as three different keyboards. I didn’t know what they did differently, but I knew Oliver was particular.

He tapped a few keys, and the wall of monitors behind him flickered to life.

Surveillance footage, city schematics, encrypted files…

All of it shifting in an endless stream of controlled chaos.

This was where Oliver thrived—deep in the weeds of secrets and shadows.

He picked up his glasses off the table and placed them on his nose.

“Alright, what do you need to tell me that one couldn’t wait and two needed to be spoken about in person.”

He punched a key on one of the boards and an image flickered onto one of the monitors. I frowned as I stepped closer to get a better look. It was… Vanewood?

“What am I looking at, Ollie?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Someone burned Vanewood to the ground.”

“What?” That couldn’t be right. No one else hated that place as much as I did. But also, it technically belonged to me. “When?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. A few weeks ago, I guess.”

It hadn’t been that long since I’d been there last. I chewed on my thumbnail as I thought it over. Who would do that?

I blinked, and my voice came out a whisper. “Dimitri.”

I stared at the screen, barely hearing Oliver’s voice as he explained the satellite timestamps, the forensic heat readings, and the theory that it had been burned from the inside out. It didn’t feel like victory. It didn’t feel like closure. It felt like the ground was shifting beneath me again.

Oliver paused, his fingers hovering over the keys, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to confirm the thought blooming in my head.

“You think he did it?” he asked carefully.

I didn’t answer right away. My heart was a dull thud against my ribs, too loud in the silence between us. “I told him everything, Oliver. I told him about what happened there. What they did to me.” My gaze was glued to the flickering screen.

Oliver nodded as he watched the screen with me. “Seems about right. He cares about you. Maybe he was worried someone else would find out your secrets there.”

I nodded my head, but I was still unsure of how to feel. What did this mean? Was he simply trying to protect me?

“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, when were you going to tell me you got shot?” His gaze cut to me. “And why doesn’t your name show up on any hospital records?”

I winced. “I didn’t go to the hospital.”

“Obviously,” he scoffed. “So how did you take care of a bullet wound?”

I licked my now dry lips. “Dimitri called in his grandmother to help me.”

He braced his hands behind his head and let out a deep breath. “Shit. Are you going to take this public or what? Seems rather serious. Does he know you’ve been targeting his father?”

I nodded my head. “He knows everything.”

Oliver let out a whistle. “Shit, this is serious.”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know about that.”

“He answered your burner phone, I think that’s pretty serious, Red.”

I looked down at my lap, at a scar peeking from the edge of my sleeve. “Do you think it’s a mistake?”

Oliver was quiet for a beat, then shook his head. “No, but I do think it’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done.”

We both knew he didn’t mean physically dangerous. He meant emotionally. Strategically. Dimitri was tied to the man we were trying to destroy. Even though Dimitri wanted to destroy him too… It was slippery.

“I’m going to The Met,” I said, finally. “Tonight.”

Oliver’s brows lifted. “That’s a hell of a way to go public.”

“I pushed for it,” I admitted. “Told him I didn’t want to be hidden.”

He nodded slowly. “Then I guess it’s time for the city to meet its new power couple.”

I gave him a flat look. “Don’t start.”

“I’m just saying,” he shrugged with a crooked grin, “Dimitri and Scarlett, has a ring to it.”

My heart stuttered, but I didn’t let it show. I simply stood and grabbed my coat.

“Text me when you get there,” Oliver called after me. “And maybe don’t bring any burner phones this time. You’ve got a date with destiny.”

I rolled my eyes as the door clicked shut behind me.

I walked out to the cold street and rubbed my hands together in front of me.

I couldn’t believe I was doing this. I couldn’t believe I was going to actually put a willing spotlight on myself.

I grinned as I pulled my phone out of my coat to call for an Uber.

The Uber dropped me off about five minutes from the Subway, just as I liked it. The chill in the air felt good, and I took a deep breath. I was going to need a dress. I had plenty, of course, but this time I needed something different. I needed something new.

A show stopper.

There were a few places in the city that could get me something today. I didn’t know how much I trusted them as I hadn’t done anything this last minute, but it didn’t matter. If they didn’t have something, I had a few dresses that hadn’t seen much action that still looked incredible on me.

I was too busy thinking about the individual shops I would go to that I didn’t notice the man on my heels until it was too late.

The hand closed over my mouth while his arm wrapped around my waist. Instincts kicked in, and I bit down, but it did no good; his hands were covered in thick gloves.

I wrenched my elbow back and caught him right in the gut.

He didn’t release me. I slammed my foot down on his shoe, but it didn’t do me any good either, as his boots were either just thick or steel-toed.

The more I fought, the tighter his grip became.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I twisted hard, trying to drop my weight as I’d been taught.

I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to be taken off guard like this.

I was a better than good fighter. But the man was bigger than me.

He dragged me into the alleyway and slammed me against the wall.

I reared my head back to try to head butt him but he saw it coming.

“What the fuck is taking so long?” Another voice said.

I started screaming against the hand wrapped around my mouth and tried to fight harder, but it was no use because the other voice was an accomplice.

“She’s a lot stronger than she looks,” the man grunted as he lifted me off of my feet. I wiggled and kicked, but it was no use.

“Fucking knock her out already.”

My squirming became more panicked as tears filled my eyes and anger burned through my body.

I wasn’t going to let these men take me.

I would die fighting them off if I had to.

But as soon as the man let me go, the other one stepped forward and wrapped a rag under the bottom of my face.

A sickly sweet smell met my nose, and I knew exactly what it was.

Chloroform.

Panic ignited like wildfire in my chest. The scent was deceptively soft—sweet, almost fruity—but my body recognized the danger before my mind could fully process it. I thrashed harder, adrenaline screaming through my veins as I tried to wrench away.

“Hold her still,” the first one snapped.

“No—no—” I tried to scream, but the rag cut it off, smothering the sound in my throat. I held my breath, jerking my head back and forth. I couldn’t let it take hold. I couldn’t lose consciousness.

But they were strong and coordinated.

I kicked, clawed, bit—but everything was starting to slow. My limbs were getting heavier. The edges of my vision blurred like someone was dimming the lights. My knees buckled, and one of them caught me mid-collapse. I was slipping.

I thought of Dimitri. I thought of the chessboard. I thought of everything happy he’d given me in such a short time… and then darkness enveloped me.