Page 60 of Property of Scythe

“Good. This might work then.” He slaps me on the back. Hard. “Get her inside. She’s bleeding.”

“I was on my way when you stopped us.”

He waves me off. Uh-huh.

I stride toward Lottie and thread our fingers. “I need to take care of my fearless woman,” I announce.

Emma nods.

“You okay?” I ask, knowing she went through hell tonight.

“I am, or I will be.”

“Let us know if you need anything. The club is here for you. So am I.”

“I know, Scythe. Thanks.”

Inside, I prop Lottie on the sink in the bathroom and fish out the first aid kit. With utmost care, I clean her scratches and scrapes, applying ointment and noting none of them are deep. She’ll heal quickly.

As I press a band-aid over her arm, I look into her pretty green eyes. “So. The scissors. What’s the deal?”

“I needed a weapon,” she explains.

“But scissors?”

“Hey, all the knives were gone. I had to improvise.”

“Hey, I’m not judging,” I promise. “Just keep your distance with kitchen shears.”

She giggles. “Hey, where’s Boomer? I never saw him.”

“Trying to find the killer with a scarecrow.”

She gives me a playful shove. “You already foundanddefeated him.”

“True.”

“Does Boomer know that?”

“He does. Sort of.”

“You’re a terrible brother.”

That makes me laugh. “I’m just getting him back for being a dick.”

“I don’t want to know the details. Keep that sibling rivalry stuff away from me,” she laughs.

No problem.

“We need a shower. Come on.”

I carry her from the lower-level bathroom because we need privacy, up to our room on the third level. I kick the door shut behind us and set her down outside the stall, letting her feet land on the plush rug. She starts undressing as I turn on the water and adjust the temperature. Once we’re both naked, I take her hand and bring her in with me.

The rainfall showerhead drops warm water onto us as we enter. Lottie begins washing her hair as I soap up with an agenda on my mind. I want us to be clean as fast as possible because there’s something I need to tell her.

As soon as she rinses the soap from her skin, I bring her close and lower my forehead to hers. For a few seconds, I just breathe.

“I knew you were moving to Raven’s Crest before you ever arrived. Call it intuition or whatever you want, but I knew you would come and you’d need me.”