Page 103 of Scarred Heir

“From where I’m standing, it looks like you, Chance, and Bello were in on this from the beginning.”

“You’re confused.” That had to be it. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Don’t gaslight me.”

“You think Chance sold drugs in your club in order for us to meet? Do you think I was playing you the night I came to you and begged you for help? There’s no way we could have made all of that fall into place.”

“Your brother is too stupid to be the mastermind of any of this. Bello isn’t that much smarter, but it isn’t a stretch to think that he put you in my path to gain information.”

I moved toward Milo, but his agitated voice stopped me from coming closer.

“Don’t,” he said. “I’m too angry for you to be near me.”

“You would never hurt me.”

Not even the untamed glint in his eyes could make me doubt that he would lash out at me. Uncertainty surrounded me most of my life, but if there was one person I could trust, it was Milo.

“I never thought you would hurt me, but here we are.”

“I didn’t betray you.” I ran my hand through my wild curls, desperate to get him to listen to me. “When I left your office, Chance grabbed me and threw me into your car. I didn’t have any intention of leaving the dealership, but he was terrified over what he had done and he kept saying we had to run.”

“Did it occur to you to call me? I would have intercepted you before you got to the tunnel.”

“And what would you have done with my brother? You made it clear in your office what would happen if you confirmed what he did.”

Could I talk a killer out of doing what he did best?

“Once he explained to me what he had done, I knew I couldn’t call you.” I sat on the stone hearth, absorbing the heat from what was left of the smoldering fire. “When we got here, I didn’t have any cell service. Chance insisted he had to take the SUV away from here. I didn’t want him to leave, but he couldn’t be reasoned with.”

“You don’t know where he is?” Milo glanced around the cabin. “He left you here in the middle of nowhere. Do you know how dangerous that is? What if Bello showed up or another one of my enemies?”

“I wasn’t thinking about that, I just wanted to…”

“Protect Chance.” He picked up his wrinkled shirt and shook it out before putting it on. The bloodstains from his head had turned brown on his usually crisp collar. “I don’t know why I’m surprised.”

“He’s scared. He’s not thinking, so I have to fix this for him.”

“How are you going to do that?” He stood in front of me, his chest heaving and every muscle in his glorious body stretched against his olive skin. “The last time you tried to save him, you came to me. What are you going to do now?”

“Before you got here, I was going to help him run, and then I was going to come back to you because I did choose you. As much as it would have broken my heart, I was going to let Chance go. That’s the only way he’s going to grow up. You were right this whole time. I can’t keep saving him.”

“You don’t even believe what you’re saying.” He crouched down in front of me. “How am I supposed to?”

“I wanted him to have a fresh start.”

“How were you going to give that to him?”

“I…” Glancing down at my bracelet, a pang of guilt settled inside my soul. “I was going to figure it out.”

“As long as Chance keeps screwing up, you’re going to bail him out.” Milo closed his eyes and shook his head. “He is a detriment to me and my family. I’ve spared him for you, but I can’t keep doing that.”

“How am I supposed to respond when you threaten to murder my brother?” There had to be a way out of this. “Would you stand by and let someone threaten Marchello?”

“That’s not the same.” When he stood from the floor, his unsteady footing caused him to stumble forward.

“He’s your brother and you wouldn’t want to see someone kill him.”

“I’d kill them first.” He pressed his hand against the fireplace. “This is different.”