Page 72 of The Deception You Weave

"At times, but I've left most of it behind. Let's just say that my quest to get here involved more bloodshed than necessary."

"Fucking hell." She scrubs her hand down her face. "You're better than him, than them. You know that, right?"

"I'm a Creek kid, Letty. It doesn't get any better than this, you know that."

"No," she spits. "That's bullshit and you know it. You've got a one-way ticket to the NFL if you want it. If you don't squander this opportunity. You need to walk away from all that, focus on what's important."

"And what if I can't?" I ask, knowing that it's impossible to just walk away from Victor Harris and the Hawks, especially after being in as deep as I have been. I've been party to deals, battles, murders, and extortion that most members would never be because of my connection with the Harris kids. You don't get to walk away when you've got that kind of information.

She shrugs. "It's your life, not mine, Kane. I'm just telling you what I think."

When I don't respond, she reaches for the handle once more and this time, I don't stop her.

"I guess I'll see you around," she mutters. "Thank you for looking after me."

The door slams and she's gone before I get to respond.

"You're welcome," I mutter into the silence of my car as I watch her walk away.

My fingers tighten on the wheel with my need to go and watch her, and the second she disappears around the building, I lose my fight and climb out of the car.

I stay back, standing in the exact same place I did the night I watched her from her window as she disappears inside the building.

I know I should move and go back to my car. She's going to have some explaining to do to her roommates, so it's not like she's going to appear in her room anytime soon.

But knowing all that still doesn't make me move and I stand exactly where I am, waiting. Waiting to know she's back in her room and that someone wasn't waiting for her on the stairs.

Pulling my cell from my pocket, I hit call on Reid's contact.

He doesn't answer right away, and when he does, his panting breaths are loud in my ear.

"You in the middle of fucking some ass?" I ask.

"Um… yeah, something like that," he mutters. "What do you need?"

"Is Victor done with Scarlett?"

"As far as I know, yeah.”

“And what happened to her dad?"

"Sent back to work with a very painful warning."

"Okay good. If he touches her again, I'll—"

"He won't," Reid assures me and I instantly relax. If there's one person I trust completely in this world, it's him.

"Okay."

The line goes dead before I get to say anything else. I lower my hand and look up to her window.

My breath catches at the sight of her standing there like a fucking angel with the light of her room bright behind her.

Our gaze holds for a few seconds before she disappears, allowing me to walk away knowing that she's safe. For now, at least.

14

Letty