“He was with Scarlett,” Zevon said. “He was showing her pictures.”
“She was looking at them, so I told her who they were! Geez. If you all would stop walking on ice around her, maybe she’d be more open to you all!”
“Do not raise your voice to me,” Ace growled, his voice lowering.
My chest tightened.
“Sorry, sir,” Dominic gritted out.
“Both of you go get some air. We’ll talk about it later,” Ace said firmly.
“I’m going out,” Dominic said.
“Be back for dinner,” Ace called. I didn’t hear a reply as I escaped into the dark closet and found the farthest corner to hide in.
My breath hurt with each inhale. My head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. My body was tight, waiting for more yelling.
I covered my ears with my hands, rocking back and forth as tears came without my consent.
I don’t know how long I was in the dark before the light was flickered on, blinding me. I still rocked back and forth, not able to stop as panic and fear consumed me.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Collin said. “I’m going to have to give you something to calm you down, okay?”
“Can’t breathe,” I panted, my voice a tiny whisper.
“Okay. You’re okay,” Collin said, moving closer with each word. I felt his hand on my neck before a needle was poked in.
Iwas weightless when I opened my eyes sometime later. I had no clue how much time I’d missed, nor did I care. I was just here, floating, between being awake and asleep. Sleep was calling me, coaxing me to come to it, and I desperately wanted to sleep. Sleep made time pass from the lonely hours.
Being awake meant I had to face reality, which I wasn’t ready to do. I didn’t want to think about the possibility that my life wasn’t what it seemed. Had I really been kidnaped when I was just a kid?
Then, there was the fact that my mom was just down the stairs. So close, yet so far away. I craved her loving arms to wrap around me, washing away all my worries.
“It’s too soon to say,” Collin said, his voice low. “But if I had known, I wouldn’t have given her what I did.”
“How many weeks?” That was Ace, sounding defeated and more unsure than ever.
“I’d say at least three weeks, the same time she’s been here,” Collin said. “I really hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”
“Shit!” Ace hissed. “What do we need to do?”
“Tell her,” Zevon said, he sounded like he was farther away. “It’s her body, her choice.”
“She can’t tell us anything!” Collin shouted. I jerked wide-awake.
“Great going there,” Ace said before telling both of the men to leave the room.
I pushed myself up so I was sitting, the blanket covering my lap. My head thunked against the headboard, and I didn’t have enough energy to lift it back up.
“It has come to my attention that you may want to have control over your life, or at least some aspects,” Ace said, taking a seat at the side of the bed. He was much closer than he’d been before. My first reaction was to panic, but whatever meds had been pushed into my body kept me calm.
I looked over at him, fighting to keep my eyes open.
“You have options,” he went on. “You don’t have to stay here, if you don’t want to. If you want to go with Caesar and his family, you may. Their house is quieter, and it may be more comfortable to you. I think you should stay here, as does Collin.“
I didn’t want to do either. I didn’t know what I wanted, as long as I never went back to Alan. I slumped down, letting the bed hide me away.
“I guess you’ll stay here, then,” Ace said. “Unless you tell me otherwise. This will be your home. I want you comfortable, Scarlett. And safe.” He paused. “Now, I do want you to try something for me. You won’t talk, and I don’t want to push you. But I need something. Anything.” He put a pen and notebook paper on the bed in front of me from a bag that had been sitting on the floor next to him.
