“No.”
“He’s right,” Dominic said through a yawn. “She needs out of here before something worse happens. We can’t risk it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”
“You won’t get that option if she’s dead. That attempt was meant to end her life, and it failed by luck. They will be back, and with a vengeance, Peyton. You know what our only option is,” Ace said, his voice hard.
“What’s going on?” I muttered.
“Trying to figure out what to do with you,” Dominic said. He was sitting right beside me, his hand holding mine. I lifted my head to glance at him, and he looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all. “Your return has caused a few enemies to stick their noses up and out of hiding.”
I yawned. “Just let them have me, then.”
“Fuck no!” Dominic shouted, causing the argument in the hallway to stop instantly and my eyes to widen. “I will not let you die, Scarlett. You should know that by now. None of us will let that ever happen, ever. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“But it’d be easier.” My words caught in my throat as his eyes threatened to kill the entire world just to keep me alive.
“Scarlett,” Dominic said, lowering his voice. “You are worth every struggle, every breath, every heartbeat. You are part of this family, just like I am. Even if you don’t want to be. We watch each other’s backs. Now is no different. None of us will ever just let a family member walk out of this group with their hands up in surrender. You may be ready to die, but none of us are ready to let you go. Least of all me.”
The last four words were spoken so brokenly, so quietly, I wasn’t even sure he meant to say them.
“She’ll be relocated. Tonight,” Ace said. “Get your things ready. Collin, you will be going with her.”
“Pops,” Peyton butted in.
“You will be staying here, Peyton. Zevon and Dominic will keep her protected. The others will go to the normal safe house.”
“Yes, sir,” Peyton muttered, dejected.
“Start getting things ready,” he said, a clear demand not to be ignored. A moment later, Ace came into the room, giving me a once over. “I need to talk to her. Alone.”
“I’ll be back soon,” Dominic said, squeezing my hand before getting off the bed. Zevon followed.
“We’ll be just out here.”
Slowly, I pushed myself up to sit. Each movement shot a spike of pain to my side and lower stomach. I clenched my eyes tight, breathing through it. I’d been through worse.
“How are you feeling?” Ace asked, taking a stand at the end of the bed.
“Alive,” I said. Not what I wanted, but it was what it was, I guess.
“That you certainly are,” he said. “I know you’re confused about who we are exactly, and why you’re so important. I wish I had more time to answer things, but now really isn’t the time to go into full detail. I’ll clear it with your two bodyguards that they can answer any questions. In less than six hours, you will be leaving here with three men to a remote house a few hours away. You should be safe there, but there is no guarantee. There is a backup plan if it fails. And another plan after that.
“You will be well taken care of. I’d advise you to take this time to come to terms with the life you will be in. We won’t let you suffer anymore. You are strong despite the hand you’ve been dealt, nipotina. I can’t say how sorry I am for how much trouble I’ve put you in. If I could go back and do things differently, I would.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to process what he said. My brain was fuzzy.
“Dominic told you that you were pregnant.” He waited till I gave a short nod. “I should have told you myself, but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if it would even survive with how weak you were when we found you, and everything after that. I was letting nature take its course. After…the assault, you have officially lost the fetus.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. To anything, really. I wasn’t upset that the thing didn’t live, because I wasn’t ready to deal with a child that way. I never wanted to have kids after the way I was raised. But, I somehow found myself slightly disappointed.
“Now, while you get cleaned up and changed into something a bit better for traveling, I’ll have the boys get the car loaded. Is there anything that you want to take with you?”
I shook my head.
“Okay. Hannah wants to see you before you leave. Is it okay if she helps you?”
“Sure.” My one word answer was weak, even to my own ears.
