Heartless Sinner (Empire of Sinners #5)

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Micah

The scent of Scarlett’s fear lingers in the air, thick and sweet like honey. It clings to me like my fascination with her.

Some sick part of me wants to breathe it in and taste the terror I inspire in her. To own it, just like I want to own her.

Twigs crunch beneath my boots as I make my way through the woods, heading back to where I parked my car.

This is the second night I’ve been out here.

Scarlett didn’t see me last night. There was one moment when I was looking right at her from the same spot I stood moments ago and I thought she saw me, but she didn’t.

The reaction I got just now was what I would have expected had she seen me.

She’d frozen at the window like a deer caught in headlights. Her skin turning as white as the whisps of a cloud, no longer sun-kissed and radiant.

She looked like a corpse and I thought she was going to faint.

As she trembled, I wanted to walk inside that room and mold my body to hers, burying myself deep inside her.

Fucking pathetic. I'm turning into everything I despise, letting this girl crawl under my skin like a disease.

I can’t explain my actions.

Part of me is sensibly watching the place because I want to see if the Nexxus guys make contact with Scarlett or her father. That’s a good reason to keep eyes on them, especially because I’ve gotten nowhere with my investigation. I’ve literally come up against the same wall that shut me down the first time I tried to track them.

But that doesn’t mean I have to personally watch Scarlett and her father myself.

The two guards I have on lookout are watching the house right now.

However, when they informed me that more of Anton Chekhov’s men had come by the house and fled when they made their presence known, I decided to come out myself.

That was last night. And earlier, I saw another guy who looked like a hitman.

He tried to sneak in the back and found me standing by the door. It happened before nightfall, so he saw my face and knew exactly who I was.

I only allowed him to escape to send a message.

So, I guess the other reason I’m here is because I did my own research on Anton Chekhov and found out he’s one seriously dangerous motherfucker.

He’s not more powerful than me. Nor is he more dangerous. But he’s the type of unhinged with resources and useful contacts that could give me a good fight.

At the moment, he’s still in Russia, waiting it out until he can return to the States without getting incarcerated for the numerous crimes the Feds think he’s responsible for. But men like him can pop up within a blink of an eye.

My intel suggests he’ll be back as soon as he can. He’s left men in charge to run his operation here while he’s away, but he’s still calling the shots.

The only reason he’s holding back is because he doesn’t want trouble with me or the Creed.

My best friend, Jaxon, is the Pakhan of the Vygotsky Bratva, who are part of the Creed, so I ran my checks on Anton through him. The warning was to watch myself with him.

Anton doesn’t have any claim to leadership in his brotherhood, but his uncle is highly influential with the leaders. That’s what gives him his power.

By day, Anton works under the facade of a respectable nightclub owner in Phoenix. By night, he’s a black-market weapons trader.

My guess is Scarlett got the daytime side of him. I doubt she discovered his true face until it was too late. But what do I know?

For all I know, she could be one of those girls who are attracted to danger.

Wasn’t she with me?

I’m probably the most dangerous person she’s ever met, and she trusted me enough to spend the night with me.

The crazy thing about this is, I shouldn’t give a fuck.

The shit with the Nexxus and the dynasty my father is so desperate to preserve is all I should care about. Instead, I'm out here in the darkness, watching a waitress like some lovesick teenager.

I let Scarlett and her father go. That’s unheard of for me. People who cross me the way they did either leave in body bags or pieces. Not intact with medical treatment. And they certainly don’t get my personal protection either.

Not they. Her.

It’s worrying me that I have to choose a wife in the next few days, but I can’t seem to bleed Scarlett James from my mind. I can’t get her out of my head.

The forest whispers around me as I approach my car. More dead leaves crunch beneath my boots and as I look back at Scarlett's house, all I can see is the outline mixed in with the shadowy trees.

When I slide into my car, my phone buzzes with a message.

It’s Brahm. The first message says.

Don’t tell me you’re at her house again.

I type back:

What do you want?

Brahm: Your father’s trying to reach you.

I sigh and rest my head on the head rest. I already know my father’s trying to reach me. I’ve just been dodging him.

Yesterday, I messaged, letting him know about the Nexxus and that I’d be staying in Colorado for the next few days to investigate. But I know he wants to talk about Eloise. I knew he wanted me at the fundraiser yesterday so I could get reacquainted with her. That’s the last thing I want to do.

Me: He wants to talk about Eloise. I don’t.

Brahm: Here’s a list of potential brides. Food for thought. You only have to be married for a year to claim the empire. So, pick a bride and suck it up for a year.

He follows that with a Dropbox link that takes me to a list of supermodel women who all have the same plastic picture-perfect look as Eloise.

Sure, they’re all beautiful, but none of them interest me. Not the way Scarlett James does.

I already know all the marriage clauses and terms and conditions. I just never thought I’d have to use them. At this rate and with time slipping away from me, I’ll probably have to take Brahm’s advice.

The blue dots on my phone start jumping, then another message comes through from Brahm.

As for Scarlett James, don't let her beauty blind you.

Beauty has nothing to do with it. But something I can’t put my finger on is at work on my mind and my dick.

Maybe I still think she’s mine. I don’t fucking know. All I know is I haven’t suddenly grown a heart for a beautiful face.

I type back : Thanks for the list. I’ll call my father so he can stop bothering you.

Brahm: Much appreciated. See you later.

With a rough sigh, I find my father’s number and call him. He answers on the first ring as if he was waiting for me.

“Micah, I’m growing impatient with you. I’ve been trying to reach you for the last two days.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“No one should be too busy to answer the phone to the boss. You are no exception. But you get away with too much because you are my son.”

“What’s going on? What is so urgent that it can’t wait until I get back?”

“I wanted to find out how things were going. Has anything more happened since yesterday?”

“Nothing more. I’m still investigating.” I didn’t tell him about Scarlett and her father. I’m keeping them under wraps for the moment. Brahm won’t say a word, either, unless I tell him to.

“How long are you planning to stay there?”

“A few more days.”

“Have you thought more about the wife situation?” His voice takes on a firm edge I don’t like. “I’m sure you’re aware you only have three more days.”

“I’m very aware, Papà. And you don’t have to worry about it.” Fuck, I sound so confident I believe my own words.

“Well, that sounds promising. However, in the event that you make it back by Thursday, I’m having Luis and his family over for dinner. Eloise will be there. Since you missed yesterday’s fundraiser, I thought it may give you another chance to get reacquainted with her.”

And there it is. Not even two minutes into the conversation and he had to find a way to slip in fucking Eloise.

“I’ve already told you what I think of her.”

“Getting reacquainted would not hurt you, mio figlio. Neither would considering her. Luis has just informed me of his expansion into the Middle East. He stands to make quite a good fortune. So, you and Eloise as a couple make even more sense to me.”

Frustration curdles my already heated blood. “You’re not going to let this idea go, are you?”

“Not until you’ve picked a wife and you’re taking your vows at the altar. Because Eloise is a good choice. As she’s only available for a month, I won’t stop pushing you toward her.”

“That is fucking ridiculous.”

“I’m afraid I don’t think so, son.”

“I’m going now.”

He starts to say something else, but I hang up. He’ll probably bitch at me about that, too, when next we speak, but I don’t care. He’s not going to force me anymore than he already has.

I just have to figure things out on my own without him breathing down my neck.

The situation with the hacker is more serious than finding a wife, but my father has pushed me to split my attention because he wants things a certain way.

I know what he’s like, so I’ll have to get married straightaway the moment I have a name.

I gun the engine and drive away.

As soon as I’m on the road, thoughts of Scarlett return to my mind.

I need to forget her. It’s just not easy.

I’m not doing myself any favors by hanging around.

I try to tell myself that the next morning as I park outside the diner she’s working in. There I realize I can’t leave her alone because I’ve gone from mildly fascinated to fucking obsessed.

If I wanted to help myself, I would have left her alone the moment I saw her sitting in the hotel bar in New York. I dug the hole for my resistance and shoved myself in it the instant I buried my cock deep inside her. I should have known there would be no coming back after that.

Apart from that, how the fuck can I leave her to the mercy of Anton Chekhov, the ex who wants her back?

As I watch her, I understand why he wants her.

He’s obsessed with her, too.

She said she didn’t know why she spent the night with me. That was a lie.

She chose to be with me because she wanted me as badly as I wanted her.

As I stare at her cleaning the tables with that angst-filled look on her face, a farfetched idea forms in my head.

One I know I’ll pay for later, but I’m going to do it anyway.