Heartless Sinner (Empire of Sinners #5)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Scarlett

My heart beats an unsteady rhythm against my ribs as I wipe down another sticky table, each thud a countdown I can't escape.

Sweat trickles down my spine despite the diner's air conditioning, and my fingers tremble against the damp rag. I’ve had that inner tremor since yesterday, and I can’t switch it off—one more thing I can’t control.

I just have to keep going and ignore it. Today is a big day, so I have to take one step at a time.

The morning rush left behind a graveyard of coffee cups and syrup-smeared plates, evidence of a normal life I'll never have again. My hands move on autopilot while my mind races with thoughts of what-ifs and maybes, each one centered around Micah Delarosa.

Seeing him in the woods last night burns my mind every time I blink.

The ember glow from the butt of his cigarette painted his face in malice, marking him as the devil he is.

Why was he watching me?

What use does he have for me?

I keep wondering if maybe he didn’t believe me about the chip and if he still has reservations about me.

While it makes sense to keep an eye on us, watching me the way he was doesn’t.

Not knowing what his intentions are weighs on my shoulders like chains, along with the six hours of work I’ve already finished.

It’s barely eleven.

My day began at the Civic Center with my cleaning job. I had to be there for four a.m. I did my time there, then I came here. I have to work until seven tonight to receive the full pay.

The only good thing that will come from working so damn hard is that I’ll have the thousand dollars I wanted by the end of the day.

I had to lie about Dad's medical bills to get the money early—one more sin to add to my growing collection. But lies are better than bullets and better than watching Dad take another beating.

I’ve decided I’m not leaving him behind to fend for himself. There’s absolutely no way I’m doing that.

I’ll give him most of the money Lucy sends over when it comes through tonight and take him to a Best Western when I’m enroute to Louisiana.

I’ll do whatever I can to make sure he’s safe before I vanish and leave my life here behind.

God …I haven’t really thought about those parts. It’s sad that I set out to get my life back on track at the beginning of the year only to end up like this.

I’ve always thought of Colorado as my home. Even when I moved away for college and when I lived in Phoenix while I was working on the set of All My Years.

Phoenix was where I met Anton. The cast had gone to his club for a night out.

I met him and he reeled me in straightaway. And I loved that he had a home in Denver. Such wasted time. Time I will never get back.

I shove the thoughts away. I can’t afford to wallow in my sorrows. Everything I do next will be about survival.

At the moment, I don’t know who to fear more—Micah or Anton.

I don’t know what game either of them is playing—especially Micah.

My only hope is that his presence continues to keep Anton's wolves at bay for another day. The irony of depending on one monster to protect me from another hasn’t escaped me.

The bell above the door chimes, and my shoulders bunch before I recognize Mrs. Henderson's familiar shuffle.

Still, my eyes betray me, darting to the glass windows, scanning the parking lot for a black Mercedes or unmarked vans. Looking for the men who want to own me.

Just get through the day, Scarlett. Just get through the day.

The words echo in my head, hollow as a promise in the dark. My reflection in the chrome napkin dispenser looks like a ghost—pale, haunted, already half-gone.

It doesn’t matter. I can fix myself with a good night’s sleep when this is over. Right now, I have to focus.

But focusing feels impossible at the moment when every shadow could be Micah and every stranger could be one of Anton's men.

The truth is, I don't know if there's anywhere far enough to run from men like them.

The bell above the door chimes again. I instinctively look up and this time, I realize I was oh-so right to be paranoid because Micah Delarosa is walking through the door.

Dressed in full black, he looks like the prince of darkness manifesting from my nightmares. But as our eyes lock, my damn body betrays me again and heat spirals deep in my core.

I straighten so fast my spine cracks, every nerve in my body freezing.

I clutch the wet rag to my chest like a shield, even though it soaks through my cheap polyester uniform.

People's heads turn like dominos falling, drawn to him like moths to deadly flame. Of course, they would be drawn to him. Micah Delarosa can command the attention of a room without trying.

He’s power wrapped in a Kiton suit with that daunting presence and a devil-may-care swagger. Everything about him speaks of a man who takes what he wants.

But he doesn't belong here. There shouldn’t be anything in this dive that he wants.

His world is penthouses, private yachts, and country clubs. Not here among the cracked vinyl booths and coffee-stained menus. Yet here he is, invading my sphere of existence again.

When Micah walks right up to me, my nerves spike with tension, making me feel like I may snap into several pieces.

“Morning, bellezza,” he says in that easy, laidback tone that feels wrong given what’s happened over the last few days.

“What are you doing here?” My voice is child-soft and church-silent.

“Is that what you say to a friend who’s let you off the hook? I assure you, not many people get such chances from me.” His eyes flicker with interest. It brightens the hazel hue in the sunlight.

“ Friend ?” I raise my brows and stare back at him, trying to figure him out.

“You’re right. We’re not friends. I don’t want to be your friend.”

“What do you want from me?” My lungs are so tight I can hardly breathe. It doesn’t help that he’s standing so close.

“Why don’t we go and sit and talk about that?”

“You want to talk to me?”

“Yes.” Holding my gaze, he leans in and pulls the rag from my grasp.

I catch the scent of his woodland musk and recognize it as some Tom Ford fragrance. It’s a juxtaposition to my greasy burger and cheap coffee smell.

My mind is so fractured with worry, exhaustion, and fear, I can’t even be embarrassed or do the Cinderella comparison again. Since Cinderella was always cleaning, I imagine she would have smelled way better than me.

“Scarlett, what is going on here?” Robbie’s demanding voice comes from behind me.

I turn to see him marching toward us with his high and mighty attitude, his lanky body looking more gangly in contrast to Micah’s muscular stature.

We don’t have many people like Micah coming in here, but Robbie likes to assert his dominance as the manager whenever he sees anyone who looks remotely wealthy. It’s a complex because he regrets not being able to go to college.

I get it, but Micah is not the kind of person you assert dominance to.

“We have a full house, and the tables need to be cleaned, yet you’re here talking it up with a friend. You can kiss today’s pay goodbye if you don’t get your ass moving.” Robbie also likes to embarrass and talk down to me in particular when he’s on his high horse because I went to college.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Micah answers for me before I can say anything.

“ Excuse me ?” Robbie folds his arms over his chest and gives Micah a stern stare.

“You heard me. You clean the fucking place yourself. And don’t ever speak to Scarlett like that again.”

“What the fuck?” The words rip from Robbie’s throat as his hands curl at his sides.

Micah stares him down and I can see exactly what’s going to happen next, so I step between them. “Robbie, please give me a minute. I just need a moment to talk to my friend and then?—”

“Shut up.” Robbie steps forward, closer to Micah. “Who the hell do you think you?—”

Micah presses one finger into Robbie’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. Then he gets up in his face and clamps his hand over Robbie’s shoulder, squeezing until Robbie winces in pain.

“Believe me, you don’t want trouble with me, Robbie ,” Micah rasps in a rough voice. “Either go back to your office or clean your tables before I rip your tongue out and the skin off your fucking face.”

“Okay, okay, sorry, man.” Robbie holds up his hands, his eyes suddenly wide and his body shuddering. “Let me… gooo .” He tries to keep his voice down because everyone is watching.

Micah releases him, then surprises me by shoving my cleaning rag into Robbie’s hands. I didn’t even remember he still had it.

He takes my hand as if this is what we always do and leads me out the door. My stomach twists as I follow him, torn between worrying about losing my job

and being with Micah.

I should be more worried about the job because I need that money later, but the thought of refusing Micah Delarosa terrifies me more.

My heart hammers as he takes me to the narrow alley behind the diner.

Steam billows from a nearby vent, creating a dreamlike haze, but this is a nightmare.

Finally, we stop at the end of the alley.

"Are you trying to get me fired?" I snap, yanking my hand away from his.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” He walks me back into the rough brick wall then cages me in with one arm beside my head. “What the hell are you doing in a fucking place like this, Scarlett?”

I lift my chin, trying to hold on to the last shreds of my pride despite his proximity. "Not all of us were born with silver spoons and trust funds."

His dark smirk sends shivers down my spine. "I’m sure you know you can do better than this shithole.”

“You have no right to say shit like that to me. Don’t you think I’d do better if I could?”

“I certainly hope so.”

I try to duck under his arm, to escape, but his hand catches my hip and pins me in place.

“Let me go.”

“No.” He gives me a playful smile filled with menace. Someone else may mistake that smile for a playful personality, but in the short time I’ve known him, I’ve realized it’s part of his power. It’s like a lion playing with a mouse before devouring it.

I’m his mouse, and now I’m trapped with my back literally against the wall.

Micah leans purposely closer until I’m flush against his rock-hard body. There’s no way I can be this close to him and stop myself from thinking about the night we spent together and that last kiss he gave me.

I gaze up at him, and the flicker of desire lurking in his eyes tells me he’s thinking about that, too.

“Why are you here? Why are you watching my house?” I try to keep my voice steady to mask my obvious arousal.

“Keeping the wolves away.” He cocks his head, and a lock of his hair falls over his eye.

I assume the wolves he means are Anton’s men. Dad was right, but I didn’t think Micah would be watching over us personally.

“Aren’t you a wolf, too?”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“The answer to that depends on whether or not you’re going to hurt me or my father.”

He smiles wider. “Bellezza, I can assure you if I were going to hurt you or your father, neither of us would be here now.”

My pulse leaps against my throat, each beat making my skin crawl beneath my clothes. “Are you going to hurt us?” I need to hear him say the words.

“No. I’m not going to hurt you or your father. Will knowing that stop you from running?”

A lump rises in my throat and fills up my lungs. “How did you know I was going to run?”

“Do you have the money to pay Anton?”

I swallow hard. “No. I don’t.”

“Well, then. It’s kind of easy to figure out.”

“Why do you care?” The words come out breathless.

“Maybe I like you.”

My breath catches. “You shouldn’t.”

“Do I look like someone who does what they’re told?”

“No, but you should listen to me.”

“What about you? If I tell you not to like me, will you listen?”

The question throws me off kilter and my mind stalls. “I don’t like you.”

He smiles wider. “Another lie.”

“I’m not lying.” I am, but there’s no way I’m telling him that.

He presses his thumb to my mouth and brushes my bottom lip. “Yes, you are lying. You do like me. You shouldn’t like me, but you do.”

“You can’t just tell me to?—”

He swallows my words with a kiss filled with pure possession, claiming my mouth like we’re back in that hotel room in New York and he never stopped owning me.

The moment I taste him, it takes mere seconds for my resolve to shatter into the air.

His tongue traces the seam of my mouth, demanding entry and I give it to him because fighting feels impossible when his hands are branding my skin through my thin uniform.

"Tell me to stop, Scarlett," he murmurs against my lips, his grip on my body tightening. “Tell me to stop, or I’ll lose control and fuck you right here.”

Oh God.

This should be a no-brainer. It was only seconds ago that I was ready to run from him. Now look at me.

I try to fight that overwhelming surge of desire that wants me to give in to temptation. But I can’t.

I can’t tell him to stop. And I can’t save myself.

The idea of losing myself in him suffocates reason and logic and everything that’s telling me I should get the hell away from Micah Delarosa.

“Fuck it,” he growls when I say nothing, then kisses me like he’s been starving for me.

He pulls me closer and my fingers curl into his shirt. His hand slides under my skirt, and I arch into him, past caring about anything but this moment, this feeling.

The distant sound of traffic fades away until there's nothing but his touch, his taste, and the intoxicating scent of his darkness.

I'm drowning in him, burning alive, and when he whispers, "Mine," against my lips, I can't find it in myself to disagree. Because I want to be his.

Pushing me harder into the wall, he shoves my skirt up my hips and moves aside my panties.

He only breaks away from my lips to undo his pants and take out his cock, then he hooks my leg around his waist.

I catch a glimpse of his erection before he shoves his cock deep inside my pussy and I cry out. A thrill races through me, filling my blood with pure adrenaline.

I arch my back, wanting him more than anything, even my next breath. He pumps into me, fueling sweet pleasure and delirium, then he starts to fuck me, giving me exactly what I need— him .

My entire body is vibrating with him and his relentless pounding.

He fucks me deep and hard, driving into me over and over again. My helpless cries of ecstasy mix with his deep grunts of pleasure and suddenly, I’m caught in the grasp of a violent orgasm that explodes inside me, cracking my mind wide open.

I scream, not caring where we are or who may hear us. Only that I don’t want him to stop.

Pleasure assaults my body in rippling waves that take me higher and higher.

I close my eyes to savor the crash of waves that slaps into me, but then his hand is gripping my chin, forcing my eyes back open.

“Look at me,” he commands, his voice low and ragged.

I stare at him and it’s like I’m looking right into his soul.

With our eyes locked, he picks up his pace, then it’s like we both lose our minds.

I climax again and we groan out at the same time.

Micah fucks me harder, then he comes too, his cock pulsing inside me filling me up with the warmth of his hot cum.

We stay there against the wall for a few heartbeats, breathing like we’ve just run from one end of the earth to the other. And he holds me with a tenderness that feels unbecoming of him.

I press my head to the wall as reality sinks in that I just had sex with him again.

Me—outside. In the back alley where anyone could have seen and heard us. In broad daylight.

My awareness snaps back when he pulls out of me and tucks himself back into his pants, but his eyes are on me, stripping away the layers of my mind with an I-told-you-so stare.

“I’m heading back to New York tomorrow.” His voice cuts into the silence between us.

Hearing he’s leaving grips me more than it should. “You’re leaving?”

“I’m leaving, but I want you to come with me.”

My eyes snap wide and I stare back at him, studying his face to check I heard right. “What?”

“I have an offer for you.”

“What… kind of offer?”

“The kind I want you to accept.”

“What’s the offer?”

“To marry me.”

My lungs freeze mid-breath and the diner’s dim lighting suddenly feels too bright.

"What? You want me to… what?" My voice is barely a whisper.

“Marry me.”

Marriage . The word echoes in my head like a gunshot, and time slows right down as my brain processes what he just said.

Micah's eyes lock onto mine with that predatory focus that makes my skin prickle. He doesn't repeat himself. He doesn't need to.

"You can't be serious." My voice trembles.

A cruel smile plays at the corners of his mouth. "I don’t joke, bellezza. I need to get married to take over my family’s empire.”

“So you’re asking me?” I point to myself.

“Yes, I’m asking you. Be my wife for a year. If you agree, I’ll pay your debt to Anton and I’ll give you a million dollars. Half now and half at the end of the time.”

My lungs lock and my fingers dig into my sides, my knuckles turning white. “Oh my God, what?” There’s no way he just said what I thought he said. He’ll pay Anton and give me one million dollars ?

“You heard me.”

“But that’s crazy.” My hands shake, then a tremor ripples through me, constricting my chest with each ragged breath.

Micah leans in close and inhales me. “What’s crazy would be leaving you here. You and I both know this isn’t over.” His words cut through my question like a blade. “I keep seeing us together in that mirror, bellezza.”

Warmth spreads through me, awakening the person I was in New York when I was with him. I see us in the mirror, too, lost to passion, real passion. Passion I’ve never felt with anyone but him. I actually didn’t know it existed until that night. Until him. Until he touched me.

Micah inches away, breaking the spell. “If you accept my offer, meet me at the airport in the morning. My jet takes off at midday.”

“This is crazy.”

“Maybe so, but the way I see it, either you come to New York with me and be my wife or you go on the run. Just so you know, if you run, I’ll find you and I won’t stop chasing you. So, coming with me is easier.”

My God…he’s serious.

With a slight dip of his head, he inches away, and I don’t breathe again until he turns to go.

I watch him, feeling like I’m falling and flying then falling again.

He disappears around the corner, and I can’t see him anymore. Then I’m left to my thoughts.

Micah just gave me a way out. He just handed me a dream on a plate.

Freedom from Anton.

Freedom from this miserable life.

Freedom from the mistakes I’ve made.

That money would give me the fresh start I’ve craved for so long. I could take care of Dad and we could do…anything.

And then there’s Micah.

I won’t lie to myself.

I do like him as evidenced by the last fifteen minutes.

I don’t think I ever stopped wanting him, but I know I can’t always have what I want. But he just offered it to me—him to be my husband.

It’s surreal. All of it.

One year of marriage to Micah Delarosa .

One year of marriage to Micah Delarosa for a million dollars and my father’s debt cleared.

It may be surreal, but I’d be one hell of a fool to turn down such an offer.

I’d be a bigger fool to run away from the first man to make me feel like my life was worth something.

So, I guess I know my answer.

Yes.