Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Scarlett
Terror claws up my throat, sharp and metallic, as I stare at the note in Micah’s hands.
Soon, my love, Anton.
Those simple words stop the world from spinning, and raw panic explodes in my chest, spreading like poison through my veins.
Every nerve in my body screams, making me tremble as if I’m walking in a snowstorm without my clothes.
I can barely hold myself up when bile rises in my throat, burning like lava.
The kitchen spins, memories of cigarette burns and broken ribs flooding back with devastating clarity.
Micah goes rigid, his knuckles turning white as he grips the paper, then he tears out the door and out of the house.
"Who delivered this?" he shouts once he’s outside, then I can’t hear him anymore.
Maria slips an arm around me. “Are you okay, dear?”
I can’t answer her. I try, but I can’t because I can’t believe that even in this fortress of a mansion, with a ruthless mafia boss for a husband, Anton's found me.
Soon, my love.
Anton never makes promises he doesn't keep.
Never.
I don’t know how I make it through the weekend.
The tension in the house is so high that even the air feels like it might snap.
The only time we left was for dinner with Micah’s parents. We also ended up staying over at their place. Micah thought it would be a good change of scenery for me.
Now it’s Monday morning.
Sunlight streams through our bedroom windows, but it does nothing to warm the constant chill that's lived in my bones since Friday.
I’ve been up for a while just lying in the bed next to Micah. He’s been awake, too. We’re in his old bedroom. I’ve wondered if perhaps he also needed the change of scenery. Perhaps to be somewhere he could gather strength.
I’m safe with Micah and I feel protected in his arms, but I’m not from New York. My father is also all the way in Denver, exposed to Anton and whatever cruel plot he’s scheming. I spoke to him so he knows Anton is back, but I wish I could see Dad, or get him somewhere safe.
It turns out that Anton’s presence in New York was the secret Micah was hiding from me. Whatever happened last week also unearthed that Anton is now working with the Nexxus group.
I don’t know how the hell that happened, but my take on it is the same as Micah’s: Anton found a way to team up with them so he could get closer to me.
It was a clever move. So far, the Nexxus have been the only people who’ve been able to challenge Micah’s power.
Anton probably found out we’d gotten involved with them to pay him back. And I guess he didn’t like the fact that the actual payment came from Micah.
On top of that, Micah also told me that someone who’s part of his unit has been working with the Nexxus—which means they’re also working with Anton.
He thinks it’s one of the guards but has no idea which one. And despite keeping a keen eye on them, this has still happened.
Micah has called in guards from the Creed for an extra layer of protection, but I don’t know how much better things will be. He’s mentioned the Creed before, but not in great details until now. They’re supposed to be this badass group of people. I just don’t feel that it will be enough.
I feel like I’m stuck again. Like before when I was with Anton and I knew the only way out was to leave him or die.
At least I’ve always been a fighter, so dying wasn’t an option. But I can’t help feeling that I didn’t truly get the chance to fight because I was only able to leave him due to the case with the Feds. So, this is the fight now.
But what should I do? Wait for him? Put my life on hold again while I wait it out in terror?
I’m supposed to be at the studio at nine. Rehearsals for the movie start today. And it’s a full day. The director wants all the actors to get used to each other and our scripts. Last week, he was very clear that if we missed out on this first week—and he didn’t care who we are—we could kiss the contract goodbye.
So, today isn’t the kind of day I should miss. Not for Anton.
Only God knows what opportunities I missed out on because of him. Each one that slipped by could have been something that had the potential to help me in some way so that life didn’t need to be so hard.
So, how can I miss out on today? The first day of the biggest job I’ve ever had.
The thought makes me sit up. Micah does, too, slipping an arm around me to pull me in for a warm embrace.
“Are you okay?” he whispers into my hair, his breath warm against my skin.
“No. But I think I need to go to the studio today.”
Micah releases me and stares deep into my eyes. “Scarlett, baby, it’s best if I keep you away from anywhere Anton can get to you.”
“I can’t let him win, Micah. He’s taken too much from me.” I pull away from him and get off the bed. Then I make my way to the long French windows, where I lean against the wall and gaze outside.
Micah joins me, pulling me back in his arms. “Bellezza, my priority is to keep you safe.”
“I know, and I’m grateful, but if I miss this week, that’s it for me.”
“I’ll speak to Adrian.”
“No. I don’t want special treatment because I’m your wife. I want to go to work. I don’t want to just sit here and watch my dreams slip away from me.”
Micah cups my face and presses his forehead to mine briefly before inching away to gaze at me again. “Okay. I’ll go in with you.”
The air catches in my throat as his offer sinks in and I search his eyes—the dangerous eyes of a mafia boss who has watched men die without flinching. Now all I see as I look at him is his fierce devotion to me and a man who’ll do anything to keep his wife's dreams from turning to ash. “Would you really?”
“Of course. I’ll stay with you all week.”
“Oh, Micah.” I throw my arms around him and press my ear to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I love you.”
“I love you more, amore mio.” He plants a kiss on my forehead and strokes the side of my face. “How about we grab some coffee then get ready to head out?”
“I’d like that.”
Two hours later, we’re heading to the studio with an entourage of guards. I notice that the guards who travel with us are from the Creed. Not Micah’s usual men. A sign he doesn’t trust any one of them.
That’s how we get through the week. Micah stays with me the whole time. Evey time I get nervous because of the situation or because I’m just genuinely nervous, his presence calms me.
It’s not until the following week that Brahm takes his place when Micah can’t be with me because he has to take a short business trip to Boston.
Brahm stays at the house with me, takes me to work, then drops me home the next day. Micah should be back in a few hours.
Despite everything that’s going on, I’ve had a great time at the studio, but Micah’s been with me from the start, and now that I’m alone, I can’t wait for him to come home. I miss him, but I also feel safest with him, although the house is as guarded as a prison.
I walk up the stairs to the bedroom, my feet dragging. The staircase seems to stretch endlessly before me. Today’s rehearsals took it out of me, but I’ll take this type of tiredness any day over working those soul-crushing hours at the diner that left me feeling like I was one step away from the grave.
When I get inside the bedroom and set my jacket on the bed, the scent of strong tobacco and cedar hits me like a warning light trying to get my attention.
I take a deep breath to check I’m right, then I freeze in the waning sunlight as I remember where I was when I was last engulfed by that damning scent.
And who it came from.
But it can’t be.
How did he get inside the house?
My head snaps to the left as footsteps sound from the ensuite, and my soul stills when I see Anton walking out with Johnny, my brother , who’s holding a gun to one of the Creed guard’s head. Behind them is Jenson, one of Micah’s senior enforcers. Someone he introduced me to as his most trusted . I guess I know who’s working with Anton and the Nexxus now.
Anton smiles at me. He looks exactly the same as I remember. Tall, dark, and deadly with those dead eyes that stare back at me void of soul.
Fuck. I’m in trouble.
And Micah isn’t here.