18
Broadway
“I don’t think she should stay here,” I tell Carter once the sound of Violet’s soft footsteps has died down. “Is she always like this when you have guests?”
He pushes the back door open, jutting his chin so I’ll step outside. I grab my cigarettes, lighting one up, and offer him the pack.
This time, he doesn’t take one. He shakes his head, the subtle teeth-grinding betraying that it costs him.
“If by like this you mean running away, then no. I think the gathering today caught her by surprise. She doesn’t do well with new faces, but she’s usually more composed.” He leans against the stone wall. “Don’t worry, I’ve already instructed Apollo to keep an eye on her while we’re away. She’s okay with him.”
Now it’s my turn to gnash my teeth, trapping a few choice words inside my mouth before they spill. We’re supposed to be heading to Chicago this weekend. Layla’s organizing a Charity Ball and we’re all invited. Given our history with Dante Carrow, refusing the invitation would not be well received, but I couldn’t care less about mingling with the criminal VIPs.
“Who’ll keep an eye on Scarlett if Apollo’s here?” I ask, exhaling smoke.
A knowing smirk curls his lips. “We’ve been working together for years, Broadway. Don’t try pulling the wool over my eyes. If you want to stay behind so you can keep an eye on Violet , not Scarlett , just fucking say so.”
I take another drag, squaring my shoulders. “She barely knows Apollo.”
“I’d say she barely knows you , too, but Carson keeps me in the loop, so I know about your midnight drives. If you want to stay, I don’t see a problem.” He glances around, as if checking we’re alone. “I think it’d be a good idea if she stayed at your place. A change of scenery might do her some good.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s fine,” he says, amusement lacing his tone. “Relax. She’s perfectly safe here, but she’s jumpy whenever someone comes over, or even knocks on the door. No one stops by your apartment. It might be a better fit.”
My chest swells, the prospect of having Violet under my roof, always safe, is enough to flood my brain with endorphins.
Too bad Carter’s not the only one—aside from Violet—who has to approve it.
“What about Hailey?” I ask. “She won’t like this.”
Carter shrugs, little crinkles appearing around his eyes. “It was her idea.” He straightens, a solemn look crossing his features. “There’s something else you should know.”
“I won’t fucking like it, will I?”
“No, I don’t suppose you will. Violet asked if she could work at Scarlett .”
And the endorphins evaporate with one fucking sentence. I thought I’d convinced her that working shouldn’t be her priority. That she should focus on therapy.
Looks like I was wrong.
“You better tell me you said no .”
“I think she might want to go home, Broadway.”
Way to kick me when I’m already down. “ Home ? You mean Slovakia? Why the hell would she want to do that?”
“Why would she want to stay?”
She can’t leave.
I... fuck . I didn’t think about Violet’s long-term plans. I’ve been too focused on navigating my feelings for her. Of course she doesn’t want to live in Carter’s spare bedroom forever. She’s young, a few months from twenty. The therapy’s working wonders, so it’s only natural she’s planning her next move.
But why Slovakia? She lived on the streets before she arrived in America. I get why she’d want to put as many miles between her and the men who bought her as possible, but... she can’t leave.
I need her. She’s mine.
“I told her I’d set her up in Slovakia, but she wouldn’t hear any of it,” Carter continues, his tone careful like he can sense I’m about to explode. “She wanted to work until she’s paid back the four hundred and fifty grand I paid Noretto, then save enough to go home.” He quickly raises his hand to stop my retort. “Don’t you fucking dare say you’ll pay me back. I don’t want the money. Not from you and not from her.”
I reach for another cigarette, my hands shaking as I light one up. “She can’t work at Scarlett .”
“Trust me, I don’t like this any more than you do, but I can’t keep her locked in here,” he counters.
I fucking hate it when he’s right.
We didn’t rescue her from Noretto only to lock her in a different cage, even if we did it with the purest of intentions, to help her and keep her safe.
“She wants to work,” Carter says, weighing every word. “So she starts training on Monday.”
“What about her therapy?”
“Tom thinks she’s doing well enough to reduce it to two sessions a week.”
Tilting my head back, I blow a cloud of smoke into the air, watching it dissipate on the wind. My mind’s reeling, thoughts racing, and my insides twist into elaborate knots. I’ve never been this worried about anyone and I can’t quite navigate these feelings.
“Put her behind the VIP bar.” I cave because I have no fucking choice. “I want an extra bouncer close by. No waitressing. No weekends. And pair her up with Arthur.”
Carter chuckles, nodding along to my demands. “I wonder why Arthur. Could it be because he’s gay?”
One hundred percent yes . I don’t need any bartenders hitting on Violet. “No. It’s because he’s the only one with a decent right hook.”
That’s also true, but it makes little sense considering I already asked Carter to strengthen the security. Still, he has the decency not to push or all-out laugh in my face.
“Consider it done,” he says. “And look at it this way. Had she accepted my money, she’d be gone. Letting her work means she’ll stay for a while... maybe long enough for you to show her what you want.”
He squeezes my shoulder and enters the house, leaving me with more questions than answers.