Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
ATLAS
“ S hould we check on her?” Ellis cracks his neck and then his knuckles, something he’s done over and over since questioning Nora.
Clearly, her answers pained him as much as they did me.
“No.” I shake my head.
“I don’t think she’s slept well in ages.”
“She’s so small, man. How could he?—”
A knock at the front door interrupts him.
“Who in the hell is that?” I ask as Ellis grabs his phone, no doubt to pull the camera feed.
“Did you seriously invite Scarlet over tonight?” His voice drips with disapproval, as if I’d invite Scarlet over after ignoring her for two days while Nora sleeps in my bed.
“Fuck no.” I stand from the couch and stalk to the door.
“I haven’t talked to her since Friday night.”
“Guess she got tired of waiting.” He pinches the bridge of his nose.
“You need to get rid of her.”
“Already on it.” I throw the door open, intent on joining her outside, but she waltzes right past me, shoulder checking me as she invites herself into my house.
“Excuse you,” I mutter before closing the door and following after her.
“Why are you here?”
“We need to talk, Atlas.” She glares from Ellis to me and back again, as though simply sitting in his own living room is somehow offensive to her.
“And I’d like to do so without an audience.”
Reaching behind me, I grip the back of my neck and squeeze.
“Now’s not really a good time,” I say, hoping like hell those are the magic words to make her leave.
If the snarl curling her lips is anything to go by, they’re not.
“No.” She stomps her foot like a child.
“Absolutely not. You will talk to me, and if he won’t leave, we can talk in your room.”
She darts around me and takes off down the hall before I can stop her.
“Atlas!” Ellis snaps, but he doesn’t need to—I’m already giving chase.
“If you take one more step, Scarlet, I swear to God—” I’m panting by the time I catch up to her, not out of exhaustion but from worry.
The last thing any of us needs is a confrontation between the woman in my hallway and the one in my bed.
“What?” She hisses the word like a cornered cat as she grips the doorknob.
“What are you going to do, Atlas?”
I cover her hand with mine, forcing her hand away from the knob.
“I’m begging you, please just stop. You don’t understand what’s going on?—”
“Of course, I don’t!” She throws her hands wide.
“How could I? I haven’t heard a damn word from you since you left me at The Creek Friday night. Not a call or a text. Nothing. And God knows I’ve called you, so excuse the fuck out of me for wanting some answers.”
The sound of the bed frame creaking followed by soft footsteps padding across the floor filters under the door, and despite praying for Scarlet not to hear, her eyes widen in accusation.
Fuck. Could this get any worse?
“It’s not what you think.”
“Isn’t it?” Her eyes flash with hurt.
“I swear to God if you’ve been ignoring me because you brought some whore home from the bar?—”
“Shut. Up.” I grit through clenched teeth.
“There is someone in there, but it’s not what you’re thinking. Please, Scarlet, I am begging you, just be quiet.”
“Then tell me. Right now. Tell me.”
“It’s Nora?—”
“Your sister?” Her deadpan tone gives way to almost manic laughter.
“You blew me off to play house with your sister? Wow, Atlas.”
“Stepsister,” I growl.
“Nora is my step?—”
My bedroom door opens, effectively shutting me up.
Nora looks up at me with sad eyes before focusing her attention on Scarlet.
“What the fuck, Atlas?” Scarlet hisses.
“It’s fine.” Nora looks down at her bare feet.
“I’ll just, um. I’ll go.”
“What? Why?” I know I can’t keep her here against her will, but the thought of her leaving sends icy dread pumping through my veins.
“I don’t want to intrude…” Her voice breaks, and my heart shatters right along with it.
“You’re not,” I insist, shooting Scarlet a dark look telling her she better back me up.
“I’m trying really hard not to flip out right now,” Scarlet says, a slight tremor to her voice.
“But you look like someone went Mortal Kombat on your ass, and I need to understand. Did…” She swallows roughly.
“Did Atlas?—”
“No!” Nora shouts.
The way she doesn’t hesitate to rush to my defense has me feeling some kind of way.
Like I’m the king of the fucking world.
“No, he…he saved me.”
“You saved yourself, Pip. I’m just helping you get back on your feet.”
“Then who did this?” Scarlet fists her hands at her sides, as if it’s taking all of her willpower not to reach for Nora.
Get in line, Scar. I know the feeling well.
Nora looks away, and I can’t decide if it’s out of shame or some misguided attempt at protecting my honor.
I decide to rip the Band-Aid off for her.
“My dad.” Venom infuses my tone, making it quite clear how I feel about the situation.
“My fucking father did this to her.”
Scarlet gulps as tears fill her eyes.
“You weren’t lying when you said you were worried, huh?”
“Nope.” I wish I was lying.
More than anything, I wish I was, because then none of this would be real.
Nora wouldn’t be hurt, and my dad wouldn’t be a colossal piece of garbage.
But that isn’t how life works—wishes don’t mean shit.
Scarlet wraps her arms around herself.
“I-I’m sorry. God, I feel like such a rotten bitch.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her that’s exactly how she should feel, but Nora speaks up before I have the chance.
“You didn’t know.” She offers us both a weak smile.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
She tries to slip between us, but I block her path.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you. So, I’ll just get my things and be on my way.”
I cut my eyes at Scarlet, and she shrinks back under the weight of my glare.
“Where will you go?”
Nora’s eyes flit up to Scarlet’s in surprise.
“Oh, um. I’m sure I’ll think of somewhere.”
“Of course, you will. You seem resourceful.” Scarlet nods along, like what Nora’s saying makes perfect sense.
She better course correct, or I swear to God, I’ll boot her out the front door without a shred of remorse.
“What about food, though? No offense, but you’re pretty underweight.” She pointedly lowers her eyes to Nora’s midsection.
“Especially for someone eating for two.”
Nora’s hands fly up, protectively cupping her small bump.
“I-I, um, we’ll be okay.” She sniffles, and the sound cuts across my skin like the blade of a knife.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“I told you I’d keep you safe, Pip. I can’t do that if you’re not here.” I plead with my eyes for her to understand, to believe me, to stay.
The mere thought of her leaving, of her being out there with no one, makes me gnash my molars together in frustration.
“Atlas, please. I don’t want to be a burden.” She sounds like she’s on the verge of tears, and I hate it.
I. Fucking. Hate. It.
“If you go, I go.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“Have you seen a doctor?” Scarlet asks, reminding me that this isn’t a private conversation.
Shame colors Nora’s cheeks as she shakes her head.
“Do you know how far along you are?”
She squints one eye closed, her lips moving silently as she figures out her reply.
“Um. Maybe two or three months. I’m not really sure.”
Fuck.
I don’t know much about having kids, but even I know she should have seen a doctor by now.
Sensing my internal panic, Scarlet takes charge of the situation.
“Sweetie, that’s not good. I work for an OB, and most women have seen the doctor two or three times by this point. Why don’t we all go talk in the living room, and we can figure this out together.”
“Head on back to the living room,” I say to Scarlet, needing a moment alone with Nora.
“We’ll be right there.”
Wordlessly, she turns and heads down the hall, giving us some much-needed privacy.
“What’re you thinking, Pip?” Despite standing still, my heart is racing as I wait for her reply.
Logically, I know I can’t keep her here—that would make me as shitty as my father, to hold her against her will—but the thought of her leaving, being on her own and struggling, tears me up inside.
I meant it when I said if she goes that I’m packing a bag and tagging along.
Her safety is my sole focus right now, and I have vacation days banked if I have to use them.
She shrugs. “I don’t know, it just feels like I’ve turned your whole world upside down. You’re fighting with your—” I don’t miss her rough swallow or the way she balls her tiny hands into fists.
“You and your girlfriend are fighting because of me. I’m not worth this kind of trouble.”
“Wrong. So, fucking wrong.” I hold up my index finger.
“One, Scarlet’s not my girlfriend—not really.” I hold up another finger, mentally adding a talk with Scar to my mental to-do list. “Two, you’re not trouble, and even if you were, you’d be worth every bit. None of what’s happened is your fault. I know I can’t make you stay, but I hope you believe me when I say I want you here with me.”
My words hang between us as Nora mulls them over.
I send up silent prayers to every deity I can think of, offering all kinds of deals for her to stay.
“Okay,” she finally whispers, “I’ll stay.”
“Good. That’s good.” The evenness of my voice surprises me, because on the inside I’m doing a victory lap.
“Why don’t we go out there and talk with Scarlet now? It’s probably not a good idea to leave those two unsupervised for long.”
“What do you mean?”
“C’mon.” I tip my head toward the hall.
“You’ll see.”
“Overreact much?” Scarlet is saying as we enter the room.
“I’m not overreacting.” Ellis glares at the feisty blonde who knows how to push all of his buttons so very well.
“You’re just insane.”
“Me?” Her eyes narrow.
“ I’m insane?”
“Did I stutter?” He rises from his recliner and stomps over to where Scarlet’s cozied up on the couch.
“Should we stop them?” Nora asks, looking truly alarmed.
“Nah. This is just what they do.” Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d think this was some weird kind of foreplay for them.
Nora and I watch, riveted as he kneels in front of her “Since your parents failed to teach you any kind of manners, I’ll do it for them.” He grabs her right ankle and pulls her shoe off.
“What are you doing?” she screeches, trying to kick his hands away, but Ellis’s hold on her is solid.
He grabs her left ankle and repeats the motions before standing and dropping both of her shoes unceremoniously by the door.
“It’s fucking rude to wear dirty shoes into someone’s home. It’s even ruder to put said shoes on their furniture. Understand?”
She crosses her arms and kicks her sock-clad feet up onto the coffee table.
“That you’re a jackass? Yeah, that’s coming through loud and clear.”
He smirks as he drops back down into his chair.
“That’s Officer Jackass to you.”
I give Nora a told you so look before clearing my throat.
“If y’all are finished, we’d like to join you.”