Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
I’m standing in the kitchen when Evan’s voice comes from the guest room in a frightening bellow. “You motherfucker!”
By the time my brain has registered the words, I’m swept off my feet and carried outside.
“Vik!” I squirm in his arms. “Put me down.”
He stalks across the driveway and far into the field before he drops me on my feet.
“You don’t need to hear that.”
He’s right. I’m shaking and more than a little queasy. “Is he going to kill him?”
“Man in love is hard to control.”
I push out of his arms. “What about a woman in love?”
He scowls as he crosses his arms. “Fuck. That’s even worse.”
I drag both my hands through my hair, catching in the tangles. God, I’m a mess. And I’m not talking about the twigs and leaves in my hair.
“Vik, I need to know something.”
He eyes me suspiciously but remains silent.
“Would you let a woman love you?”
A harsh laugh-bark comes out of him. “I’ll let them fuck me.”
I growl and fist my hands. “That was crude. You’re no better than a teenager.”
“None of us are.”
Because I’m exhausted, I hang my head. If my brain gets any more fried it’s going to pour out of my ears. I have no idea why I say this out loud, but I do. “Evan told me he loves me.”
“Poor guy.”
I stomp over to stand in front of Vik. He’s huge. When he looks down, he looks at the top of my head. I seriously consider kicking him in the shin because I just need to do something violent. Only I have a feeling I’d hurt my foot.
“That was rude.”
He looks at me like a statue would until he mutters, “I know what you need.”
I groan. “You’re kidding me.”
“You need to call girl.”
Girl? Huh? Oh. Call girlfriend.
He might be right, but I’m not even sure what I’d say to Mellie. She’d freak out, have a heart attack and charter a flight.
So, no. I’m not calling her. I keep my focus on Vik. “Are you scared to talk about relationships with me?”
He turns somber. “I’m not good.”
“ At? ”
“Love.”
“How do you know?”
He glances away, drags a hand across his shaved head. “I know.”
Sighing heavily, I pace back and forth in front of him. “I think he’s trying to convince me he’s not good for me.”
“He’s American.”
I stop and rigidly turn to look at him. “What does that have to do with anything?”
He shakes his head like I’m missing a billboard-sized sign. “He lives in America.”
“I know,” I growl. “But he said something about distance, time and money being no object.”
“Lovesick fool.”
“I’m still talking, Vik, and if you’d like your shins to remain unharmed, you might want to listen.”
He smirks at me. “Go on, your Highness.”
Argh. The big lug. I blow out a breath. “Then he told me he loved me. THEN he tells me he’s not good for me.”
“See! Men are no good at love.”
I grab his shirt. “Vik, please quit talking in circles. I can’t take it anymore. I’ve had the worst week in history. I just need a clear answer about something.”
“Maybe he’s got an answer.” Vik tips his chin toward the house.
I turn, with my stomach bunching up like a spring, expecting it to be Evan. But it’s not.
Scout is striding toward us.
The look on his face makes my blood run cold and my already uneasy stomach jump into my throat.
“Marianna, I need a word with you.”
I’m trembling with worry by the time Vik stalks back to the house leaving Scout and me alone standing in the field.
It’s a scene straight out of a movie. The kind that makes you run to the kitchen to get away from the intensity.
Light from the house leaks out across the front yard, across the drive, illuminating a faded swath around us. It’s eerie. Somber, and paints a scene in my head that will never go away.
Scout hasn’t said another word. I’m about to run to the house to see where Evan is. I need to know he’s safe.
“Is everything okay?”
Scout’s mouth presses into a hard line. He takes off his hat and looks at the ground.
A cold feeling unfurls inside of me as my face goes slack. “Did… did someone die?”
His reply is quick and succinct. “No. Not yet.”
A rush of air whooshes out of me. “Okay. Just the look on your face… I thought my house was going to be surrounded by police tape and?—”
“It still could, this is not done.”
“Where’s Evan?” My voice is really raspy, like I’ve been screaming my lungs out.
“He… needed some time.”
Time. My throat goes painfully dry.
This is it.
This is him shutting me out.
My hand comes up and the palm presses against my sternum, settling over the wound there. “I see. What do you need?”
He smacks his baseball cap against his thigh and puts it back on again. “I need to talk to you about Evan.”
“What happened to him?”
“He’s fine.”
Tears claw their way up my throat. I take a step toward him. “No, I mean what happened to Evan? What makes him tick the way he does?”
This question makes Scout go stock-still. His gaze flicks over my features. When he speaks the timber of his voice has dropped lower. “You see him, don’t you?”
“I am trying.”
“He’s funny, right? Jokes around. You know, he keeps things light.”
I nod nervously. “Sometimes, yes. He’s serious others.”
“Fuck.” He looks up and hardens his jaw. “This feels like I’m betraying him.”
“Why are you here, then Scout? You wanted to talk to me.”
“Because I like the fucker.”
I laugh. “It’s hard to tell. But that’s…nice of you.”
He looks at my face again. “He’s furious right now.”
I pull back, my heart skittering around inside my throat. “At me?”
“Oh no, sweetheart. But he’s one step from unhinged and he likes being there. Likes the feel of that scorching white-hot fire in his veins. It’s a survival mechanism for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that he’s shutting us out, he’s going behind the wall of rage. And when he does, he’s probably going to be a dick to you and he’s going to make you think he’s got multiple personalities.”
When he stops speaking and just stares at me, I whisper, “You’re scaring me.”
“You need to go into this with your eyes wide open.”
This?
Clutching my throat, my voice comes out ragged. “He said the same thing. He’s going to finish this thing…whatever this is, and he’s going to walk away and hide behind his anger, isn’t he?”
Scout tips his chin. “Smart girl. Are you ready for a battle?”
“Do I look like someone that quits?”
His eyes soften at the edges for the first time. Scout is a hard man, but he’s letting me see something different. “No, you don’t.”
“Scout, I need to ask you a question.”
“One. That’s it. I’m out of answers after that.”
I make a little frustrated sound. “Why are you hiding behind armor too?”
He steps back. For a second I wonder if he’s going to answer me, but he heads for the house.
“Wait! What do I do now?”
Scout slows and looks over his shoulder. His eyes are shadowed completely by his hat. “Your boy is out back by your shed. He’s bashing the shit out of something with a sledge hammer. You’re going to need each other. I hope like hell you can hold on tight.”