Can I open this box?
Theo glances up from his spot, perched on an upside-down milk crate, tuning his guitar. We’ve been in the attic for almost an hour, most of it spent discussing the madness of our relationship and righting the world again with our favorite answer to all questions—sex.
“Go for it.” He shrugs before returning his attention back to his guitar.
I rip off the tape and open a box marked Photos and Letters. My eager hands shuffle through them. The Reed family photos depict the all-American family with their Christmas pictures by the tree, holidays, birthdays, sporting events … it all paints a perfect story. How did it end in such tragedy?
“Are these love letters that your parents wrote to each other?” I take a stack of letters held together by a thick elastic band.
“Doubtful. My mom was the letter writer, but I don’t imagine she wrote anything to my father, knowing the chances of him writing something in return was nil.
She loved fancy stationary and calligraphy pens.
Most of the time she wrote to friends, even some that lived nearby.
Just pick up the fucking phone. Right?” He shakes his head.
“So those must be return letters from her friends.”
The elastic band is dry and disintegrating, so I ease one letter out. Theo has no idea how giving me total access to these boxes is like Christmas for my curiosity. I unfold the letter.
My heart stops.
All air vanishes.
Dear Bell,
My hands begin to shake. I can hardly read the words. “Wh-who is Bell?” My eyes skip to the closing signature.
Sincerely,
Belle
It takes a few moments to register Theo’s voice. The rush of blood in my ears drowns out all other sound.
“Nellie Moore. She and my mom were friends. Their maiden names were both Bell, but spelled differently. Everyone used to joke at how fitting the names were. My mom grew up on a farm with cow bells, and Nellie grew up in a rich family like belle of the ball.” He continues to focus on his guitar strings. “They used to call each other Bell.”
Every word is an echo. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.
Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump.
“Oh my god,” I whisper.
“Scarlet?”
This can’t be.
“Scarlet?”
No. No. No. This isn’t right. It’s not real.
“Scarlet!”
My head snaps up to Theo, hunched in front of me. “We have to go,” I whisper, the letter falling from my hands.
“Go where?”
Blink. Blink. Blink. This isn’t real.
“Savannah. We have to go back to Savannah. My dad—Oscar—I need …” I scramble to my feet.
“What are you talking about?” Theo grabs my arms, forcing me to look at him. “He’s in prison.”
I shake my head. “He’s in Savannah. We … we have to go.”
“What … I …” He shakes his head. “What’s going on?”
I wriggle in his grasp until he lets me go. Then I climb down the ladder. “We have to go. Now.” Down the hall, down the stairs, out the front door, I can’t get out of here fast enough.
“Scarlet!”
Theo’s call to me is muted by the cracking of boards. My feeling of desperation to get back to Savannah is replaced with a shooting pain in my ankle and then my bum. Dusty shadows surround me.
“Scarlet!”
I look up to the light filtering through the jagged hole in the porch. Mucky weeds and dirt cover me. Theo grimaces then extends his arm into the hole.
I grab his hand as tears sting my eyes. The pain is excruciating.
“Can you stand up?”
I release a desperate sob and shake my head.
He lets go of my hand. With a grunt, he rips off several rotting boards with his bare hands, then he offers his hand again. I take it and he slowly pulls me up.
“Easy.”
I try to stand, but I can’t. “My ankle,” I seethe.
“Dammit.” He scoops me up.
“Ah!” The pain is blinding.
“Sorry.” He presses his lips to my head, standing still for a moment until the pain becomes bearable again. Then he navigates us off the porch, testing each step. “Let’s get you checked out.”
“I’m f-f-fine. We n-need to get back to S-Savannah.”
“Your fucking teeth are chattering like you’re going into shock. You have a gouge on your leg that’s bleeding and you can’t walk. We’re going to the emergency room. At the very least, you’re going to need a tetanus shot and some stitches.”
What the hell, Karma? This isn’t fair.
*
Theodore
Fucking porch. I never should have taken her there.
“I don’t want the surgery.”
The doctor and nurse glance at each other.
“You’ll never walk again if you don’t have surgery,” the doctor says.
“I have somewhere I need to go.”
She can’t even speak without gasping from the pain with each word.
“She’s having the surgery. Please give us a few minutes.”
The doctor nods, then he ushers out of the room behind the nurse.
“You don’t understand,” Scarlet says with so much anguish in her voice.
Taking her hand in mine, I press a kiss to the back of it.
“You’re right. I don’t. Why don’t you explain it to me?
Because I can wrap my head around the cancer going away.
I just don’t see the two complete fractures in your ankle mending on their own if you meditate, or drink shitty smelling tea, or suck down gallons of carrot juice, or—”
“Stop! I’m not saying that. I just don’t have time for this. I need to see Oscar. It’s—”
“Not happening.”
“Theo—”
“Fine.” I step back. This is laughable, yet so damn frustrating. “I’ll drive you. Your clothes are right there.” I walk toward the door. “I’ll meet you in the truck.”
“Theo …” This time my name is a broken sob followed by more sobs.
This woman breaks my heart. A heart that, not long ago, I didn’t think still existed. “Scarlet …” I take her face in my hands and kiss away her tears. “I’ll make this right. Shh …”
She covers my hands with hers and claws at my skin, like she’s trying to crawl inside of me—desperate, broken.
“Is your dad’s number in your phone?”
She sniffles then nods.
“I’ll make sure he’s here by the time you’re out of surgery tomorrow. Okay?”
“O-O-K.”
Eventually, they give her enough pain meds to help her drift off to sleep. Her phone is locked, so I press her fingers one at a time to the lock button until it finally unlocks. Oscar Stone is the only name in her contacts. It only rings once.
“Ruby, why haven’t you—”
“It’s not Ruby.”
“Who is this? Where the hell is Scarlet?”
“My name is Theo. Scarlet is sleeping. She broke her ankle in two spots and they’re doing surgery on it tomorrow.”
“Did you hurt her?”
Yes. I’ve hurt your daughter in ways I can never completely mend.
“She fell through an old porch. She asked for you. I’ll text you the address.”
I end the call. “What the hell is going on, Scarlet?” I whisper. Why is your father out of prison? Why did you suddenly need to see him? It makes no sense.
*
Scarlet
My heavy eyes make several attempts to open before the blurred figures come into focus. The tray table in front of me has a glass of water and a bottle of something orange.
“Carrot juice. Freshly pressed.”
Oscar.
“Hey.” My fuzzy mind feels as lethargic as my voice sounds.
Bell.
Belle.
Theo’s mom.
Nellie.
Harold.
Something beside me begins to beep over and over. A nurse comes in the room.
“What’s going on?” Oscar asks with panic in his voice.
“Her heart rate is a little high. Are you in pain, Scarlet?”
It all comes back. The affair. Murder. “Oscar … I have to tell—”
“Shh.” The nurse brings the back of my bed up a bit more. “The doctor is on his way.”
“No. I have to tell—”
“Ruby, calm down. You’re going to be fine.” Oscar rests his hand on mine.
My eyes dart around the room.
Oh my god. Nellie is in the chair by the window. When our eyes meet, she smiles.
“Hey, sweetie.”
“Th-Theo.”
“He left to get something to drink. He’ll be right back.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Look who’s up.” The doctor smiles as he walks in the room. “The surgery went well.” He frowns at my monitor.
“Is she reacting to the anesthetic?” Oscar asks.
The doctor shakes his head. “No. How are you feeling, Scarlet?”
My gaze returns to Nellie. Theo is going to kill her. He’s going to find out, and he’s going to kill her and Harold too. I continue to stare at her until she begins to squirm in the chair.
“I’m scared.”
Nellie’s brow furrows, and if I could drag my gaze away from her, I imagine both the doctor and Oscar have the same look of confusion.
“Bell,” I whisper.
All the color drains from Nellie’s face. Why did Oscar bring her with him? She can’t be here.
“I think we’re all overwhelming the poor girl.” She stands and clears her throat. “Why don’t y’all let me and Scarlet have a few minutes alone. Let me work a mother’s touch.”
She’s not my mum. Oscar can stuff his trouser snake into her fanny all he wants, but she will never be my mum.
“Is that okay, Ruby?”
Oscar can’t have her. Not now. Not ever.
“Ruby? Did you hear me?”
I nod slowly. Oscar squeezes my hand once. Then he kisses Nellie on the cheek before following the doctor and nurse out of the room.
Nellie rubs her non-orange-lipstick-covered lips together and stares at her feet. This is completely sane Nellie. Has Theo seen her? Did she already tell Nolan and Harold?
“How?” she whispers.
“He’s going to kill you.”
Her head snaps up. “Why would you say that?”
I stare at her for a few moments. This is something so far beyond a nightmare, I can’t even begin to make sense of it. “Because he came here to kill Braxton Ames.”
She sucks in a breath as her hand covers her mouth, eyes wide.
“Your friend had an affair with your husband.”
Tears fill her eyes. “It was—” she mutters behind her hand, unable to finish her words.
My name is Scarlet Stone, and I was not put on this earth to judge anyone.
“An accident. I know. And another man went to jail for years for a crime he didn’t commit.
” I’m thinking aloud, that’s all. I can’t judge her, not one bit.
I took a life. I may not have pulled a trigger, but someone died because of what I did, and I let someone else do the time for my crime. I’m Nellie.
“Does Theo know?” She moves her hand from her mouth to her cheeks, wiping the tears as fast as they fall.
I shake my head.
“Braxton?”
“He’s alive.”
A bit of relief washes over her features.
“Does he know? Does Braxton Ames know who hired him to go to prison?” I want to ask what the going price is for willingly accepting life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
I don’t ask. My previous profession gave me too much experience with putting a price on things that should be priceless—untouchable—sacred.
She shakes her head. “Harold handled everything. Money buys a lot of dead ends. No one will ever know unless …”
I close my eyes and exhale. This is all on me. I am the gatekeeper. “I can’t.” She doesn’t understand this is exactly the type of life that nearly ended mine. This is a secret that will kill me.
“What if Theo …” Fear paints her face.
“Then turn yourself in.” I can’t believe those words came out of my mouth. I’m such a bloody hypocrite.
She bites her lips together, her gaze fixed to mine. What’s going through her head?
After a long silence, she nods. “OK,” she whispers and turns. Before she reaches the door, she stops. “Thank you, Scarlet.”
“For what?”
“For giving me back a life, even if it was only for a brief time.” She opens the door and disappears.
“Nellie.”
I stiffen at the sound of Theo’s curt greeting to her a few seconds before he appears in the doorway. He smiles. I fight back my emotions, the ones that could one day make another attempt at my life and succeed.
“Hello.”
He moves to the bed. “Surgery went well.”
“So I hear.”
“Your father knows you.” He nods to the bottle of carrot juice then opens the lid, drops the straw into it, and brings it to my mouth.
I take a sip. The cool juice feels like heaven on my dry throat. “He does, but don’t let him hear you say ‘father.’”
“Did you get your urgent matter settled with him?”
Him? No. Settled? Hardly.
“Thank you for calling him and getting him here.”
Theo nods, taking a seat in the chair by my bed. “You get to go home tomorrow.”
I laugh. “Home? Where is that?”
“Good question.” He smirks. “I don’t think my mattress on the floor is conducive to your compromised physical condition.”
“Brilliant observation, Mr. Reed.”
We smile at each other for a few long moments. It feels good. In spite of everything, and even if I don’t have one damn good reason to do so, I love this man with every fiber of my being.
“So … Nellie. She’s better? And your father? They’re together? I don’t understand.”
I wait. Maybe if I wait long enough, he’ll ask me to lie to him.
He doesn’t.
“Nellie, she—”
“Ruby?” Oscar peeks his head around the door. “We’re going to go back to the hotel for a few hours. Can I have a quick word with you before I leave?”
Theo sighs and stands. “I’ll be back,” he whispers in my ear before biting my earlobe.
“Thanks.” I smile at him.
As soon as he leaves the room, my smile dies.
“Interesting bloke.”
“Sorry I wasn’t awake to introduce the two of you.”
“He doesn’t say much.”
“And he’s not even British.”
Oscar smiles. “Do you think he’s a good choice for you?”
If he only knew. “I love him.”
“You loved Daniel.”
“Not like this.”
“And what is this?”
“It’s mad love. The kind that makes no sense. The kind that is bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced. The kind that ensnares your soul and never lets go.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
I nod slowly. “It’s … necessary.” I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to tell Oscar Stone that his Ruby lives and dies by the hands of one man that’s not him.
“We need to talk.” I feel the mood shift. We’re no longer talking about Theo. Nellie.
It only takes two seconds of looking into his eyes to know. “You knew.”
“It was an accident.”
“Oh my god …” I shake my head. “She told you before today?”
“She’s catholic, Ruby. Did you know that? It’s been years since she’s been to confession. I think she was dying to share everything.”
I refuse to look at him. “Then you know if you cheat on her, she will try to kill you.”
“Ruby …”
On a heavy sigh, I look at him with a slight wince as the pain from my surgery makes a claim for my attention. “I don’t blame her. Not for any of it. You know that’s not me. But … it’s not just about her.”
“Theo.”
I nod. “This has consumed his life.” And it nearly took mine. “I can’t know what happened and not tell him. It would ruin us.”
“You want her to turn herself in.”
I close my eyes.
“You’re in pain. We don’t have to talk about this now.” He takes my hand. “You are my priority. Always.”
“But you have feelings for her. I can tell and they’re not like anything you’ve had for other women.
” He went to prison for me—for Daniel. Communal underwear.
Oscar would do anything for me. My mother died thirty years ago.
He’s been in prison for a decade. I’m torn between two men who I love so damn much.
“You’re my priority,” he whispers before pressing a kiss to my head. “Now, get some rest. I’ll have the nurse come in and make sure you have what you need for the pain. We’ll be back later.”