Chapter 7

SCARLET

7

Isat back on my heels as a knock resounded through the room.

"Cristian, go. And turn off the damn jammer," Ty ordered, and Cristian sighed but did as asked, gliding past me and giving me a wicked smirk as I glared daggers back.

"Julian, bring me her phone."

So Mr. Hair Dryer head was Julian. Now I finally knew all their names. Perfect. The three Silvestri brothers. A bunch of goddamn pricks by all accounts.

"Looks like we have more guests," Cristian called out, and I whipped my head to the front door, my blood running cold as two security guards walked in with Ray and Noms. Noms' wide eyes met mine, and they only widened even more as they dropped to my throat.

"Scar—"

"We have much to discuss, I suggest you stay quiet," Ty cut her off, and Noms was quick to clamp her mouth shut. That alone didn't bode well. Noms wasn't afraid of anyone, but the way those blue eyes burned into me, the whites of them visible, it made my stomach churn.

Ray was silent, his face downtrodden as he let his eyes move around the room, taking in the three brothers and my collapsed form on the floor.

"Scarlet Zimmer here agreed to our help, whether she realizes it or not. We did her a favor, and for that, she now owes us. We made her problems go away." Ty was formidable and imposing with how he towered over us all, even bigger and more terrifying than the two security guards holding Noms and Ray. Definitely a man not to be trifled with.

Too bad I just didn't give a flying fuck anymore.

"You killed Tommy you psycho fucks. I never agreed to this! I didn't know he could actually do a damn thing," I snarled, lurching to my feet.

The air was knocked from my lungs as Ty's heavy foot planted on my back, and I lost my precarious footing and collapsed back down, my face slamming into the floor.

"Tommy's dead?" Noms gasped.

"You'd do best to mind your place, pet," Ty said as he kept his shoe firmly on my back, my cheek pressed into the floor.

I'd find a way to break his ankle for this.

"Let her go. You can't do this!" Noms snarled, writhing against the guard holding her. Too bad it was like she was fighting an iron statue, the guard gripping her tight with what looked like little effort.

"On the contrary, Naomi, I can do whatever I want. As an example, the more you argue and fight, the more pain you cause others." Ty's foot lifted from my back, and the crushing sensation on my ribs eased as I sucked in a grating mouthful of air.

He moved past me and towards Noms, and my heart lurched to my throat as I struggled to my knees.

He stepped in front of Ray, blocking my view, but Noms' scream pierced the air as Ray grunted.

Ty stepped aside, casting a dark look back at me with cold, unforgiving eyes. My gaze moved to the knife jutting from Ray's shoulder, my breath catching.

Blood bloomed against his shirt around the blade, and the room sharpened, fear wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket.

"Lesson one," Ty said, his voice steady despite the heaviness of the room now. "Don't ever challenge me."

"Ray didn't do anything!" Noms screamed, tears streaking down her cheeks as she fought the guard to no avail.

Her continued screams echoed off the walls, and I knew one thing for certain: the Silvestri brothers were wild, unpredictable, and absolutely terrifying.

No sound left my lips as I just stared, my blood running cold. My throat wouldn't have allowed me to scream even if I'd wanted to.

"Quiet down," Cristian snapped as he moved before Noms, catching her face in one hand.

Her gaze flicked to me, that fire I knew all too well igniting in those bright blue depths.

Don't do anything stupid, Noms.

Horror flickered over her face, like the weight of it all was hitting hard, but then it was gone, that fire burning it away.

She was strong and stubborn, traits I admired in her. And yet, she also knew when to bend, to focus on the path of least resistance to protect others.

She swallowed, and Ty nodded to his guard.

"Take him to the hospital. See that he gets the correct treatment. I don't want to lose a good bartender." He slid his gaze between Noms and I. "Now, ladies, you are to listen, or things are going to get even more ugly. Ray will live, although he'll now know his place."

I watched silently as the guard holding Ray dragged his stumbling figure back out of the apartment, my heart shattering.

This was all my fault. I'd gotten myself into this mess, and now Noms and Ray had been dragged right into it.

He was right. I always had chaos at my heels.

"Monsters," I whispered, the only word that I could utter, my throat protesting with a vengeance.

Cristian chuckled, the sound dark and smooth as aged whiskey. "Of course we are, sweetheart." He released Noms face, striding over, his shadow falling over me. "Mind you, you weren't complaining last night."

At least he'd moved his focus off Noms, that was all I cared about.

I ground my teeth together, biting back any comeback, both for the sake of not stirring the pot any further, and the fact that words were like razors in my throat right now.

Noms was silent, knowing exactly when she was treading water in a pool filled with sharks. Best not to send them into a frenzy.

"You know we'll have to get someone to cover for him, right?" Julian said with a sigh from the kitchen. "And Inez is sick."

"She is?" Ty arched a brow as he focused on his brother. "Well, let's hope Raymond has a speedy recovery then. You can work on finding a fill-in."

"Just what I want to do," Julian muttered.

"Now, let's get things straight," Ty began, his tone deceptively mild as he focused on Noms and I, "you're not dying today. No one will be. But Scarlet owes us. A price that will be paid in servitude."

I locked eyes with Noms, her golden hair a stark contrast to the dread in her blue eyes. We had been through hell and back together, but this? This felt different. She squared her shoulders, her past giving her an ability to stand strong.

We were alike in that regard, our stories having forged us into women who would take on everything the world threw at us.

"A month," he said, as if he were discussing the weather and not trading in human autonomy. "You'll be ours—our pet." The word rolled off his tongue like a dark promise as those soulless eyes met mine. "Do what's asked, play nice, and after thirty days, you walk. Call it a reasonable price for our... discretion."

The sickness rolled in my stomach as I balled my hands into fists. A pet? The words clawed at me, but I caught Noms' eye—a silent plea not to make it worse. She gave the tiniest nod, and I bit back the bile rising in my throat.

"Is Tommy dead?" The question slipped out, borne from a need to grasp onto something—anything—other than the spiraling chaos.

"Julian?" Ty moved his gaze to his brother with a sigh, as if the question was unworthy of his time. I followed his gaze, willing my heart to slow.

"He's still kicking, minus a hand. At the hospital south. He won't talk."Julian rolled his eyes, a gesture so normal it was obscene given the circumstances. But a weight eased off my chest.

"Julian might have a flair for the dramatics. Both of my brothers do." Ty's words gave me little comfort.

"Yep, sorry, pyro. Tommy's alive, tucked up in a hospital bed. And before you ask," Julian added, as if reading my frantic thoughts, "the waitress has taken the hint. Skipped town. She won't be back."

He said it with such finality that it felt like another door slamming shut. Although it was a welcome one, as I let out the breath I'd been holding. I may have hated her for what she'd done, hated them both, but death was extreme.

"She's going to need some help with her nose, though. You really fucked that up for her," Julian said with a smirk, as if we were slight friends and not predator and prey.

"Now, Naomi Liston, you will not whisper a word of this to anyone. You will continue working as per usual. Should you try anything, then you both will be dealt with. You'll disappear, and no one will be none the wiser," Ty said, and Noms gaze met mine across the room—a grim sort of solidarity passing between us. She jerked her head in the smallest nod, a silent message that she could do this if I could. We both knew what his words insinuated. We'd be wiped away like a useless stain, forgotten and gone in an instant.

Could I survive a month as their pet? A month to avoid a prison cell after their help? To most, that would seem like an irrefutable offer, but considering the servitude they'd demand of me, I was torn.

Too bad they'd already done their part, and there was no way out of this mess.

"How do I know you won't hurt her?" Noms finally asked, jutting her chin out in brash defiance.

"Because I'll allow her to call you every second day for a five minute phone call. That should alleviate your concerns," Ty stated. "You both obey and play your part, and no one will die. You'll both be fine."

"More or less," Cristian interjected, a smirk playing on his lips like he knew secrets darker than we could imagine. My skin rippled at the way those dark eyes danced over my neck, and I couldn't help but lift my hand, tracing the painful memories blooming on my skin.

Noms eyes darted between the brothers, calculating the cost of every breath, every beat of her too-proud heart.

"I'll be fine," I promised, a lie wrapped in good intentions. I knew as well as she did that I'd be far from it, but if what Ty said was true, at least I'd be alive. And considering how quick he'd been to plunge a blade into Ray, I knew this was my best option.

"One month?" Noms reiterated.

"One month. After that, she's free to leave. Reasonable cost for our cover up, don't you think?" Ty stated, and Cristian just arched a brow between us.

He looked displeased with the timeline, but he didn't comment.

Noms' eyes bored into mine, and I nodded, knowing it was our only option now.

I could do this.

I had to.