Page 10 of Triple the Secrets
Now, that all might be a thing of the past if Rogue decided to stick his nose in her business and cause trouble. She didn’t feel that he or his club were involved in sex trafficking, but they weren’t choir boys either. She heard plenty of rumors about the MC, but from what she saw, the men in the club were decent enough, if rough around the edges.
The few she had met at the library were perfectly nice, didn’t cause any problems, and made sure the boys used their manners. The women she met were warm and kind, and a couple of them were pregnant. Still, she needed to be cautious. They might not be involved in trafficking, but that didn’t mean other clubs they knew weren’t.
Before she was taken, she had been living her life, not realizing the danger she was in every day. Not until they had grabbed her right off the damn street and knocked her out. The worst part? She knew no one would be coming for her. Her parents had nothing to do with her, feeling that their duty to her was over the day she turned eighteen, and her sister was much the same. Scarlett had her own life, and she lived it without them.
She had been right, because when it was finally safe for her to contact her family, all they’d had to say was that she should have been more careful. No questions if she was okay, or where she was. She had merely inconvenienced them, and while they were glad she was alive, she wasn’t their problem. It was a harsh blow, and a bitter pill to swallow, but she had hung up and never called them again. She never even told them about the twins.
Instead, she had focused on her new life, leaving the past where it belongs, in the past. She didn’t let herself think of what she had endured in those cages. The starvation, the abuse, the assaults, it was too much for her mind to handle. Especially tonight. They were safe, and they were okay; that was what mattered. Nothing else.
The buzzing of her phone jolted her back to the present and she grabbed it quickly, smiling when she saw Lewis’s name on the screen. The man had become family to them, and he always seemed to know to call when she was having a moment. “Lewis,” she said warmly as she answered.
“I’m here too, missy,” another deep voice quickly jumped in. “And we both know you’d rather talk to me than his grumpy ass.”
Lewis huffed on the other end, making Scarlett chuckle. “Marc,” she said warmly. “You’re back state-side again?” Marc was in the Navy and was often out of the country on secret missions.They could go months without hearing from him.
“Getting too old to be doing this shit,” he groaned. “I’m doing one more tour and then I’ll be done. Might build a cabin beside ol’ grumpy ass here, and spend the rest of my days annoying the shit out of him.”
“Like hell you will,” Lewis barked at him. “Pepper your ass with buckshot, more like it.”
Scarlett grinned. It was an old argument between the two, and while they were constantly bickering, there was no denying they were the best of friends. “Boys,” she said patiently. “Don’t make me come down there and straighten your asses out. Or, rather, send the twins to do it.”
“They still causing trouble?” Lewis asked, the hint of pride in his voice evident.
“They’re fifteen, hormonal, and realizing how smart they are, so what do you think?” Scarlett drawled. “Lord help me when they start dating.”
Marc snorted. “Those boys better have some balls of steel to keep up with those two.”
Scarlett had to agree. The girls knew their own minds, and no one, man or woman, would sway them when they dug in their heels. “No boys should be sniffing around them until they’re thirty,” Lewis griped.
Scarlett snorted. “You want to tell them that?”
“I would if I had more time to argue with them,” he retorted.
“Pussy,” Marc sneered. “Now, Scar, how are you doing? How’s the job?”
Scarlett smiled. “It’s really good. I love it. And I wanted to thank you again for helping me be able to go back to school. I have some money saved up so I can pay you—”
“Stop it right there,” Marc barked at her. “I’m not having this argument again. That was a gift, and you know it. No repayment necessary. You wanted to better yourself and have a better life for the girls. I just helped speed it up a bit. What the hell was I going to do with all that money? No wife or kids, and I’m never home to spend it anyway.”
She didn’t answer, just waited. This was a constant argument with them. The two men had helped them so much, and she owed them more than she could ever repay. Not only did they help them get to somewhere safe, they had given them a new life. They gave her money to help get set up, got her a car, and got them all new clothes. Then Marc had heard about her desire to go back to school and paid for her to go.
“Honey, you might as well give it up,” Lewis advised her. “You and I both know he won’t take your money, so you just keep putting that degree to work and be happy with the girls. That’s thanks and repayment enough.”
“Fine,” she said easily, even though she planned on paying him back every cent, whether he liked it or not.
“Damn stubborn woman,” Marc grumbled.
“Just wait until you can come and visit,” she joked. “You haven’t seen anything until you see the girls in person again.”
“Lord help me,” Marc muttered. “Lewis, I’ll be heading your way first. Gonna need some peace and quiet before I make that visit.”
“You make them sound like terrors,” Scarlett laughed.
“Do you not remember the last time I saw them? They figured out how to hotwire the car and take it for a joyride around the damn block,” he groaned. “They were thirteen! I don’t even want to know what they could do now.”
“Well, you’ll find out when you come to visit,” she said with a smile. “Now, how about you both tell me what’s new.”
As she settled in to listen to them bicker and rant, she glanced out the window. She frowned when she thought she saw a figure across the street, but when she leaned forward to get a better look, there was nothing there. She shook her head. She needed to stop thinking that someone was always after her.
