Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 97364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“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.