Carnage by Sarah Bailey

Eleven

Prescott

Scarlett seemed rather out of sorts when I’d said hello to her. It made me want to find out what was going on in her head. It’s why I’d invited her in despite knowing we both should be working. I shouldn’t treat Scarlett like I’d known her most of my life, even though I had. She didn’t know who we were and it bothered me. However, I couldn’t allow her to see how uneasy she made me feel.

She followed me over to my seating area by the windows. I sat down, setting my ankle on one knee. I leant back and appraised her. Scarlett sank down into one of the armchairs and rubbed her temple again.

“Headache?” I asked.

I had a feeling I should not have called her sweetness. It came out without me thinking. We had this stupid joke between the two of us. Scarlett was sweetness and light and all things nice because she was lovely to people, even those she hated. Behind closed doors, Scarlett could be as savage as they came. A side of her only we got to see. It’s what made her one of us. She revelled in the darkness, even if she never saw how fucked up the four of us were. Scarlett kept us from sinking into hell and without her, we’d only got worse.

Is she the same now? Does she still put on an act for the world? Fuck, I want to ask her everything.

“A little,” she replied. “Just came on.”

“Do you need some water or painkillers?”

She shook her head.

“Something stronger?”

Her eyes raised to mine, widening slightly.

“It’s barely nine-thirty.”

I shrugged, resting my arm on the back of the sofa.

“Always five o’clock somewhere.”

Scarlett’s lips curved up.

“You got booze stashed away in your desk then?”

I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, noting the way her eyes tracked its progress.

“Maybe I do… want to check?”

I waggled my eyebrows, which only made her snort.

“You giving me permission to rifle through your drawers?”

“Depends on what type of drawers we’re talking about.”

It took her a second to get my innuendo. Then her face flushed and her hands curled into her skirt. She let out a nervous laugh as if she wasn’t sure whether to take me seriously or not. I never joked about sexual matters. Hell, I wouldn’t object to her sliding her hand under my clothes. In all honesty, I wanted her to. Lying about it seemed futile. The image of her hitching up her skirt and straddling me assaulted my senses. Her running her fingers down my chest, flicking open the buttons on my shirt and scraping her nails down my skin. I fought to keep my face clear of my wayward thoughts.

“You’re funny,” she mumbled before looking away.

Was I making her uncomfortable? If I was, I didn’t care. In fact, I welcomed it. We’d agreed to fuck with her as much as we could. Scarlett might have been one of us long ago, but it wasn’t the case now. It was so far from the case, it was fucking laughable… except it made me feel shit instead.

When she’d been torn out of our lives, it had left a gaping hole in our little group of five. One we’d never attempted to fill because no one could replace her. No one knew us in the way she did. And now she couldn’t remember a single thing about it. We were all strangers and it fucked with my head. More than I’d admitted to the others. I wanted her to look at me with a spark of recognition. I needed to see the way her hazel-green eyes twinkled whenever they fell on me.

“What do you say, Pres? Should we break into West’s dad’s drinks cabinet and get wasted?”

Scarlett’s eyes were bright with mischief, making me grin.

“You already know what I’m going to say.”

It didn’t matter that we were only fourteen. Nothing mattered when it came to Scarlett, me and the guys having fun and doing whatever the fuck we wanted.

“My dad is going to kill me,” West muttered. “Let me get something to jimmy the lock.”

“I’ll help,” Scarlett said, giving me a wink before she and West disappeared into the kitchen.

This whole fucking situation frustrated the hell out of me, but I couldn’t afford to let it impede our plans. We’d waited long enough to return her to our sides. Two weeks was nothing compared to ten years of biding our time.

“You feeling any better?” I asked, wondering what she was thinking so hard about.

She had small frown lines between her brows.

“A little, I guess. I don’t know what came over me.”

She had just left Drake’s office. I could only imagine what he’d said or done. He might like to hide his dark urges under his mask of indifference, but Drake was as fucked up as they came. There was no doubt in my mind when he got his hands on Scarlett, she’d be in for a surprise. Then again, I was slightly more concerned about her being around West. His penchant for violence scared a lot of people. Mixed with the obvious repression of his feelings for Scarlett, it could be a deadly combination.

Fuck it. Scarlett had been as tough as fucking nails when we were kids. Even if she couldn’t remember a single damn thing, I was sure that girl still lurked somewhere inside her. She could fucking take it.

“I should really get back to work,” she said, standing up abruptly.

For a moment, I stared at her whilst she fidgeted under my gaze, her eyes darting away all over again. Then I rose to my feet, noting the way she watched me under her lashes. Closing the distance between us, I looked down at her. Her lip trembled as if nerves had spiked in her system, and my proximity made her wary.

I noticed a figure in the doorway behind her, which made my lip curl up. West stood there, his eyes intent on Scarlett. So many emotions burned in those amber depths. Lust, hatred, violence, pain, desire, need. I’d noticed the way he’d looked at her our whole lives. As if she was the sun and he was basking in her fucking glory. Well, now West could bask in her all over again, but this time, the rest of us would too.

I was about to open my mouth to introduce him when he shook his head. West didn’t want her to know he was standing there. I decided to fuck with him. Perhaps then he’d have the balls to introduce himself to her.

I reached up, my fingers finding the small strands of hair framing her face and curling it around them. Scarlett sucked in a breath. West gripped the doorframe, irritation and rage painting his features.

Good. Let it the fuck out, West, just like you always do. Fuck knows we can’t deal with you when you’re bottling shit up.

Scarlett stared up with me, her eyes wide and her expression one of confusion mixed with caution.

“I do hope you didn’t take my joke seriously, Scarlett.”

“About the drawers?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“I didn’t.”

I leant closer, turning my face so I skimmed past hers. Her breathing stuttered as my lips brushed over the top of her ear. I watched West’s fingers around the doorframe go white.

“I wouldn’t want you to think I was being inappropriate.”

What I was doing now was probably entirely inappropriate, considering she was our employee. I didn’t give two flying fucks. Scarlett was ours. We needed to take her and make her realise it… over and over again.

“I-I-I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort,” she stammered.

“Good,” I murmured, my fingers tightening around her hair. “We take cases of sexual harassment very seriously here. If I say anything you feel crosses a line, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Her breath fluttered across my neck, making me aware of how affected by me she was. Fuck, I could barely control myself now I was inches from her body. She wore this spiced scent, which I couldn’t help but want to inhale from her neck. I clenched my free hand so I wouldn’t act on the urge.

“I will.”

“Good girl.”

She let out this little sound which was a mix between a moan and a squeak, but it was so quiet, I had to strain to hear it. And it made my dick fucking hard. I wanted to know what she was wearing under her skirt. To run my fingers up her inner thigh and brush them across her underwear. To see if she was soaked for me.

I hadn’t looked at Scarlett this way when we were younger. It never occurred to me I could. She was one of the boys. The moment I’d seen her again as Scarlett, the fully grown woman, all I wanted to do was pin her down and infect her mind with dirty, deviant desires so she’d be as corrupted as the rest of us. I wanted to drag her down into the dark and keep her there forever.

She’s ours. She belongs to us. She always has.

Only now, we all wanted her to belong to us in a very different way.

Biting my lip as I stared at West, who looked like he wanted to outright murder me, I stepped back. I gave him a smile, which I don’t think helped matters.

Scarlett blinked, her eyes still fixed on me with her fists curled around her skirt as if she was trying not to act on the potent lust permeating the air.

“I’ll see you later then, shall I… sweetness?”

“Ah, yes. Thank… thank you for letting me sit for a few minutes.”

I licked my lip as my hand dropped from her hair.

“You’re welcome.”

When I looked over at the door again, West had disappeared. No doubt to go deal with his anger. I pitied the poor fool who got caught in the crossfire. Maybe it would be Tonya. The bitch needed taking down a peg or two. I wished we didn’t have to keep her around. She was always trying to stick her nose into business she shouldn’t. I was pretty sure the fact she was shit scared of West was the only reason she ever stayed in line.

I watched Scarlett leave the room, her hips swaying with each step. It didn’t help my current predicament. Adjusting myself, I walked over to my desk and sat down. It’s not as if I could take her the way I wanted yet. Patience wasn’t exactly my strong point. I’d have to do something about this later.

Soon, I’d be able to indulge in the desires running rampant through my head when it came to Scarlett. Soon, all of us would have her right where we wanted her. And it kept me from doing anything stupid.