Chaos by Sarah Bailey
Thirty Two
Francis
I didn’t think I would be happy to be attending a fucking football match today, but after all the shit between Drake and Scarlett, I was glad to be out of the damn building. The aftermath of Drake’s loss of control had been messy. I’d found him on the roof, pacing and dragging his hands through his hair. It took me half an hour to convince him to come back downstairs. He’d gone on and on about how he’d totally fucked up, and Scarlett would never forgive him for going too far. If he just apologised to her, things would likely blow over, but I let him work out his feelings until he’d calmed down.
Over the next couple of days, Scarlett refused to go near him and only communicated with him through email. After his whole guilt rant about the situation, it didn’t come as a surprise when he acquiesced to her desire not to be around him. He had even taken to making his own coffee, something I’d taken the piss out of him for. Not that he’d been very impressed. Tonya offered to make it, but Drake told her it was none of her business and she should stick to doing the job he paid her for. I had a feeling that after she’d given Scarlett a hard time, Drake was less inclined to be nice to his step-cousin.
Speaking of Tonya, she was getting on my last fucking nerve. She’d had the audacity to ask me about Scarlett and her relationship with us. I’d politely told her our personal lives had nothing to do with work. Not sure she liked my answer, judging by the way she’d started giving me attitude for the rest of the week.
So yeah, I was glad to be away from the fucking drama, even if it meant I had to see the man who’d taken our girl from us.
I pulled up in the car park near the stadium and turned off the engine. Scarlett and I had changed into smart casual clothes for this little outing. She rubbed her fingers along her black jeans, telling me she was nervous. I reached over and stroked her cheek, making her turn her face towards me.
“We don’t have to go. I can take you somewhere else instead.”
She gave me a tentative smile.
“I promised my dad.”
I didn’t give a single fuck about watching the game. It hardly interested me. I was here for Scarlett’s protection. To make sure Stuart didn’t try to take her back. Drake was suspicious about what Stuart wanted and so was I. The fucker wouldn’t ask to see Scarlett unless it was for a good reason. And no doubt one we wouldn’t be privy to. I was under orders to allow this to play out unless he tried to take Scarlett. Then all bets were off.
I didn’t care if Stuart would be unhappy about me showing up with her. There was no way we would have ever let her go with Mason. He needed to stay away from her. And he had so far, but it didn’t mean any of us trusted it would remain that way. Mason was a sneaky little fuck.
“Come here.”
My hand curled around Scarlett’s jaw. I drew her closer, wanting to reassure her everything would be okay. She’d told me I was her safe place. I intended to keep being it for her as long as I could. She’d felt the same way when we were younger. Scarlett always came to me when she was afraid or hurting. Likely why she’d told me about her and West’s relationship. She didn’t tell me she’d slept with him, only they were making a go of being a couple. Keeping it from Drake and Prescott hadn’t been easy, but I didn’t want to betray Scarlett’s confidence even after she disappeared.
Scarlett’s hand landed on my chest right before I captured her mouth. A low moan sounded in her throat when my tongue met hers. She’d braided her hair down her back. I wrapped my fist around it, holding her in place. I didn’t want her going anywhere. If anything, I wanted to pull her in my lap, tie her hands to the steering wheel behind her, and fuck her until she screamed.
I shook those thoughts from my head. My imagination kept running away with me every time I got close to her. It urged me to do things to her I’d banned myself from even considering.
I released her, knowing if I kept this up, it wouldn’t do me any favours. Scarlett blinked rapidly before her eyes focused on mine. Her fingers curled into the collar of my black shirt. I stroked her face again.
“You make me want things I can’t have, Scar,” I murmured.
“Like what?”
My hand drifted from her face to her chest, stroking across where her heart lay. I wasn’t jealous of her love for Prescott, but I wanted her heart mine too. Fucked up when I hadn’t given her my own in return. I was wary of it when she didn’t remember us. Besides, trust didn’t come easily to me.
I might have grown up in a well-adjusted household with normal parents, but I’d seen the ugliness of the world far too many times, courtesy of my friends. Watching Drake’s family get torn apart by his father. Seeing how Prescott was affected by the shit stain that was his absentee father. Not to mention how West’s parents had disowned him. Sure, West could be one crazy motherfucker, but they had no excuse for it. You don’t abandon your sixteen-year-old kid whose girlfriend was in a tragic accident and subsequently went missing because you can’t handle his behaviour resulting from it. They didn’t want a son with sociopathic tendencies. Sure, he might have continued living with them until he was eighteen, but they were barely on speaking terms. Now he had nothing to do with them.
Drake, Prescott, West, and I were a family. And we needed the woman who belonged with us to complete it.
Scarlett looked down at my fingers, a frown appearing on her brow.
“I’ll tell you later. We should get to the stadium.”
I opened the car door and slid out, leaving her staring after me. Waiting whilst she got herself together, I leant up against the side of the car and shook myself. I had zero intention of telling Scarlett anything, no matter how much I wanted to.
She got out of the car and slammed the door shut before coming around it. I was about to shove off it when she stepped in front of me and ran her hands up my chest. My breath caught at the vulnerability in her eyes.
“You never talk about yourself to me… apart from the rope stuff. I want to know you, Frankie. Why won’t you let me in?”
I swallowed. How I wished I could. I’d tell her everything. How much I’d suffered without her. How I’d fucked up and hurt a girl I cared about because I went too far in a sexual game. And how she’d almost died of an overdose, courtesy of West’s intervention. It was my fault. I should have paid more attention.
I’m still sorry, Chelsea. I wish I could make it up to you.
Reaching up, I stroked Scarlett’s shoulder.
“What do you want to know, Scar?”
“Anything. Like do you have siblings? What’s your favourite food? How come you do whatever Drake tells you to?”
I snorted at the last question. Then I removed her hands from my chest and took one of them instead, pulling her away from the car. I locked it and stuffed the keys in my pocket. Scarlett stared up at me as we walked out of the car park.
“I’m an only child. My favourite food is banoffee pie. And Drake is a subject we’re not going to discuss tonight. Did you forget you’re mad at him?”
“Frankie…”
I sighed and rubbed my cheek.
“I don’t do everything he tells me. I’ve told him to go fuck himself before and I’d do it again. Keeping you safe is an entirely different matter. I don’t think you realise how important you are to all of us.”
“I don’t know why. I’m just a girl.”
You’re the girl who completed our gang of five as kids. You belong with us.
I leant closer.
“No, you’re a rather impressive woman who has captured the attention of the infamous Four Horsemen. I reckon if people knew, they’d be rather envious of your position.”
She snorted and batted my arm.
“Shut up.”
“It’s true.”
“Oh yeah? Is that why Tonya hates me so much?”
I shrugged.
“She’s her father’s least favourite child. Guess she has an inferiority complex and seeing you get what she wants, which is Pres, by the way, has made her mad.”
“What?”
Turning to Scarlett, I gave her a wink.
“I said what I said.”
Whilst Drake might tolerate his step-uncle, it didn’t mean he was unaware of Fletcher’s faults. Number one being his eight kids by six different women. Tonya happened to be the result of a one-night stand I was relatively sure Fletch wished had never happened, judging by the way he talked about his daughter and her mother. Getting her a job at our company had been his way of placating Tonya.
“Pres is mine so she can fuck off.”
I laughed at the murderous look in Scarlett’s eyes at the thought of Prescott being anywhere near Tonya.
“Possessive much?”
She looked up at me, her eyebrows raising.
“I don’t know why you’re amused. You’re mine too. And considering you’ve seen what I’m capable of, I’d say you better watch yourself, Frankie.”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. My heart hammered in my chest at the fact she’d called me hers. Before I could make an absolute fool of myself by melting before her eyes, I grinned.
“Is that so?”
We reached the stadium, finding queues of fans outside. Scarlett stopped me from walking any further by stepping into my path and putting her hand on my chest.
“Do you have a problem with being mine?”
“No.”
“Good.”
The next thing I knew, she’d tugged me down towards her and kissed me in front of everyone. I could hear a bunch of cheers in the background and someone shouted, “Get in there, my son.” I wanted to roll my eyes, but my mouth was too busy being claimed by Scarlett and her delectable lips.
When she released me, Scarlett’s eyes were shining and her mouth was glistening. I swiped my thumb over her bottom lip.
“Was that necessary?” I muttered. “We’re getting ogled by a thousand people right now.”
“Completely.”
“Are we going to have to queue with them?”
She smiled, shook her head before taking my hand again.
“Nope.”
Scarlett pulled me away from the queuing fans and walked around the building until we came to another entrance. When she approached it, she flashed some passes in her hand and we were allowed through. We stopped inside to talk to someone who directed us where to go to see her father.
“VIP treatment?” I asked.
“Sort of. They don’t know I’m his kid. Dad likes to keep his private life… private.”
More like he didn’t want anyone knowing about the nefarious shit he’d done. For him to invite her to a game, it meant something was up. I didn’t comment on it, merely let Scarlett lead the way towards the stairs up to the higher floors where Stuart’s box and our seats were.
When we reached his box, Scarlett let go of my hand and looked up at me.
“Is it okay if I speak to my parents alone?”
I nodded. She gave me a shy smile as I followed her into the room and stopped just inside the door, slightly off to the side. I watched Scarlett approach a man and a woman by the large windows, looking over the pitch. Stuart Carver was a short, jacked-up man with beady eyes and a bald head. He was wearing a grey suit with a black open-necked shirt. Next to him stood his wife, Phoebe. She had dyed blonde hair, long manicured nails, a face full of makeup and a ridiculously skin-tight black dress on. I tried not to glare at the two of them and kept my hands loose when they tried to curl into fists.
“Scarlett,” Stuart boomed, giving her a pat on the back before Phoebe embraced her.
I could feel the tension in the air between the three of them. Scarlett clearly didn’t want to be anywhere near them, judging by the fake smile she’d plastered on her face. I wanted to go wrap my arm around her and stake my fucking claim, but I stayed where I was, hating every single moment. Hating the way he casually touched her as they talked in low tones like she was a piece of fucking property. If I could gut the man right now, I would, especially when he turned his eyes my way and gave me a death stare. To piss him off, I smiled at him.
Fuck you, Stuart. Just fuck you.
Yeah, we might have wronged him, but I didn’t give a shit. The cunt deserved it. In fact, he deserved everything coming his way. There was no way in hell any of us would give the fucker mercy when we got our hands on him. And we would… eventually. He stole our woman. We weren’t the type of men who forgave easily. And Stuart Carver had signed his own death warrant the day he’d taken Scarlett from us.
