SCARLET
I stared at him for a moment. That definitely wasn’t what I thought was going to come out of his mouth. Was he testing me?
“I don’t want it, Motshan,” I told him with as stern a voice as I could muster in the moment. “Why the fuck would I want to run a family that tried to have me killed? You are more than welcome to their fucked-up little throne.”
“What do you mean they tried to have you killed?” he asked, his face filled with shock.
“On my twenty-first birthday, I went to sleep and woke up with someone on top of me trying to kill me. It had to be them. I was screaming until my lungs hurt and no one came. And you know as well as I do, that fucking house was never left unattended.”
“Jesus Christ,” he said, leaning up and running his hands over his face. “This is so much more fucked-up than I thought it was. Not that I expected them to tell me the full truth,” he continued. “But they told me you—and I quote—abandoned the family for cock.”
“They would say something like that. Father always did have a way with words.” I sighed and made sure Motshan was looking at me before I continued. “They’re liars, Motshan. It’s what they do. I didn’t abandon the family, Motshan,” I told him sincerely. “I didn’t have any plans to. I mean, what would I have even done with my life? No. I only ran away because it was that or be killed. I lived on the streets for a while before I found odd jobs and shitty roommates to take me in.
“It wasn’t until I met my friend Kenna that I actually got back on my feet. She gave me a place to stay and helped me find jobs that paid better. And I didn’t meet these assholes until they came to a house party to kidnap me for ransom.” I smiled and rolled my eyes at the memory.
“But you are fucking them?” he asked. When I opened my mouth to put him in his place, he laughed. “I’m not judging you, cousin. I mean, who could say no? Especially blondie?” He made a show of fanning himself and leaned back on the couch.
I laughed hysterically.
“Oh my god, Motshan. Does Dad know you’re…?” I trailed off and raised my eyebrows at him, giving him a look.
“What? Into the person regardless of the equipment?” he deadpanned. I nodded, holding back more laughter, because this really wasn’t a light-hearted conversation in a family like ours. It wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t discussed. And you sure as shit didn’t choose a replacement that wouldn’t be spilling seed for an heir.
“Not something I go around broadcasting,” he said. “Anyway,” he said, abruptly changing the subject, “do I get to meet your boyfriends?”
“If you want.” I smiled. “They agreed to let me handle this alone if I wanted.”
“So they treat you well?”
I thought back to my time with them, my brain snagging on the time I spent with Elliot in the garage. Not that I could fault him for trying to take care of his family. He wouldn’t be the man I fell for if he hadn’t. But there had been so many times they offered me my independence when I wanted it. They treated me better than any other relationship I had ever been in, despite being the leaders of a top crime syndicate.
“They do. And before I bring them in here, I’d really like to talk about what this means for us, for our future. Because if you’re back, and you’re on my side in all of this, it would really take some serious shit off my shoulders,” I told him.
“Scarlet, I’ve always been on your side, you know that. But I’m waiting in the wings. I don’t have any sort of pull yet, especially when it comes to something like this. I don’t speak for the family, and I definitely don’t speak for your father.” He sighed and leaned forward again, his face turning serious. “I can’t offer you what you want.”
“What do you think I want?” I asked him.
“You want me to tell you that I can stop this stupid little tiff between our family and your Triad,” I stated.
“It isn’t my Triad,” I insisted.
“Your pussy is wetting their dicks,” he said with a laugh. “It’s as yours as it ever can be. They’re letting you take meetings by yourself. They killed a lot of people to rescue you. They kept you safe from your dad. They’re yours, which in turn means their gang is yours.”
“Okay,” I said, choosing to leave that fight for another day. That wasn’t what I had asked him to meet me for. “Where do we go from here, then?” I asked. “I would really like to get Dad to leave me the fuck alone. I don’t want his legacy. I don’t want or need his money. I don’t want or need any communication with him ever again. He can forget I was ever born if he wants. I just need him to leave me and the boys alone.”
“And to stay on his own turf,” Motshan interjected.
“Yeah, that too,” I sighed. “This shit isn’t going to stop unless we can call a ceasefire.”
“I told you, I don’t have that kind of sway.”
“Motshan,” I said, my annoyance beginning to leak into my tone. “I understand you don’t have that sway yet. But you aren’t useless. He’s grooming you to take his place, which means he will listen to you. You have his ear, which is something I will never have. Will you please help me out here?”
He looked down at his hands folded between his legs, and I followed his gaze, noticing for the first time his scarred skin and bruised knuckles. My gaze wandered up his body, taking in all the little scars here and there that weren’t as noticeable at first. His entire face had old nicks and cuts that continued down his neck. What the fuck had he been through?
“Of course I can,” he finally said. “The only reason I’m hesitant to say this is because I don’t want to get your hopes up.” He paused for a moment, and I stayed quiet, letting him gather his thoughts. I didn’t want to push him too hard and end up pushing him away.
“You know how he is,” he eventually said. “I have to balance this shit. I can’t go in guns blazing because he’s going to think I’ve turned, that I’m weak. If you want me to take over and be your ally in the long run, we have to be careful how we play this. It isn’t going to be an immediate change. He isn’t going to just give up.”
“That makes sense,” Tristan said from the doorway. I jumped at his voice and turned to see all three of them standing there. “Tristan,” he said, introducing himself and extending his hand as he walked over to Motshan.
“Motshan,” he answered, shaking his hand. They went down the line, getting pleasantries out of the way before they all sat down in the living room with us. Seb sat so close to me he might as well have been on top of me, placing a possessive hand on my thigh. Motshan’s eye caught it, and he smiled.