He dropped my hands and smiled.
“It is. Stay here, I’ll make us something nice.”
As he got up from the sofa, I shrank back into it. There was a lot I had to think about in light of what he’d said to me. Hearing about Stuart’s reasoning for everything made me hate him even more. Yes, the boys had taken away his sons’ lives, but it didn’t justify the things Stuart had done because of it. Especially when he didn’t know what the boys had done to the twins. He didn’t have any evidence or proof. He had made a bunch of assumptions, and not knowing the truth had only fuelled his need for revenge. There was nothing Stuart wouldn’t do to bring down the Horsemen and destroy me in the process. He’d more than proven that now.
Grief did funny things to people. It twisted them into people their former selves might not recognise. I had a feeling when I finally dealt with my own grief regarding my mother, I wasn’t sure I would recognise myself either. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that… at all.
Five
Scarlett
The wind whipped my hair around my face as I stood close to the cliff’s edge, staring out at the sea. Three days had passed since my conversation with Mason. It meant I’d been away for a week at this point. Mason told me it took him a day to travel here from London when I’d asked him about it.
I hugged my woollen cardigan closer around my body, shielding myself from the breeze. It was freezing out here, but I didn’t care. It had finally stopped raining and glimpses of the sun broke through the clouds every so often. Being locked up in that damn house for days on end was wearing me down.
The sea was rough, the waves crashing against the cliffs. Birds were flying around, cawing, but those were the only sounds in the air. The wind, the sea and the wildlife. Having spent half my life in a city and the other half in the countryside, this place felt far bleaker than anywhere else I’d been. The thought of existing here for the rest of my life, cut off from everything I once knew, had tears springing to my eyes. I didn’t want that again. To be locked up. Only this time, it was far more remote.
There was another reason I was out here all alone with my thoughts. Last night my luck ran out. Whilst Mason hadn’t tried to touch me, he spent the night next to me. I’d been so terrified he would do something to me in my sleep, I’d been awake for most of it. After he got up, I was able to sleep the morning away. Of course, he could have done something to me at any point but having him right there left me feeling vulnerable and unprotected.
I needed to get away from here. I had no other choice but to find a way to escape him. Who knew how long it would be until he decided he wasn’t going to wait any longer? Was he planning on trying to woo me or something? There was no way in hell I would ever willingly sleep with him. The thought of it made me ill. His friends had tried to force themselves on me. Did he even know about it? I hadn’t asked. It didn’t matter in all honesty. What fucking difference would it make? It wouldn’t change the situation I was in. It wouldn’t make him buying this house away from everyone else to keep me in any less disturbing. I think that was the worst part of all. He’d planned this for years. He knew how I felt about being locked away. He fucking knew. And even knowing that, he’d done this.
I shivered, shoving it all out of my head. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to cry. The more I wanted to run and never look back. But Mason would come after me. He’d chase me the fuck down and then where would I be? In a worse situation. He would probably stop being nice to me. I couldn’t have that.
I turned to look out over the landscape behind the house, trying not to judge how far I’d have to run. There were hills everywhere, but it didn’t mean there were many places for me to hide. The track to the house was dirt. Who knew how far the main road was from here?
Movement in the distance caught my eye. I blinked, then squinted. Unless I was seeing things, four figures were walking this way. My heart lurched, imagining it might be my men.
Had Prescott, West, Francis and Drake found me?
“Scarlett.”
My head whipped around to the house. Mason stood by the patio door. My eyes went to what he was holding. I swallowed. My heart thumped hard against my ribcage, making me even more nervous.
Why the fuck does he have a shotgun?
I’d never seen a gun in real life before. The sight of him with one made me fear for my life.
“What is it, Mason?”
“Come inside.”
I didn’t want to. Not when he had a fucking gun on him. Why did he even need that? What was the reason he had it out right now?