Discovering Scarlett

23 | Spark

Her hand nudged my shoulder. She knew I was lost in my thoughts.

"Are you sure? The color seems to have drained from your face. How did the meeting go?"

Her question simmered in the air. Each second became more suffocating. Tonight, held more revelations than I expected. There was so much hope and lightness that beamed off her face. I didn't want to ruin it. A part of me wanted to wait and save it until tomorrow. But I respected Scarlett too much to lie to her.

Her eyebrows scrunched together. "What happened? Spit it out, no bullshit." I exhaled, I didn't know where to start. She gave me a knowing look and ran a hand through her hair. "You know."

My words lodged in my throat. I wondered what she thought I knew. After tonight, everything was pretty much out there. At least I hoped it was.

"I should have been there for you." I tilted my head down staring at the frayed fabric of her jean shorts. Then brought my gaze to her beautiful brown eyes and my heart clenched. This woman deserved the world, not this.

I swallowed harshly. "I want to spend the rest of my days making it up to you. I will make Thomas pay and whoever else. I'll make sure every day they wish they never messed with you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. I could see everything breaking behind them. "Don't look at me that way. That's the reason I didn't tell you!" She screamed. "I knew you would look at me like that. Full of pity and guilt! Like something broken, like something that needs to be fixed!"

God, That's the last thing I wanted her to feel.

"I don't pity you and I sure as hell don't think you're broken," I reassured her.

It was true. That never crossed my mind when I thought of her. But I know how she felt. It's a look I've grown accustomed to once people knew of my past. It's all they saw.

Her face turned to stone. Anger, frustration, pain and hurt erupting into flames before me. I wanted it all. I could care less If I got burned.

"So, because you feel guilty your what, going to wage a war for me? Ruin the good things, you have going for you? Do you ever think I don't want that sort of weight? You don't have to fight my battles, I can fight them on my own."

"Of course, I'd wage a war for you. You're the type of person that's worth raising hell for and that'd be my choice, my weight to bear." I said, my voice harsh.

We both stilled, the tension crackled between us. She shook her head, frustrated and pissed off like I didn't get her point. Standing, she maneuvered around me.

I got off my knees not being able to tell if she was leaving or going to pace the room. "How are you going to fight them? By putting yourself at risk, making yourself a bigger target?"

That got her attention. She stopped in her tracks and turned around. My attention briefly turned to her breasts as she crossed her arms under them. She mulled things over in her head.

Stepping a foot forward, she looked at me icily. "I can't just not do anything! I can't let them get away with what they did to her, my sister or anyone else! If anyone can bring them down, it's me. You have no clue—"

"Then tell me."

She doesn't think twice about it. Like a dam that broke loose, she told me everything. From Thomas confessing to her that Cain had threatened him with her life to the fact that she thought Cain was behind her sister's accident; about his intimidating tactics and threats and the exact details of her confrontation with Thomas at the hospital.

It all came out quickly and in typical Scarlett rant form. By the end of it, she was exasperated. Her shoulders relaxed, like speaking about this released a burden on her soul. I don't bother to push her further, I don't think my brain can digest any more information. This is a good start for now.