Hers To Keep (Servite Academy #2)

Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

ACE

S he ran to him. She fucking ran to him. She’s down on her knees before him, as he sits there bloody and bruised, and worst of all, she knows I put him there.

Not directly. Sad to say, I didn’t get my turn at the bastard after finding him at The Gallows. My boys had all the fun once they brought him here a couple nights ago when he followed us. But he’s here by his own doing. He’s here because he went snooping. He stuck his nose where it should have never been, and now he’s stuck in this predicament.

We found out he’s been asking around about us. Our people are loyal to only us, and while they may have spoken out of turn, they came crawling back to ask for forgiveness and gave the poor bastard up. It was them that led him to The Gallows. The rumor mill in this town is the only thing that spreads faster than the drugs we sell. And it was a huge mistake.

Rumor is he thinks we have something on Little Red and are forcing her into something she doesn’t want. He would have been right when she first got here, but now, whether or not she believes it, she’s exactly where she wants to be.

But he saw things he shouldn’t have. Found out things he’s better off forgetting, and it’s up to us now to make sure he never speaks.

“You son of a bitch, you did this!” she shouts, angrily pounding against my chest. Big eyes red rimmed and glossy, a soft, almost iridescent blue. I grab her wrists, holding them down on my chest to stop them from banging against me and her small fists feel like a ladybug’s tiny legs tapping against my chest—barely noticeable, but I see it’s taking everything in her. Her breath hitches as she senses me stiffen, her hands vibrating in sync with the beating of my heart.

“I may have been the one to put him in this chair, but I didn’t force him into this difficult situation. Trust me it wasn’t without warning. He just couldn’t stay out of it,” I say, her eyes darkening at my admittance.

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do with him,” my Uncle Wesley says. “He knows too much and unlike you, my dear, he’s not needed.” The fury in her eyes that burns like a raging fire turns somber as she looks at my uncle. A plea of sorts visible in her vivacious blue eyes as she all but crawls to him, falling into submission.

“No!” she mutters in between sobs, “I’ll do it. I’ll do what you ask, whatever you want, but please don’t hurt him.” My uncle steps forward, squatting down to meet her. Her head hangs low as he reaches out, cupping her chin and tilting it up toward him.

“I knew you’d see it my way. It’s the only option you have.”

“How did you know she’d agree to that?” I ask, furiously slamming my hands upon my uncle’s desk. Bass stands by the door, his head hanging down, acting like he’s not paying any attention. It’s his usual move. I know he heard what Eli Hargrove admitted to me the night I questioned him at The Gallows, but he won’t say a word. Not until I am the one who confides in him. It’s how we were taught–to not ask questions unless it’s asked of us.

“Ace, my boy, you still have a lot to learn,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “Her beauty has blinded you. I understand that better than anyone. Trust me. Us Servite men, as much as we would hope to be, are not immune to a rare, extraordinary beauty such as hers. But you weren’t able to see past that, to understand her true weakness.”

I shake my head at his cynicism. “I did as you asked, you told me to isolate her from her friends. That she needed to feel alone with no other options in order to be more susceptible to your demands.”

“Yes, son, but I also asked you to make her vulnerable. You were so blinded by your dick, and by its affection toward her, you missed a vital clue. Her relationship with the Dragon boy went beyond two lovers. They are connected by their past, linked by their pain, and sown together by their need for a family. Simply breaking them up would not do the trick.”

“So you threaten her with his life. You tell her you will destroy him, kill him, unless she complies with whatever you ask of her. That she must convince him to keep quiet,” I sneer furiously, once again not understanding the point to his endless charades.

“A girl like Scarlett doesn’t care what happens to her. She’s selfless, blindly puts others' well-being before her own. Honestly, nothing like what I expected her to be. It’s refreshing. Her mother is the complete opposite. Selfish is Lilith’s middle name, but Scarlett is not motivated by false threats. Despite what has happened in her life, she still hopes to see the best in people. That, my boy, is her greatest flaw and it will be her downfall.”

“And the perfect opportunity for us,” I scoff at his arrogance.

“Exactly. What happened here today will be a minor setback. She will try to fight you. Deny the feelings she has for you. It’s her survival instinct. You and the boys were raised with everything you could ever dream of. She was raised with nothing. So it’s natural for her to doubt everything, to trust no one. But she will come around, if not for her own feelings then the fear we’ve instilled in her today.”

“Why?” I whisper barely audible.

“Why?” he repeats, mockingly.

“I ask nothing of you. I don’t demand reasons or explanations from you. I do as I’m told and turn a blind eye to everything else that doesn’t concern me in your businesses. But I ask now, why her? What is so special about Scarlett Steele? Why is she here?”

He walks over to the bar located beside his desk, looking out the window as he pours two glasses of bourbon. He slowly heads over to me and hands me one as he gulps down the other.

“There is a reason, son, but you’re not ready to hear it. She’s not ready to hear it. And despite what you believe, the moment I tell you, you’ll run to her. So for now, you do as you’re told, and continue - no questions asked. You’ll be eighteen soon, a month away, and you’ll know more. More about our business, more about your place in our world. It will all make sense soon. As for now…”

“I must act like nothing’s changed. Be her shadow. Continue to follow her, follow her every move, and report back,” I say, filling in the blanks.

He steps closer to me, placing a hand upon my shoulder. “Exactly, I have my own eyes on her, but you are my middleman, my most trusted soldier. My family, my blood.”

I shrug out of his hold, turning to walk away, but stop, turning back to him. “What did you tell him? When I left the room last night, what did you tell him that suddenly made him submit?”

He turns back toward his desk, pulling out his chair and sitting down as he continues to speak. “Just like her, I threatened him with the one thing he cares for most. If he speaks out of turn, I made it quite clear I’d ruin her, with the one thing he fears most. I’d make her work for me at The Gallows.” He crosses his arms across his chest, a cold shield of indifference covers his eyes as he speaks.

“Same goes for you. You do anything out of turn, which compromises me, I will make her work for me. I’m a man of my word, and we both know her last visit to The Gallows was not a pleasant one. You keep that in mind, nephew.” We were taught to never show weakness, to never share a glimpse of what we’re truly feeling inside. As I look up into his eyes, I see absolutely nothing.

I stare at him, not at all taken aback by his threats, and bring the glass of bourbon to my lips, swiftly taking a drink. Like fuel it ignites a fire in my throat as it burns down my throat. Once I’m finished, I slam the glass upon his desk, shattering it with the force. He grins as he stares at the broken glass in my palm, my blood delicately coating the shards. I grab his suit coat from atop his desk using it to wipe the blood off my palm before throwing it back on the desk. Without another word, I quickly exit the office slamming the door behind me.

He fucking had the nerve to threaten me.

I can’t believe the shit show that has been these last couple of days. From finding out my uncle’s being blackmailed, to running into Drake at The Gallows, to Scarlett finding out about her mother, to Chaz being murdered before her eyes, thinking it was me. She wakes up not only to find out she’s been drugged, but that we have her little pet tied up to a chair near death. And then he threatens her once again, all the while I look like the bad guy for not stepping in.

If only she knew it would be more dangerous to her if I get involved. If he finds out the true reason I’m protecting her, the only reason I’m still obeying his orders, he’d without hesitation destroy her.

I am falling for Scarlett Steele.

Hell, I’ve fallen harder than I ever thought possible. Like an angel plummeting to my death, like a devil rising from the shallows only to be resurrected by her innocence .

The sultry vixen takes over my every thought and has brought every emotion out of me. The angelic goddess in her gives me hope, makes me believe there is more to this world than what I have seen, what I’ve endured. She’s the light at the end of my dark tunnel, the silver lining amidst this hellish grave I find myself in, and to think I could have lost her. I’ll never accept it. I need to find a way to make her see that this is all an illusion. I wear this disguise to fool those around me, to make him believe I’m still the valiant soldier, the devoted warrior, the obedient beast.

I’ve found a new divine being to worship, and her name is Scarlett Steele.

I walk down the hall, heading toward the room she is in about to open the door when Bass places his hand upon mine. I look up at him, furious he’s stopping me, but he slowly shakes his head, motioning for me to follow.

He leads me to the back house I usually occupy, where Scarlett and I slept together for the first time, my body instantly remembering, as it aches to have her near me. He opens the door, motioning for me to step in, where I know the rest of the guys are waiting for me. And like expected, inside I find Alek and Beck sitting comfortably on the sofa watching some tacky porn film on my big screen TV. I head over to my closet, quickly changing out of the clothes I’m in and throwing on a pair of black boxers and another black V-neck shirt. Bass heads over to the bar at the end of the room, pouring us each a drink, before coming over to the couches.

“What the fuck are you guys watching? Are we in middle school again?” I ask, moving over to sit on the couch beside Bass.

“What, you mean to tell me you don’t watch porn anymore, Ace?” asks Alek, stunned by my reaction.

“He’s got no need to. Can’t you see he has a fucking porn star looking babe for a girlfriend,” Beck says, making me throw the cushion beside me at him, but he blocks me and starts laughing. “Piss off, man, I was only joking. We all know she’s much hotter. ”

“Fuck off. Why are we watching this?” I ask, frustrated by their behavior. I guess it’s normal to act as if the world isn’t falling apart around us.

Beck turns to me and starts explaining. “You see, ever since we ran into the Spencer twins at The Gallows, and that it’s been days since Alek’s had his dick sucked, he thought it would be prudent to watch a critically acclaimed porn film with two lesser versions of the sexy twins.” A loud moan makes us all turn to the screen just as one girl starts sucking off the dude laying on the bed, while her twin sister sits on his face. Their resemblance to Remi and Lexi is clear.

“Wow, Alek, didn’t think you’d slum it up with some tramps,” Bass says, turning to me as we clink our glasses together, laughing. Looks like the pretentious dick has a crush on the dirt-poor trailer girls. I guess they’re not dirt poor anymore.

“Fuck you, that’s not why we’re watching,” Alek shouts angrily, gulping down his drink.

“Gosh, can you imagine, Alek, your mum would have a fucking aneurysm. My son with a lowly trailer trash whore,” Beck says, mocking Alek’s mother, Ariana Smoak.

“Fuck you, Beck, at least I show interest in a girl. You haven’t fucked anyone in months. Pining for another dude, are we?”

“Fuck you, you arse. Just because I’m not fucking every girl in sight or am stuck here watching porn trying to get over the girl I’ll never have, doesn’t mean I’m batting for the other team,” Beck shouts back and I’ve had enough of these fucking morons.

“Enough, all of you!” I shout, irritated. “We’ve got bigger problems to deal with. Now, I’m leaving in twenty minutes, with or without you.” I get up and head over to my bathroom for a much-needed cold shower.

After my shower, I come back out to find the room empty, as I change into a pair of dark jeans and the same V-neck shirt I was wearing earlier, but throw a black, long sleeve flannel shirt over it. I head over to the bar and find Bass sitting on a stool, drinking straight out of a bottle of bourbon.

“Fuck, you good to drive?” I ask, grabbing the bottle from him.

“You know I never drive sober, Ace,” he answers, trying to grab the bottle back from me. I set it down on the counter, moving over to grab two bottled waters out of the fridge. I open one, handing it to him, before opening the other and drinking it all in one go.

“You good, man?” I ask, looking up at him. He wears a distraught look on his face, one I’ve noticed he wears daily now.

“Aren’t I always?” he answers mockingly. “I don’t feel anything, therefore I shouldn’t ever be anything but content.”

“All right, man, just asking.”

“You ever wonder what we did in our past life, for this life to treat us so horribly?” he asks solemnly.

I can see the somber haze in his gray eyes, clouding whatever it is he truly means to feel. “For someone who feels nothing, that was pretty deep, Bass.”

“Seriously though. I’d like to think I was Al Capone, Manson, or maybe even Pablo Escobar. Someone who did terrible things. It’s the only explanation as to why we are burdened with living this life we live.”

“We’ve had everything we could have ever dreamed of. Money has never been and will never be an obstacle,” I answer, knowing that’s not really what he means.

“But at what cost?” he says, lowering his head. It’s then I feel it too. I’m kidding myself if I honestly believe that I could ever be happy with Scarlett. Happiness isn’t in my path.

“Happiness. Love. We can fool ourselves into believing we might somehow still be worthy, but the truth is, how can we be? We don’t even understand what it truly means.”

“And that will be our downfall, brother,” he says, jumping off the stool and patting me on my back. “Those girls won’t be our salvation. They’ll be our destruction.” However, as he walks out the door, once again, I can’t help but disagree.