Page 30 of Fighting for Scarlett

“I'm a little offended you would even think that,” Lucy said in that straightforward way of hers.

“B-but you weren't th-there,” Scarlett cried. If they believed she was innocent, why did they leave her to face the wolves all on her own when she was nothing but a helpless sheep in comparison to what she was up against?

“We wanted to be there, Scarlett,” Cassie told her. “But we weren't allowed. Orders were everyone from Prey had to keep their distance. We all believe in you, the guys, too, they’re super mad at being forced to stay away. They wanted to be here when you got home but we told them it might be too overwhelming for you after everything you’ve been through.”

“Plus, we were a little selfish and wanted you all to ourselves,” Ella added. “We got your back. Always.”

“Someone not emotionally invested in you had to be the one to clear you,” Lucy added. “Which is why orders were all Prey people had to stay away. It killed us. We’ve been terrified ever since I got your text asking for help.”

“So, y-you don’t think I w-was trying to sell o-our drug?” she asked, needing to hear it again if she had any hope of believing it.

“Not in this lifetime,” Lucy answered.

“Not in any lifetime,” Ella clarified.

“Like Ella said, we got your back,” Cassie said. “All of us. You know Prey is a family and we know you would never betray us like that.”

“But there’s some email I supposedly sent.” Worried they didn't know all the details and that was why they believed in her, she dropped her gaze just in case they were about to back away from her now they knew.

“You didn't send that email,” Lucy said fiercely.

Relieved, Scarlett felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. “I didn't,” she agreed. “But somebody did.”

“Someone who’s trying to frame you,” Cassie said, stating the only logical conclusion.

“But who? And why? And how am I going to prove it?” Just because her team believed in her didn't mean she was anywhere close to clearing her name.

January 14th

5:50 P.M.

There was one thing Tate knew about Scarlett Madden with absolute certainty.

The woman had absolutely no idea how to pay attention to her surroundings.

He’d followed her out of Prey’s building, watched her get into an Uber, got into his car, and tailed her on the drive home.

Of course, he was tailing her because he wanted to see where she was going to go and if she was going to meet up with anyone, nothing more personal. Likely the same reason she had been released rather than held in a cell where she belonged. So far, she hadn't cracked, hadn't changed so much as a single detail from her story, and if they wanted to get more proof of what she’d done, they needed to shake things up a little.

If Scarlett felt like she was being believed, then she would slip up.

When she did, he would be right there waiting.

No one else had tailed her, and he had to wonder if despite there being a discrepancy with her polygraph, maybe she had been cleared. After all, it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that someone had set her up.

Despite being in prison serving a ten-year sentence for dealing drugs, his father was completely innocent. Well, his dad had turned into an addict, and he had married a dealer, but he was not guilty of the crimes he’d been charged with.

Could the same be true for Scarlett?

Knowing firsthand how badly it sucked to know the truth and have no one believe you, a surge of guilt had him tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

If Scarlett was innocent, he owed her a huge apology.

Major apology.

But that was still a big if as far as he was concerned.

Not that her team seemed to agree.

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