Page 53 of Fighting for Scarlett

A couple of other office employees.

Not a single one of them stood out to her.

January 16th

9:13 A.M.

She was going to be mad when she realized what he had planned.

Tate knew he wasn’t being fair to Scarlett. She was the one at the center of this mess, and she deserved every chance she could get to prove her innocence, but he couldn’t allow her to go walking right into danger.

Someone at Prey was dirty.

Until he knew who, she wasn’t setting foot in that building, nor was he going to tell a single person where she was.

Since he still had his phone on him, after they’d walked around the park until the sun came up, he’d suggested stopping at a gas station so they could both use the bathroom and grab something to eat. In reality, he’d wanted to be alone for a couple of minutes so he could set up some meetings without Scarlett knowing.

Yep.

She was going to be furious when she found out what he had planned for her.

His team already knew what was going on, he’d called them after Scarlett had passed out at his place in the early hours of yesterday morning. So, none of them had been surprised when he asked if anyone minded if he borrowed their hang-out place for a while. It was an old, abandoned bar that they had originally planned to makeover and run together. In the end, they’d had so much fun just hanging out there that the space was now simply used for that. While the idea of turning it into a bar at some point wasn’t off the table, for now, it was quiet, it looked abandoned from the outside, but inside was completely renovated, had a great security system, and the basement had no windows and only one door out.

Perfect for keeping an unwilling guest.

Scarlett could hate him for this, but at least she’d be alive.

“Here we are,” he said when they stopped in front of the building. When Scarlett’s nose scrunched up in disbelief he laughed. “Trust me, it looks better inside.”

“I should hope so.”

From the small gasp when he unlocked the front door and guided her inside, he knew he’d proven his point. The walls were painted a dark gray, the hardwood floors stained a dark brown, there was a bar down one end, a couple of tables around it, then the rest of the floor space was taken up with pool tables, air hockey tables, gaming machines, and foosball tables. It was a dream hang-out space for a bunch of single guys.

“Wow,” she murmured.

“Best part is the downstairs is a huge apartment. Bathroom with a jacuzzi and walk-in shower, a king-size bed, TV, and fully stocked kitchen.”

“Why didn't we come here last night? Would have been way better than wandering the park in bare feet and a ripped sweater,” she grumbled.

“Didn't want to risk leading anyone here if they were still out there. Thought we could hang out here for a few days until we get this mess sorted. Why don’t you go down and shower and change, and I’ll come check your wounds when you're done.”

While he would have forcibly put her in the basement if he had to, he knew he wouldn’t when Scarlett’s eyes lit up at the prospect of a shower.

“I’ll be down in a moment,” he added, leading her over to the door and opening it, switching on the lights.

Scarlett was a few steps down before she realized what was happening.

“Tate?” she screeched, running back up the stairs, but it was already too late.

He’d closed the door and locked it, trapping her down there.

“What are you doing? You locked me in? Why would you do that?” She sounded so incredulous, so hurt, so betrayed, that for a moment, he second-guessed himself. Just because he was doing this to keep her safe didn't mean she would see it the same way even after he came back later and explained.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured, touching his forehead to the door where Scarlett was hammering on the other side.

Then resolutely, he straightened and walked away, locking the front door behind him. Calling an Uber, he gave the address of Prey’s West Coast office building and tried to relax. Scarlett was safe. Angry but safe. For now, he had to focus on finding the mole so that she wasn’t going to wind up spending the rest of her life in prison.

Just because Prey was on her side, and he was on her side, didn't mean she wouldn’t be charged and sentenced.

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