Page 18 of Psycho Saints

"I want to make her food. Roses, a suit, do everything that I can. Something big," I said, hoping it would help my case. It wouldn't win her over, but it was a step in the right direction.

"You know that one grand gesture won't fix what you did," he said, echoing my own thoughts.

"No, but it's a start, right? A stone on the path to rebuilding anything between us."

"I don't know, Cristian. Let me talk to Jules about it, and I'll let you know in the next two hours."

"Okay, thank you," I said, fighting the urge to argue and demand a response right now. I was in no position to do such a thing.

The call ended, and I was left alone with my thoughts, a landscape as bleak and barren as a battlefield after the last shot had been fired. I had a long road ahead of me, a path fraught with the shadows of my mind and nature. But for Scarlet, for the family we could be, I would walk through the fires of hell itself.

And maybe, just maybe, I'd emerge on the other side, not a monster, but a man almost worthy of the woman who'd stolen my heart.

9

JULIAN

Ileaned against the balcony railing, the cool afternoon air a welcome respite from the tension inside. Tyrone stood beside me, his face a mask of conflicted emotions as he stared out at the city below us.

"What're you thinking?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Tyrone sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Jules. Cristian fucked up big time."

"That's putting it mildly." My jaw clenched as I thought about what our brother had done. Not just to her, but to all of us with his recklessness. "He doesn't deserve to be anywhere near her."

"Agreed." Tyrone's knuckles whitened as he gripped the railing. "But he's still our brother."

I scoffed. "Brother or not, he crossed a line. He did something that affected us all. Something big. As for her, Scarlet's—" I paused, searching for the right word. "She's different. "

Tyrone nodded, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "She is. Never thought I'd see the day when a woman had us all wrapped around her finger."

"Speak for yourself," I muttered, but there was no conviction behind it. We both knew the truth.

"Come on, Jules. You're just as gone on her as the rest of us." Tyrone's eyes met mine, knowing and amused. "I've seen you two together, you're close already."

I didn't bother denying it. Scarlet had burrowed under my skin in a way no one ever had before.

"She could be carrying our child," Tyrone added softly. "We need to protect her."

"From Cristian," I added, my tone sharp.

Tyrone's expression darkened. "Yeah. From Cristian."

We lapsed into silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on us. I thought about Scarlet, how she'd looked curled up next to me in bed, how her eyes lit up when she laughed. The way she'd trusted me, despite everything.

"I haven't touched her," I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "Not since... you know."

Tyrone raised an eyebrow. "Really? Hmm."

"Have you?" I asked, and he sighed heavily.

"No."

"She's under your skin too, brother."

"I know, it's strange." Tyrone sighed as he hung his head for a moment. "To think one little woman could cause such an upheaval for us all. I never thought it'd be possible."

"Neither did I. She was just supposed to be some fun, something to pass the time," I said as I shook my head, still blown away by how she'd become such a vital part of our lives now. Such a short amount of time, and yet here we were.

---