Page 90 of No Longer Mine

I didn’t think so, but I also wasn’t going to voice any opinions. Grandmother’s cane was fast.

Nana peeled away the makeshift dressings we’d put on it and shook her head. “You’re lucky that I’ve patched up many bullet wounds, in my day. Poor Alexei loved to get into gun fights growing up.”

I pressed my lips together, waiting for her to tell a story about the one incident I had, but she didn’t and I was somewhat grateful.

“I need to go make sure…” I stopped. “I need to go take care of some things. I’m calling Oliver.”

I didn’t actually have Oliver’s number, but I had Benson, and I knew if Benson couldn’t find it, he could get in touch with the other man easily enough.

Scarlett sat up quickly, ready to protest, but let out a groan and fell back to the couch. “Please don’t.”

“Then you tell me.”

“Your father.”

My blood went to ice. “He did this?”

Her eyes bounced between Grandmother and Nana. Grandmother held her cane up. “He shot you?”

“Put your weapon down,” I let out a sigh.

She shook her head as Nana cleaned her wound. Her brows pulled together with each touch of the rag. “No.”

Nana took a deep breath as she looked down at the bullet hole in Scarlett’s side. “This is going to hurt.” I couldn’t be in here when Nana got to work.

My father was her mark. I clenched my jaw before I marched out of her penthouse. I didn’t know what to feel, what to think, or even how to manage. While I’d been at dinner with my mother, she’d been stealing from them. I exhaled hard. Was that why she was at his club? She was trying to get close to him? I could hardly believe this.

“I need a favor,” I growled into the phone. There was no way I could let her blood be all over the place at my father’s home. I needed to make sure.

Scarlett’s screams were hardly muffled by the door, and it took entirely too much effort to remain outside of her penthouse, instead of beside her, holding her hand like I should have been. This was more important, I needed to make sure she wasn’t going to have a hit on her head. I’d already learned thehard way that there were only so many things I could protect against my father.

“Yes?” Ace’s voice held a tone of suspicion. I didn’t blame him. I didn’t ask him for anything, but this was different.

“I need you to go to Father. I need you to make sure whoever broke into father’s apartment tonight didn’t leave a trail.” My words came out fast, clipped. I could hardly believe what I was saying. I didn’t trust Ace completely, but I needed help. I didn’t know why I was asking. I didn’t know why I cared, I shouldn’t have cared, but then there was my mother… She’d stolen from my mother, that was where I was drawing the line emotionally.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know how to even explain this right now.”

“I’m going to need more of an explanation than that.” Ace’s tone was clipped.

“I don’t have one. You spend enough time up his ass, what does it matter?”

Ace paused. “It matters.”

“I care about her.”

“It was a woman?” He laughed, a harsh sound.

I let out an exasperated sound. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Okay.”

“That’s it?”

“Make sure whoever it is doesn’t ever go near him again; he will know.”

I closed my eyes as the call ended.

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