Page 2 of Rule
“Tristan, where are you?” Glancing back over my shoulder, I don’t see anyone following me this time. I’m all alone, and I have to pull it together.
Now.
My thoughts race as I sit in the back of the police car, handcuffed and helpless. Fear and desperation claw at my insides, gnawing away at any semblance of hope. The only thing that keeps me from drowning in despair is the belief that sooner or later, my men will come to my rescue, especially Tristan. If anyone can save me, it's him.
The police car continues to speed through the city streets, carrying me further away from the people I love. My heart pounds wildly, fear threatening to consume me. What if they can't save me? What if I'm trapped behind bars for the rest of my life for a crime I didn't commit?
"Focus, Scarlet," I murmur, trying to regain control over my spiraling thoughts. I need to be strong, not just for myself but for them too. They'll fight for me, and I owe it to them to fight as well.
"Tristan won't let you down," I whisper, clinging to that thought like a lifeline. "He's never let you down before."
But as the distance between us grows, so does the seed of doubt in my mind. Can Tristan and the others really save me from this? And if they can't, what will become of me?
ChapterTwo
Adam
My heart races, panic searing through my veins as I realize what has happened to Scarlet.
"Damn it!" I mutter under my breath, racing back to the bathroom, only to find it crawling with police officers.
Skidding to a stop as one of them looks up, I nonchalantly back away and, trying to look as innocent as possible, head for where I assume the kitchen will be at the back of the house. The guests are in an uproar. Trilling is fuming, and Scarlet is being taken away.
This is a fucking disaster.
"Scarlet, hang in there. We’ll get you out of this," I mutter. Together, we might stand a fighting chance at uncovering the truth and saving her from wrongful imprisonment.
Slipping into the kitchen and through a maelstrom of frenzied activity, I aim for the service entrance and shove the door open. Sprinting through the darkness to where I know the other guys will be waiting, assuming they haven’t moved to find out what is going on, my heart pounds in my ears as I search for Tristan, Max, Hugo, and Miles. They're preparing for the heist on Trilling's estate, just as we planned, but everything has changed now. The cold air stings my face as I run, but my mind is focused solely on finding them on this unfamiliar estate in the pitch black.
"Adam!" I hear Tristan call out from behind a shrub near the back wall. "Over here!"
My boots crunch over fallen leaves until I find them, all four of them huddled together, looking tense and ready for action. Their eyes meet mine, filled with concern and curiosity. I lean against the tree, trying to catch my breath before speaking.
“What the fuck is going on?” Max growls, itching to move from his position but not wanting to break the carefully laid out plan.
"Scarlet's been arrested," I blurt out, my voice cracking with emotion. The shock on their faces must reflect my own, and for a moment, no one speaks.
"Arrested?" Max repeats, his jaw clenched, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. "How? Why?"
"Beth set her up for Fields’s murder in the bathroom," I explain, feeling anger surge through me as I recount what happened. "She escaped before the police took Scarlet away.”
“Caitlin?” Max spits out.
Shrugging, I reply, “Blonde, vicious type.”
“That’s her,” Tristan mutters. “I’d better go.”
Hugo frowns, his brow furrowing with worry. "We need to do something. We can't let her go down for this."
"Agreed," Tristan says, his voice calm and collected despite the dire situation. He glances around at the rest of us, determination etched onto his features. "Our priority now is getting Scarlet out of this mess. We'll deal with Beth later."
“Go,” Max says, indicating with his head that Tristan needs to move it sooner rather than later.
Nodding, I swallow hard as I think about Scarlet, alone and scared. I know they love her deeply too, but I feel she is my comfort, my redemption from the life I've led. And I can't lose her to a prison cell.
Tristan looks at me, his eyes calculating before he nods resolutely. "Anything else you can think of that I might need?”
“Beth was there and his cane was covered in blood. I’m guessing the murder weapon. That’s all I know.”
