Page 3 of Rule
He nods and turns to head out into the darkness.
"Be careful," Max warns him.
"Always," Tristan promises as he starts to walk away.
"Wait," Miles calls out, fishing something out of his pocket. He hands it to Tristan. "It's a burner phone. Use it to keep us updated. Just in case.”
"Thanks," Tristan says, taking the phone with a nod.
The other guys are restless, too, their emotions written all over their faces. We all love Scarlet, but she means something different to each of us. The thought of her locked up, paying for Beth's crimes, makes me feel sick.
"Adam," Hugo says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We'll get her out of this. We won't let Scarlet down."
"Damn right," Max chimes in, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "We put her in that house. It’s our job to protect her."
"Scarlet's strong," Miles adds, his voice filled with admiration. "If anyone can handle this, it's her."
Their words offer some comfort, but the gnawing worry still lingers. Pacing back and forth, my thoughts race with possible outcomes and dangers. As the minutes tick by, the tension in the air is palpable. Each of us is lost in our own fears and desires for Scarlet's safety.
“We need to move out,” Max says eventually. “This is not happening tonight. We’ll meet Tristan back at home.”
"He’d better work fast," I mutter, my hands clenched into fists. "Every second she's in there is a second too long."
"Agreed," Hugo says solemnly, echoing my thoughts. “But we have to trust that he'll do everything in his power to help her.”
Heading straight for the driveway, unnoticed in the crowds milling about, trying to leave the scene of the crime, we find Robbie frantic and bordering on aggressive.
“They’re saying Scarlet killed someone,” he barks out as we pile into the car, not even caring if anyone sees us now.
“It was Beth,” I mutter.
“That bitch,” he grits out. “Let’s find her and rip her to shreds.”
“That’s the plan,” Miles mutters, his body tense beside me on the backseat.
Our plan to pull a heist on Trilling may have been derailed, but now our focus has shifted to something even more important – saving the woman we love, and I think it’s safe to assume that we will do whatever it takes.
ChapterThree
Maxwell
Storming into my office at home and slamming the door behind me, the sound echoes through the room, but I barely notice. My face is contorted with anger, a snarl forming on my lips as I think about Caitlin and how she had the audacity to arrest Scarlet. A-fucking-gain. Did she not learn her lesson last time?
Revenge courses through my veins like a wildfire. I want to kill her and bury her next to my asshole father.
"Damn it!" I yell, my voice shaking the walls. "How could this happen? How couldIlet this happen?” Kicking out at the wall, I keep kicking until I make a hole in the wood paneling.
"Max," Miles says, opening the door and glaring at me. His eyes are full of concern but also determination. "We'll get her back."
“Fucking right we will. But what if they hurt her while she's in custody? What if she's wrongly convicted of murder? We can't let that happen.Ican’t let that happen."
Gripping the edge of the desk tightly, my knuckles turn white. The fear for Scarlet's safety gnaws at me, an ever-present beast threatening to consume me whole. We've done so much to keep her safe, and now with one action, sending her into that house alone, we have let her down. After everything we’ve worked for to be with her, I refuse to let it crumble because of one wrongful accusation.
"Max, listen to me," Miles urges, coming closer. The intensity in his eyes tells me he's just as determined to protect Scarlet as I am. "We won't let that happen. We'll do whatever it takes to clear her name and bring her home. Tris won’t rest until she is back here with us."
"Whatever it takes?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. There's no doubt in my mind that Tristan would go to great lengths to protect those he cares about, but legally, his hands are tied.
Ours are not.
