Scarred (Branded Book 2)

by Scarlett Finn

  These were the first words she heard the next day and they came from the most unexpected of visitors. Nya had been drying her hair when the pounding on the door started, and it didn’t stop until she opened it. She was still blinking in surprise at Kristof who stood on the other side of her threshold.

  “Are you just gonna stand there and gawp at me?” he asked. “I said you fucked up.”

  At some point in the night, she’d crawled into her bed. Nya only knew that because she’d woken up there about half an hour ago. To try and find some normality in her topsy-turvy life, she’d showered like this was any other day. But it seemed unlikely she’d find it when she had virtual strangers standing at her door scowling at her.

  He pushed her aside and marched in. “Uh, excuse me?” she said.

  But he spun around without any apology. “Do you know how many times Archer’s called me to check on a girl? In his whole life, do you know how many times?” he asked but didn’t wait for an answer. “Zero.” He held up his thumb and finger in an O. “Zero. Even you can count that high.”

  “Archer,” she said, ignoring Kristof’s condescension to slam the door and rush over to him. “You’ve spoken to him?”

  “Yeah, and you were supposed to. Where the hell have you been? He’s been trying to get hold of you for hours and if I don’t call him back,” he said, lifting his watch to her face. “In the next eighteen minutes. He’s getting his ass to the airport and leaving your buddy to deal with his own crap.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, holding up her hands to calm him. “I’m fine. Look, see, I’m fine.”

  It was funny ‘cause she’d thought the same thing when she looked in the mirror this morning. The woman staring back at her today was the same one she’d seen yesterday, but she was different on the inside, in a way she couldn’t articulate.

  He was eyeing her brand and she ran her fingers over it. “So why didn’t you pick up your phone?” he asked. “You still sulking with him?”

  He made it sound juvenile, and damn it, now Nya felt like it was. She should never have turned on her heels and stormed out of Tag’s, she’d just been so surprised, and felt embarrassed about standing on the spot being the only clueless one in the room. Running had been easier than causing a scene.

  But she had a valid reason for why she hadn’t answered her phone and it wasn’t impudence. “I left my phone in the club,” she said. “I was just gonna go over there and get it.”

  “How long?”

  His sneer got her hackles up. “I didn’t even know if Archer would call,” she said, feeling the need to explain herself.

  “He told me he said he would,” Kristof said, backing away from his haughty position for a blink.

  “He did. But who the fuck knows what reception is like in Columbia, or even if he’d be allowed to keep his phone. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. He could be in a fucking jungle for all I know. So I’m supposed to sit by the phone, stare at the thing all night, waiting and hoping it would ring?”

  That’s exactly what she’d been doing until Hexam walked into her office and she should never have ignored the call, except if she hadn’t, Hexam might have left without her and as confused as she was by this new woman she’d morphed into, Nya still wasn’t sorry that those men were dead.

  “His mistake, I guess he thought you might give a fuck,” Kristof said. “Being that he went down there—”

  “I know, to save Tag’s ass,” she said and folded her arms. “Nobody asked him to do that, you know?”

  “You’re pissy? Wow, no wonder you get along with Ester.”

  Doing some quick familial math in her head, Nya hadn’t quite put the pieces together, but it made sense. Derren was Kristof’s father and Ester was Derren’s ex. So this odd little misfit family must still somehow be in contact.

  “You’ve spoken to her? Is she ok?” Nya asked because Ester was supposed to go back to Archer’s last night and she’d never bothered to check if the woman had made it.

  “Yeah, she called all pissed off that you and Arch weren’t home. Least she started off pissed, by the end of the call she figured you’d pissed off to screw somewhere.”

  At least she could be reassured that Ester was safe. “So she was happy?”

  Kristof bobbed his head in confirmation. “She was drunk, she’s always happy drunk.”

  “Did you tell her where Archer really was?”

  “No, that’d just give her more of an excuse to act crazy and she’s got that routine down.”

  Nya didn’t know Kristof, she hadn’t even known he existed until she’d met him at Archer’s place the other night. But she could see he was more integral in Archer’s life than she’d realized.

  Archer kept so many secrets and it was his default not to trust or offer any more information than he had to. Nya made a mental note to start prodding him for more personal information on a regular basis.

  When she’d asked about his history with Derren, he’d told her, but she knew nothing of their present relationship, which was probably why Kristof had never come up in conversation.

  “Do you know how long Archer will be gone?” she asked. “What did he tell you about—”

  “Listen, I’m here to make sure you’re alive,” Kristof said. “Get to the club and get your phone. I’ll tell Archer to call in an hour. But I know he’s rolling out today, so he’ll be pushing it for time. And I warn you…” He went to open the door. “If you don’t pick up this time, your buddy’s on his own.”

  Kristof exited and slammed the door. It didn’t startle her, it made her smile ‘cause although he and Archer weren’t blood, they were more alike than they probably realized.

  An hour felt like an age, it didn’t take her that long to finish getting ready and over to the club. But there wasn’t enough time to get home again and she didn’t want to be in a cab when the phone rang. So Nya busied herself with bullshit tasks in the office when she couldn’t stand staring at the phone any longer.

  She’d missed eighteen calls over the course of the night. But he hadn’t left any voice messages. Was he that pissed off or did he not want to leave evidence? Whatever the case was, she’d just locked the safe when the phone began to ring at its highest volume, which she’d set it at when she arrived so as not to miss any more calls.

  Nya leaped into her chair to snatch it up. “Fella?” she asked, pleading and desperate. Every emotion she’d experienced since last seeing him came together to infuse her with fresh adrenaline.

  The caller said nothing and she took the phone from her ear to check that the line was still connected. It was, to a number simply listed as, “Unknown.”

  “Archer?” she asked, when he still didn’t say anything.

  Was he angry with her? Did he know what had happened? So many questions she wanted to ask and she couldn’t get started until he actually acknowledged her and confirmed it was him.

  “When you put a guy in the doghouse, you do it right.”

  Relief made her lips curl. Nya exhaled a long breath and closed her eyes. Just the cadence of his voice was enough to restore some of her equilibrium. “Oh, God, I missed you.”

  But he didn’t sound as happy to hear her voice. “You wouldn’t have fucking had to if you’d fucking answered your phone. Where the fuck have you been?”

  He swore a lot at the best of times. When he was emotional, angry, upset, his cursing increased tenfold. “I left it at the club.”

  It might take her some time to calm him down. “I told you I’d fucking phone. You’re lucky I’m not on a fucking plane right now.”

  It couldn’t be easy to be so far away and out of touch, especially for Archer, who was used to being in the know. “I know,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  Still snappy, his words were quick. “And what the fuck do you mean you left it at the club? The club was still open when I called.”

  Back to reality, she recalled what had happened last night. “I left before closing,” she admitt
ed, staring at the now empty chair Hexam had sat in.

  “Yeah, I heard there was trouble.”

  She laughed, this was the first time she’d had the urge since before he left. “Of course you fucking did,” she said. “Only you could be halfway across the planet and still know what happened in Sizzle last night.”

  “That’s funny?” he asked.

  Bringing her bare feet up onto the seat, she wrapped one arm around them. “Yes, it’s funny, and it’s comforting, and it’s terrifying, and it makes me love you so fucking much.”

  Again, there was silence. Such an elongated one that she didn’t have to be near him to know that his mind was working. When he spoke again, his voice was low, as was his volume, and his concern was suspicious. “What did you do, Ny?”

  There was a limit to even his knowledge. He’d have known there was trouble here. If anyone had told him about the random men who showed up and caused trouble, Archer would want to know everything. Kristof probably would’ve found it out if he came here looking for her after she missed Archer’s calls.

  Sizzle had a landline, but people rarely got through unless the person in the office picked up. But it was possible someone had heard it and answered, only to tell him that she’d left with a well-built stranger.

  Nya couldn’t even say “nothing” because she would have to tell him the truth. If she didn’t, Hexam probably would, with his own flair, and she wouldn’t let him put any kind of wedge between her and her man.

  Except, as far as she was concerned, explaining over the phone wasn’t an option. “When are you coming home?” she asked.

  Archer was focused. “I don’t like that answer. Try again.”

  And he shouldn’t like it. He probably took it as an avoidance of his question and it wasn’t, she just didn’t want to tell him the whole truth over the phone. For one thing, the line might not be secure. For another, wherever he was, if he reacted badly, he could get himself into trouble or hurt.

  She could give him some answers; she didn’t want him to think that she was withholding or game-playing. “Hexam came here last night. I left with him,” she said and there was more silence. “I can’t tell you what happened over the phone, that’s why I asked when you’ll be home. I know you need to know everything and I will tell you.” She sighed. “As soon as you hang up this phone you’re going to call Hexam, and I don’t know how he’s going to tell you the story, but whatever extras he slides in, I need you to know… the basics of the story…” She took another breath. “Are true.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “Fella, whatever he tells you I did… is true. I did it.”

  Being this far away from him had nothing but disadvantages, and it seemed like every minute that passed brought another one. While he was silent, all she could do was wait for him to talk. She couldn’t poke at him or play with him to try to influence his mood. Nor could she read his expressions for hints about his emotions and assumptions, as she did during their conversations in bed.

  All she could do was wait for him to be explicit.

  With a fingertip she drew a shape on the desk, the outline of the gun that had sat there last night and of the blade that had lined up beside it.

  “Did anyone touch you?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. Because he knew better than she did what Hexam’s men were capable of and would have his own fears about what they could do to a female.

  But, he didn’t believe her. “Squirm, I swear to God, if one of them laid their hands on you—”

  “They didn’t. I’m not just saying that because you’re far away. Nobody touched me against my will, I promise.”

  More silence. “You didn’t…” he trailed off, quiet again. Nya opened her fingers on the desk as her brow came down, wondering what he was thinking. “Consent, did you?”

  So if she hadn’t been raped, he worried that she’d screwed around on him. “There was no sex involved,” she said. “Not directly. I really can’t talk about it on the phone.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know where you are or what line you’re on. I don’t even know anything about my phone,” she said, glancing at it again.

  There was so much talk of law enforcement agencies listening in on phone lines. She might just be a regular Joe, but what did she know about technology and its capabilities to monitor and record conversations at a government level. She’d committed murder; she couldn’t shout that out willy-nilly, she had to be cautious.

  “Go to my place and shut the door,” he said. “I can be home in twelve hours.”

  Using stern commands was his way of masking his concern. He had to feel like he was doing something and right now that meant getting to her. Except he was in South America doing a job that had to be done to solve their other problem. To come back now would make the trip pointless. “No, you don’t have to come rushing home, nothing bad happened.”

  His angry impatience made his words come faster. “Something bad is happening now, you’re withholding.”

  But she wasn’t. “Trust me, Arch, nothing bad happened… to me, anyway.”

  “Nothing you’re saying’s making me feel better, Squirm,” he said, with a sort of urgency to his severity.

  Keeping herself calm, she didn’t want him to read anything into her tone and so kept her voice as level as possible. “Brett told me it would take you twenty-four hours to get back from wherever you are.”

  Turned out her tone was less important than her words. “Brett?” he asked, spitting a laugh. “What the fuck, Squirm?”

  She hadn’t used his first name before and hadn’t made the choice to now, it just came out. Stupid. “Hexam.”

  His contempt was so thick that she could hear his sneer in his breathing. “Yeah, I know who he is,” Archer said, and his irritation was growing. “Why the fuck were you talking about me?”

  Unable to react to his mood, the last thing Nya wanted was a fight. “Because we had a long conversation before I left with him,” she said. “I didn’t come to the decision to do what I did lightly. But when you hear what happened. You’ll understand why I did it. And I hope that you’ll support me.”

  She’d been so preoccupied last night by her own need for Archer and how he would be able to make her feel better, that she hadn’t stopped to think about whether or not he would agree with what she’d done.

  Archer was supposed to have been a part of taking down those men. But Hexam had made it clear he was going to do it whether she was part of it or not. So, she couldn’t have waited for Archer because those men wouldn’t exist when he got back. Hexam wouldn’t have waited.

  It seemed she’d done something right, because he sounded more reasonable when he next spoke. “Two things we have to get straight,” he said. “You didn’t have sex with anyone last night?”

  “No.”

  “You didn’t get naked or dance or suck cock or play with anyone’s balls, did you?”

  Narrowing her eyes, she sought clarification. Was he really accusing her of cheating on him? He might sound rational, but if he was going to toss accusations at her, she would put him in his place. “Is this part of the same point or a new one?” she asked.

  “Nigh,” he warned.

  The reminder of the torture made her sit straighter. Hexam had when he’d cut off that guy’s dick, but she didn’t think that counted. She herself hadn’t touched anyone’s tackle. “No.”

  He inhaled. “Then I support you,” he said, satisfied and she was amazed that he didn’t even need details to be sure he was on her side.

  Ok, good, they were back to themselves, so she could make sure Archer was in a secure position with sharing what would probably be a secret. “There’s one thing I should tell you that Hexam probably won’t.”

  “Tell me.”

  Being paranoid, she kept herself vague and prayed that he would follow. “Our friend, you know the one we marked together?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He’s
a rat,” she said.

  Archer was quick to respond. “No fucking way.”

  She was nodding at no one. Her surprised reaction had been the same as his though she hadn’t been able to express hers. “Hexam saw the mark. He got it out of our friend after he murdered the mistress.”

  Interesting as she thought it was, Archer took the news in his stride. “Hex wouldn’t have told me that. Our friend still around?” Archer asked and she guessed he was asking if Tulio was alive.

  “Yes.”

  “Not a problem. As long as Hex lays off you ‘til I get back. I swear our friend won’t talk again.”

  Did Archer intend to kill him? She couldn’t really get her head around what she wanted for Tulio or for Jonno or the last mystery man who had joined Jonno in pressing her into the wall. That guy had touched her, she had his number. “I miss you so much.”

  His concern crept back in and his tone softened. “You need to fucking talk to me, Ny.”

  “I will when you come home. Is Tag with you?”

  “No, and you’re not fucking talking to him anyway. The slimeball piece of shit’s been doing nothing but pissing me off this whole fucking trip.”

  “Keep your cool,” she soothed. It was ironic that she was calming him down when she was the one who’d lost her shit last night.

  “You’re not gonna ask why we’re down here or what we’re doing?”

  Nya didn’t need specifics. For one thing, she wasn’t going to say anything on this line that could incriminate any of them. “I know what you’re doing.”

  He was down there to do a job for Hexam and she’d grill him for details when they were alone again. But as everyone kept reminding her, Archer was down there protecting her friend because he loved her. She didn’t need any more details than that, not when her head was full of everything else.

  Taking the conversation away from criminality, she took it to family. “Ester is worried. You should call her.”

  “Do you know how fucking difficult it is to make a phone call?” he asked, not taking her hint about the subject change. “And now I’ve got to waste my time calling Hexam too. He’s gonna tell me a story, is it gonna make me want to rip him apart? Tell me now, did you start another war for me?”