Bitter Truths: A Twisted Arranged Marriage Romance (Crimson Falls Duet Book 2)

by Dani René

  My chest tightens when I think about him. All I can do is hope and pray he pulls through, and I can convince Darius to let me see him. Once Darius gets the money from my father, I’m sure he’ll release me. Hurting me won’t do him any good. He must know that.

  “Can you please help me up?” I whisper, trying to break through the fog of rage that’s so clear in his eyes. He moves slowly, and my gaze trails his movements. He pulls out contact lenses, turning his eyes to a similar green as Lycan’s.

  Now, without the eye color differentiating them, I realize Darius looks just like his brother. Their father must have some very strong genes because when I look at Darius, I don’t see any resemblance to my grandmother.

  Darius rises then, as if he forgot I was here for a moment, pushing the chair which I’m bound to upright. The pain radiating through my arms eases slightly. He leans over, fixing me with a glare so harsh, my lungs struggle to pull in air. Darius can’t be a Bardot, or half Bardot, because he’s all Shaw. Which begs the question, where did he get those maternity results?

  “Who told you my grandmother was your birth mother?” I ask, knowing he might get angry and slap me, or hurt me, but I need to know. I have to figure out how he would believe her over his father.

  “Your grandmother graciously provided a test.” His voice is pure grit and gravel, once again sounding just like his brother’s. But something doesn’t make sense. Why would she agree to a test or provide one when she knew he would want to hurt me, or Lycan for that matter?

  My grandmother is strong-willed, and she’s not someone who would give in so easily. Not even for her own son. My father had to beg and plead for any and everything he wanted, and he’d have to work his ass off before she even considered his request.

  “What if she lied to you?” My voice is a low whisper, praying he doesn’t lose control in the small space of the basement. “I don’t think Grace is your mother. I’ve known her my whole life, and something doesn’t make sense.”

  “Oh?” Darius arches a brow. “And what is that, princess?” he sneers, using the moniker in a condescending tone which ripples through me.

  “My grandmother isn’t someone who would offer information about herself without a price attached to it.” I keep my gaze on his, hoping he can see the truth in my eyes. I can’t afford for him to get angry right now, because if he can trust me, perhaps he’ll let me go.

  At least, I hope so.

  “She will always want something in return. I doubt she told you to hurt me, or to kill Lycan.” Guilt flickers in his gaze, and I wonder if I hit the nail on the head.

  Darius pushes away from me, the chair rocking on its legs, and I pray it doesn’t fall over again. Thankfully it doesn’t. Cold seeps through me from my feet on the icy floor, and the chilly air that surrounds me has me shivering.

  “I’m done with this bullshit,” Darius says suddenly. “You’ll stay here until I figure out what’s going on.” He spins on his heel, his gaze landing on me. For a moment, he says nothing, but then he shrugs off the suit jacket he’s wearing and settles it over my shoulders.

  “Thank you,” I say, grateful for the bit of tenderness he’s offering. “If… If you hear anything…” I’m unsure how to ask him what I need to, but I hope he’ll know what I mean.

  His gaze lingers on me, taking in my face as he moves up the stairs without responding. I want to scream, to beg him to tell me the moment he hears news about Lycan’s condition, but I don’t. Pleading doesn’t work with him.

  But the moment I let out my breath, Darius surprises me by slowly turning to regard me from the threshold, then nodding. “I’ll tell you if I hear anything.” He turns to leave, and I watch him walk up the steps until he reaches the door. He stops, glances at me once more before he says, “I’ve never seen him in love before. No other woman has ever affected him like you do.” And then he’s gone, leaving my heart bleeding for more news on Lycan’s condition.

  When Lycan told me to run, he promised me he’d be okay, that he would come for me, but if he’s in the hospital, I don’t know how he’ll ever find me. Perhaps he’ll have Kahn and his team come for me. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll survive this.

  I have to.

  Glancing around the room, I take in the shelves on either wall. There’s a small window beside the top shelf to my left, but I could never fit through it, even if I could get loose. A metal table sits to my right, and on it are tools—a spanner, a hammer, a few screwdrivers—but I have a feeling they’re used for anything but fixing things.

  The stench of blood is rife through the small, stuffy space. A thought comes to me and I quickly shimmy the chair over to the table. If I can stand, I can reach for something on the surface, untie my hands, and perhaps I can free myself and get out of here.

  I’m not sure how many men are in the house or even on the property, but I can’t sit here and wait for Darius to return.

  By the time I’ve shifted toward the table, the door creaks open, and soon enough, I’m staring at a young, tattooed guy who looks at me as if I am his next meal. He takes the stairs one at a time, slowly, predatory, and I realize I’m in trouble if he gets a hold of me.

  “Boss man says you’re off limits,” he says, his accent thick, but I can’t quite place it. When he reaches the last stair, he jumps to the ground with both feet landing hard. “But I enjoy breaking rules.” His lips curl, and his eyes flash with dangerous hunger as he regards me.

  “I think you should listen to boss man,” I whisper the moniker given to Darius, because I can only imagine what he would do to this boy if something happened to me. I’m the reason he’ll get paid, and if I’m hurt, my father won’t give these bastards a cent.

  The young man closes the distance between us. The threat of him being so close sends ice racing through my veins, a shiver wracks my body as he stops inches from me. I’m not in the best position to fight back. But I want nothing more than to hurt him if he touches me.

  I’m married.

  Those two words steal the air from my lungs. And the thought of Lycan in hospital hits me right in the chest. I double over, a sob breaking through my fear as I realize I am married. I’m Mrs. Scarlett Shaw, and my husband is in ICU because his brother shot him.

  “What the fuck’s your problem?” The boy asks, and I wonder briefly if he’ll think I’ve lost my ever-loving mind. Perhaps my reaction will send him running. I can only hope. His hand reaches for me, grips my neck, and brings me closer to his face as he practically lifts me with one arm. He holds me hostage with a look of pure, filthy desire. “I wonder if you’ll bite my dick off when I shove it down your throat.” His words are filled with venom.

  I look into his eyes, a bright blue resembling that of a tropical ocean as it shimmers with dappled sunlight. But there’s nothing good about this boy. He must be eighteen at the most. I wonder how he came into this life.

  “Leave me the fuck alone,” I bite out before I spit in his face, only to earn myself a slap so hard the thick taste of metal coats my tongue. Grinning manically, I spit the crimson liquid to the ground before glancing up at the boy. Because that’s what he is, a boy. “You can hurt me as much as you like, I’m not going down without a fight.”

  “Nam.” A heavy voice bounces against the walls, warning clear in the tone as the young boy pales. When he spins around, a fist slams into his jaw, and I hear the crack which causes me to wince even though I haven’t been struck.

  “Boss man,” Nam whimpers, clutching his jaw. “I-I… I didn’t—”

  “Aye, you fucking didn’t do shit. Get your ass back upstairs and clean the fucking kitchen, you sack of shit.” Darius’s deep growl even has me cowering. I watch as Nam races up the stairs. As soon as the door shut, Darius crouches down as he pulls out a piece of cloth from his pocket and dabs at my mouth. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why? Didn’t you want me to pay?” I shouldn’t poke the bear, he’s just saved me from some little bastard, but I can’t stop myself.

  “No
. You weren’t meant to get hurt. I’m not one for spilling blood unnecessarily.” He looks at me, locking his gaze with mine, and I can tell he’s not lying.

  “What about Lycan’s?” It’s a challenge I’m not sure I’ll win, but I have to try.

  3

  Darius

  She’s right.

  Fuck, she’s so fucking right.

  “Yeah,” I respond in a whisper of regret and guilt. “That was… That was my anger that took a hold of me, it got the better of me and I allowed it.” As much as I hate admitting I was wrong, I have to because it’s true. I wanted my brother to pay for staying in that house, for being the favorite son, but all this time, all I did was rob myself of a family I could’ve had with him. And now, he’s in fucking ICU because of me.

  The rage which fueled my actions as it burned through me has simmered into almost nothing. It’s still warm in my veins, but as I consider her words, and my response, my chest tightens. Lycan is still my brother. It doesn’t help that his wife keeps needling away at my anger, getting in my head with her words.

  “I need to know if he’s okay,” Scarlett pleads, her eyes shining with pain and worry.

  I realize I’ve done this to her. Not just her, but Lycan too. I’ve taken so much, and yet, I’m the one who’s lost everything.

  I want to be angry at how much she loves him. I also want to tell her he’s not capable of love, but I saw the way he looked at her. After seeing how he shoved her out of the way, standing in the line of fire to save her, I’d be lying if I denied my brother’s love for this woman.

  “I will tell you as soon as there’s an update.” I turn away, not wanting to see her cry because her tears don’t fill me with happiness anymore. The emotions twisting inside me feel like a fucking tornado ripping through a town, leaving nothing in its wake. I’ll be nothing.

  The thought consumes me, and as I run my fingers through my hair, I tug fiercely at the strands. The sting grounding me to the moment. I need the pain to remind myself of what’s real. For a long time, I would get lost in memories, in things people have said, stories I’ve heard, and I found that pain was the only way to remain grounded.

  Agony reveals truth.

  No matter how bitter it tastes.

  “Darius,” Scarlett calls to me, her voice like silk along my skin. “There’s no reason for you to hate me, or Lycan. We would be here for you no matter what.”

  My blood simmers, and I have to swallow down the rage that’s slowly fueling itself through me. The need to cause pain overwhelms me, and before I have time to think, I spin on my heel. My hand latches onto the thick red waves that feel like satin in my fist. A gasp of surprise falls from Scarlett’s lips, and I find myself wanting to steal the sound with my mouth.

  How the fuck am I so attracted to her? Lured in like a fish in a net.

  She’s a siren.

  “Don’t talk to me like I’m nothing more than a wayward child you’re attempting to placate.” My voice is gruff, the thickness in my throat choking the words from me. “You’re here, taken from my brother as revenge. I couldn’t steal the house, his money, or the fucking club from him. But you, he feels something for you, and this will hurt him more than any worldly possession. Emotion is weakness,” I inform her, something I’d learned a long time ago. “Never mistake the war raging within me, for goodness. There is nothing good inside me. Not anymore.”

  Her gaze burns with frustration. “You’re a lost fucking cause,” Scarlett bites out. “I wasn’t trying to placate you,” she grits. “I’m someone who offers kindness when I see it’s needed. I’m human. I grew up without love in my life. My family planned my future since I was a kid, and I can see pain when I look at you. The same pain Lycan lives with, and the exact agony that I have long since learned to master.”

  Her words shock me. I didn’t think my brother felt anything. He never did when we were younger. When our mother died, or rather, when his mother died, he didn’t shed a tear. There were times I wondered if he even realized she wasn’t coming back.

  Emotions are weakness.

  At least that’s what our father told us. It was something we feared because if we had any feelings at all, he would slam it right out of us.

  “Any affection you hold for someone is something they can use against you,” Dad says, his cigar sitting between his lips. He lost mom, but there’s a darkness that resides in him now, and I can’t put it down to mourning. “Never allow anyone to have that power over you,” he warns before taking a long drag on the fat Cuban which billows smoke from the red-tipped cherry.

  “I can’t miss mom?” I ask, knowing Lycan won’t even bother questioning him. The black sheep, that’s who I am. I don’t obey, I don’t follow the rules, I may as well be the outcast because that what it feels like.

  Instead of responding, he lifts the paperweight in his hand, and for some reason, I flinch. Usually, I’m not scared of anything, of anyone, but with my father, he’s like a bomb waiting to explode, and the moment he detonates is the day we’ll all be left in pieces on the ground.

  “This symbolizes emotions,” he tells me before lobbing the heavy glass ball at me, which I quickly dive to catch because I’m sure if it had fallen and shattered, he would take a belt to my ass. “See how they weigh you down?” He chuckles at this.

  It’s as if he’s made one of the best jokes in the world, but as he laughs, he wheezes, and I wonder when that cigar is going to kill him.

  One day.

  I hope.

  It may not be good to wish death on your father, but I do. Every fucking day. At sixteen, you’d think I’m stronger, that I can handle his bullshit, but each moment I spend with him, my anger seems to grow. It’s an entity on its own now.

  “Dad, I think we get it,” Lycan offers, his voice placating, but there’s no doubt in my mind Conall won’t get angry at him. He’ll merely grin as if Lycan’s words are soothing.

  “Good, now go off and have fun. You’re teenagers!”

  As if that’s going to change anything.

  I set the paperweight on his desk, but Conall grabs my hand in his fist and holds me hostage. “Be careful of who you trust,” he warns in a low growl. I consider his words for a long moment before it dawns on me. He means because he’s seen me with the boy next door.

  Dad hasn’t told me why, but each time he’s seen the young boy here, he’s given me a warning, a threat to keep me in line. I’m not sure what it is about him, or them, but my father hates the Bardots. The boy lives with his parents, but I don’t see much of his dad, only the mother. We may not be best friends, but he seems to be a cool kid.

  “Yes, sir,” I answer in an attempt to get free, and for a moment, I’m certain he won’t let me go. But, after a long moment, he releases me with a nod.

  Something isn’t right.

  And I’m going to find out what it is.

  When I focus back on Scarlett, she’s watching me intently. I move toward her, my hands extending to untie the rope, and the moment she’s free, she sighs. “Thank you.”

  My gaze latches onto her wrists as she massages them, her thumbs circling the smooth, delicate skin. The door to the basement opens, and I’m met with Howler. He’s our tech genius. I put him on the case to find out if the records Grace Bardot gave me were legit.

  Working for her under the ruse of another name was something I did to get access to her home, to possibly learn what happened to my father. I knew it was the Bardots who killed him, I just needed to prove it. Then one day I finally admitted to Grace who I was, she was shocked. She hadn’t seen me in years, so she didn’t recognize the man before her from the boy she must have remembered being the son of the man she once loved.

  When Grace offered me the folder, I read the results and my heart hurt. For the first time in years, I allowed that useless fucking organ to do its thing, to experience pain. I let fucking weakness in.

  It’s been almost eight months since I found out the truth. Even though I was on her proper
ty, on the grounds of the Bardot Manor, she never once came to me. There wasn’t even an inkling that she wanted to know who I was, and as time passed, I learned little tidbits about her.

  When Lycan’s plan caught my attention, the contract he signed to marry Scarlett, I realized I had to make a move. And thankfully, the little one walked right into my clutches the night she wandered into the garden. In a way, I helped my brother capture her, but now she’s here, and I’m not letting her get away until I get what I want.

  “Got something for me?” I ask Howler when he reaches me. His face giving nothing away. The man has one expression—stoic. Even if he’s in a good mood, you can never tell.

  He hands me a printout, which I scan slowly. The details on the page tell me that Grace Bardot is a lying bitch. One that I need to put an end to. The test results she gave me were nothing more than fabricated lies. But that doesn’t make sense.

  Why lie about a child you never had?

  “Was I right?” Scarlett says, still not standing. She looks up at me with those soulful eyes, and I want nothing more than to see just why my brother was so intrigued by her. I wonder briefly what she’d feel like. Now that the truth has been revealed, Scarlett is not my family, she’s fair game.

  Would she fall for me like she did Lycan? We are brothers, after all.

  “Yes,” I admit, keeping the gruffness out of my voice. I offer her the printout before turning to Howler. “Find everything on Grace. I want to know all about her, even things she’s had sealed. The Bardot family are keeping secrets, and I want them all uncovered and brought to light.”

  He nods quickly. “Sure thing.” His gaze falls on Scarlett, before he looks at me and the corner of his mouth ticks so infinitesimally, if I wasn’t staring at him, I would’ve missed it. But the knowledge is in his eyes. She’s gorgeous, and she’s ours now.

  Howler leaves, shutting the door behind him, and I turn my attention back to the pretty redhead. “You’ll come upstairs with me. Any fucking games, I will kill you. Make no mistake, you might be owned by Lycan Shaw, but right now, you are property of Darius Shaw, and around here, that means a hell of a lot more.”