by T K Barber
He spun around and knocked the chair over as he stormed to the door. Lyle's expression hardened. Might have been a low blow to bring up his dead sister, but the man deserved far worse. Even still, Thomas's heart ached.
“Thomas—”
“See ya, Pop. Maybe.”
Thomas caught his pop’s sneer before he jerked the door open and stormed through without a backward glance.
He'd handle it on his own. Then he'd handle Charlie's traitorous ass.
Scarlet
“I can't believe she waited until the day of the viewing to call me.”
Scarlet grumbled at the mirror as she adjusted her skirt for the fifth time, fussing with the wrinkles.
Nick came up behind her and planted his large, warm hand on her hip, smirking at her in the reflection before tugging at his shirt collar. She grinned as the hum of leftover pleasure swam through her deliciously exhausted body. The contended sigh that followed petered out when her gaze fell to Nick’s waist.
The back of his gun jutted out, an obvious reminder that he was prepared for the worst. She frowned. It was none of her business, really, but she couldn't fathom a reason he'd need that at a funeral home.
“I wish you’d told me; I wouldn't have bunched it up. I'd have peeled it off slowly.” He kissed her shoulder and smiled. “You still look beautiful, but we have to go, or you'll be late.”
She smiled back and leaned forward, turning her head a little each way. Earrings still intact. Points to Findley’s Jewelers for durability.
Nick dropped a glance to his feet and brushed at his pant leg, and Scarlet cut her eyes to him.
How could this be the same, tortured man she met all those weeks ago? He was so different now.
Her brows shot up, and she let out a laughing shriek when he pinched the back of her thigh without looking up, that sexy grin in place.
If this was any indication of what a life with him might be like, you could sign her up right now. Her heart swelled with possibility and affection until she caught sight of her makeup. A frustrated groan rumbled from her throat as she leaned closer and wiped under her eyes. One of these days she'd remember to buy some damn waterproof mascara.
“Nick, what kind of mother does that?”
His expression darkened in the reflection, but he didn't answer. Instead, he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked to the door. She frowned. He must not have a good relationship with his. Or she was dead. Maybe she should stop complaining. She exhaled and squared her shoulders.
“Let's go. Katelyn's probably already there. I don't know how she does it.”
She grabbed her purse and headed toward Nick, throwing him a mock scowl.
“Let it be known that I'm doing this under protest.”
He laughed and nodded. “Noted. But trust me, you'll be glad you went someday.”
She paused, her breath hitching as she scanned him head to toe. He was so strikingly handsome, especially with that smile. And that dark blue blazer over his lighter blue checked shirt popped against his skin. Blue was definitely his color. If they didn't have somewhere to be, they wouldn't leave the house for the rest of the day.
A bubble of amusement curled her lips, and she tilted her head. Would she miss the scowl that had hidden those eyes so often? He furrowed his brow and matched her head tilt, drawing a laugh from her as she sauntered up to him.
He huffed and looked down at his shirt, then back to her. “What's so funny?”
She popped up on her tiptoes and kissed him, grinning as she dropped back down.
“I was worried I'd never get to see your 'I'll murder the world' face again.”
He froze, eventually offering her a small smile before he guided her through the door.
“I'm glad you're going to meet Katelyn. I may or may not have talked about you to her, so she may or may not flip out.”
He laughed as he shoved the door closed and forced the key into the deadbolt.
“Consider me warned. Anything I need to know before hand? Is it okay to make sudden movements?” He winked, and Scarlet giggled, shoving his arm.
He pocketed his keys and held out his hand, making an odd mix of nerves and arousal bolt through her stomach.
Besides the fact she knew each of those fingers intimately, after everything they just did, holding hands should be somewhere near a vanilla cupcake on the erotic scale. But it was something so normal, and that in itself was exciting. Nerve-wracking.
She bit her bottom lip and playfully high-fived his open palm, then threaded their fingers. He barked a laugh and tugged her close, his crisp, clean cologne fuzzing her brain.
“Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet. You’re something else.”
He dropped a quick kiss on her grinning mouth, then tucked her hand under his arm.
“Thanks for going to this with me,” she glanced up at him. “Fairly certain this wasn’t on your agenda today.”
He shot her a sideways glance with a smirk when they reached the landing. “You’re correct. Making a stunning woman scream my name for a couple of hours wasn’t on my agenda.”
“Nick!” She shoved his shoulder and chewed at her grin as ridiculous heat rushed to her cheeks. What was she, sixteen?
His throaty chuckle raised the hairs on her arms, and she shook her head, clearing her throat. “I mean it, though.”
He squeezed her fingers when they reached the passenger door of his truck, then let her hand go to open it for her.
“You’re welcome,” he smiled. “Anytime.”
Her heart fluttered when the door thudded shut. She really loved the sound of that. Nick climbed in and threw her a grin before coaxing the engine to life.
They bumped over a pothole as they pulled away from the curb, and Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, eyes widening. Black town car. Her pulse skyrocketed, and she balled her hands into fists to hide the shake. Calm down. Obviously, more than one person owned a town car.
She blew out a slow breath and smiled at Nick when he glanced at her.
No reason to assume the worst.
Scarlet
The funeral home was full to bursting by the time they got there, and they weren't even late. Okay, they were a minute or two late. Or seven.
Katelyn stood on the curb, tapping one of her red heels impatiently. She wore her black pinup style dress, which was Scarlet's favorite, and had a big red flower pinned into one of her curls. She was typing away on her phone, oblivious to her surroundings, and no doubt flying a text to Scarlet about being late.
Nick helped Scarlet out of the truck and cleared his throat as he looked around.
Yeah, she was just as uncomfortable. She'd never seen so many black suits and slick-haired men in her entire life. She questioned the decision at first, but she was glad he had his gun.
Scarlet crept up beside Katelyn and peered over her shoulder. “Who're you sending all those curse words to, young lady?”
Katelyn jumped and fumbled her phone, catching it right before it hit the street. Scarlet and Nick laughed, and Katelyn put her hand to her chest.
“Scarlet! I swear to God I'm going to put a bell on youuuuu who's that?”
She straightened her spine and cleared her throat. Scarlet narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, knowing exactly what that look meant.
“I'll tell you who it's not. And his name starts with 'your husband.'“
Nick barked out a laugh, and Katelyn rubbed her neck sheepishly, then smiled.
“But no seriously, who is this?” Katelyn pointed again with one of her manicured nails.
Nick held out his hand, and she greedily took it, shooting Scarlet a look with one of her perfectly arched eyebrows.
“Hey, I'm Nick.”
Katelyn's eyes slowly bugged out of her head, and she fought the smile that would split her face open by tucking her lips under her teeth. Her eyebrows would have left her head if they went any higher.
“Niiiiiiiiiiiick? As in
THEEEE Nick? As in badass gun dude? As in the—”
Scarlet covered her face and groaned in a loud, desperate attempt at covering up whatever was about to come out of Katelyn's mouth. Nick laughed and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. Katelyn, however, was completely unaffected and waited until the noise stopped to continue.
“ . . .one that you said you were done waiting on? As in the one you said, what were your exact words?” She cast her eyes up and tapped her chin playfully with her candy red nail.
“Katelyn,” Scarlet growled. Nick snickered like crazy behind her, and she grew redder by the second.
“Oh, that's right, “kissed like a wet dream?”
Nick's eyebrows shot up, and he busted out laughing. He rubbed the side of his face in embarrassment as Scarlet groaned into her hands and shook her head.
“My. God. Katelyn. I know where you live. Don't go to sleep.”
Katelyn cackled and took them both by the arm where she positioned herself between them, sighing in contentment.
“Come along, you adorable people you. We're LATE thanks to a certain someone who shall remain nameless Scarlet.”
She paused when she caught sight of Scarlet's skirt. Her eyes bugged out again, and Scarlet shot her the fiercest death glare that'd ever been given. She'd better not! Katelyn begged with her eyes, but Scarlet thinned her lips and shook her head. Katelyn slumped her shoulders dramatically. Nick laughed again and glanced over at Scarlet behind Katelyn's head. Scarlet grinned at him and mouthed “sorry,” but he shook his head and winked.
The mood quickly sobered when they neared the large building. From the look of it, her mother spared no expense. The funeral home was wider than it was tall, and in pristine condition.
There were several covered drive areas with multiple hearses parked at the ready. Large columns flanked the entrance and rested at every corner. Quite a contrast to most other buildings in the city, but they were on the affluent side of Tarsin Bridge. Where old money came to die in luxury.
Apparently, death was a lucrative business. She didn't know her father knew so many people at all, let alone this many well enough to come to his viewing.
Katelyn moved to her other side, and Nick put an arm around Scarlet, walking closer to her. Something had clearly put him on edge, and she was thankful for his proximity. Plus, she just really liked it when he touched her. It gave her even more sparks, now knowing how amazing he was in bed. He spoke to her sideways.
“What did your dad do, exactly?”
“Yeah, I'd like to know too,” Katelyn whispered, as she leaned in way too close to talk to her other ear.
Scarlet rubbed her ear and shot Katelyn a look.
“So far as I know, he was an investment banker. Maybe these are all the people he managed money for?” She shrugged. “If so, he must have been damn good at his job.”
Nick furrowed his brow and looked down at her. “So far as you know?”
She nodded as they finally approached the building from the across the street parking spot.
“My mom left him ten years ago. He hadn't been in my life since then except to drop off a birthday or Christmas present. Even that stopped a couple of years ago. I don’t know if that was my mom's doing or his, but either way I didn't have a close relationship with him.”
Nick let out a short, thoughtful hum and Katelyn nodded as he guided them both through the elaborate floral arch over the doors. Scarlet couldn't help but drop her jaw as they entered.
Stunning lily arrangements filled almost every available spot, covering the forest green carpet. Even as pretty as it was, the contrasting smells of flowers and something medicinal made her stomach churn. The entire place teemed with men and women, none of whom were familiar.
Her mother stood with their long-time family friend Rico respectfully close at her side, hands clasped in front of himself. They were the head of a line of people giving her mother cheek to cheek air kisses, hugs or kisses on the back of her hand under his watchful eye. Scarlet frowned.
“Guys, this is weird. If that wasn't my Mom and Rico, I'd think for sure we were at the wrong place.” She glanced around again and wrapped her arm around Nick's. “I don't even see any of our family.”
“Who's missing?” Nick whispered as they approached the back of the line.
“Well, a couple of cousins on my Mom's side, and my Aunt and Uncle. Maybe they're coming later.”
Nick looked at her and pursed his lips as they made it further up the line. “No brothers or sisters?”
She shook her head, and Katelyn chimed in, gesturing to Nick with her head.
“Can't you tell by her not being able to share?”
Scarlet dropped her jaw again and shoved Katelyn who tried not to laugh. Nick rubbed his neck and shoved his tongue against his cheek.
“Juuuuust kidding. I have waaay more than I can handle at home.”
Scarlet fake gagged and wrapped her arms around her waist. “God, would you shut up, I'm going to hurl!” Katelyn covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and Scarlet caught Nick’s amused gaze. “No, just me.”
“Scarlet! I'm so glad you decided to come, I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. And you look beautiful. Even though your skirt is wrinkled.”
The pretty older woman gracefully extended her arms and beckoned Scarlet. Scarlet growled almost inaudibly, and Nick chewed at his smirk.
“Hi, Mom.”
Scarlet returned her embrace, then moved to stand beside her, pulling Nick along with her.
“Hey, piccola.”
“Rico, you can’t call me little when I’m wearing heels.”
Scarlet met his wide smile with her own as he stepped to her and gave her a friendly hug. His mild Italian accent was more comforting to hear than she expected. It reminded her of calmer, more normal times. Times before her parents split. When they all use to go out on the boat for hours, and he and Rico would playfully argue about the proper way to bait a hook. Scarlet swallowed and blinked rapidly.
Rico clasped Nick’s hand in a firm shake, and after a quick introduction, Rico sighed playfully as he put a heavy hand on Scarlet’s head. She scoffed and jerked free as she rolled her eyes, which drew a short laugh from him. Rico was only ten years older than her, but he loved to make her feel like a kid.
“She roped you into this too, huh?”
“She didn’t have to rope me into anything, caro.” He cut his eyes to the door, gaze scrutinizing an entering couple before refocusing on Scarlet. “I was his friend too, you know. And I’m sure you remember how close he was to my brother.”
A strange look passed through Rico’s eyes, and she pursed her lips. “Oh right. I forget that.”
After her parents had split, she’d only ever seen Rico when he came to visit. She hadn’t realized he probably visited her dad too. Mrs. Price clicked her tongue affectionately and smiled.
“Katelyn, you look impeccable as always, it's so good to see you.” Rico resumed his position beside Mrs. Price as she held her arms open and Katelyn gave her a warm hug.
“It's good to see you too, Mrs. Price. I'm sorry about your husband.”
“Thank you, dear. It was a shock for sure.”
Why didn't she correct her to ex-husband? Scarlet glanced at her Mom's hand and frowned. She had her wedding ring on. She'd never known her to be sentimental about anything. Did they not actually get divorced?
Scarlet wracked her brain for any sign pointing in either direction and came up empty. She had just assumed it was a clean split when her dad moved out.
Nick cleared his throat, and Scarlet turned around. He looked ten times more uncomfortable than he did outside. At least. He angled his body toward the door and crossed his arms. Mrs. Price passed a sideways glance to Nick, who smiled back, and she raised her eyebrows at Scarlet. Why was she doing that? Oh duh.
Scarlet opened her mouth, but Nick preempted the introduction and extended his hand, putting his other one
on Scarlet's shoulder.
“Hi, I'm Nick. Sorry for your loss.”
Mrs. Price took his hand in both of hers and gave him an appraising glance before frowning.
“Do you have a last name, Nick? You know, it's polite to introduce yourself with both names when greeting someone you don't know.”
Scarlet went bug-eyed and glared at her Mom, but Nick and Rico chuckled.
“I'm sorry Mrs. Price, you're right. Nick Lange. Pleased to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances.”
Scarlet smiled, rolling his last name around in her mind. Sounded pretty good as far as she was concerned. It would sound great with— She refocused when she noticed her Mom's expression.
Mrs. Price's eyebrows lifted and her mouth curled into an impressed smile. She glanced at Rico, then back to Nick. “Lange. That's a good, honest name. Are your parents still living?”
“Mom!”
Mrs. Price paid her no mind, and Nick smiled, unaffected.
“My mother still is, but I never knew my father, so I can't answer that for sure.”
Scarlet frowned again. That was sad. She at least had her dad when she was growing up if nothing else. That must have been hard on him. Mrs. Price patted his hand and reapplied her sad smile.
“I'm sure your father would have been proud to have a fine young man such as yourself as a son. Lange is a good, honest name, Nick. I get the feeling you wear it well.”
Scarlet caught a shadow briefly sweep across his face as her mother turned a smug look to her.
“And see, Scarlet? Manners make all the difference.” She glanced back at Nick and inclined her head. “It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Lange. Please, call me Marianna.”
Scarlet's eyes rolled back into her head and squinted against the evil words that rolled around on her tongue. Her mother knew exactly how to get under her skin. Of course, that was likely the job of every mother.
She tapped the thumb of her closed fist on her bottom lip before taking a deep breath and forcing a smile. Katelyn covered her mouth and walked over to the refreshment table. Scarlet managed to compose herself and crossed her arms.