Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young) novel Chapter 405

I bit my lip, shot Lucas a frosty glare, and kept my mouth shut.

By the time we got back to Lucas's villa, night had fallen. Spring nights clung to the light longer than winter's early dusk. This time, Lucas refrained from shoving me into that dark room of his.

He let me roam the villa, but the catch was the crew of guards he posted outside. My 'freedom' was just a fancy cage.

Having no place else to be anyway, I was not too bothered.

I was chilling on the yard swing, petting Candy, who had gotten pretty plump. The little guy was well-fed, belly rumbling contentedly under my hand.

Inch came by, offering a hand warmer. "It's chilly out. The boss says to head inside."

I did not take it and did not even look at him. "No thanks. I'm good here."

He hesitated. "The boss won't like that."

I let out a cold laugh, hopped off the swing, and headed for the villa without a backward glance. Inch called after me, "Ms. Scott, the boss won't hurt you."

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around to face him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Inch, I've been dying to know, how did you end up as his puppet? When you were on death's doorstep, it was Officer Jackson and his squad who pulled you back. You know, people say you should pay back favors, but man, you've really outdone yourself. You were even ready to bite the hand that saved you."

He went rigid, as if he had turned to stone. His fists balled up at his sides and his face was the color of chalk. He stared at me, stammering, "You... how did you find out?"

I could not help but let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Remember New Year's Eve? You were the one who gave me a ride home. You were the only one who knew I had called Officer Jackson, the only one who knew I was planning to meet him. Obviously, you were the only one who could have pinpointed his location that fast. Sure, you had a helmet on, but it's not like you can hide your size that easily."

All throughout that night, I could not stop thinking that if I had not gone to see Officer Jackson, maybe none of this would have happened. He would still be alive, and I would not be in Lucas's crosshairs.

Life does not deal in 'what-ifs,' yet the thought persisted.

Caught out, he let out a long sigh, his eyes downcast. "I'm sorry. I've got orders from the boss, and I've got to follow them."

I snorted. "What a loyal dog you are."

He turned ghostly white but did not come back with any excuses.