Scarlet (39 page)

"You seem awfully calm about the situation." He slowly looked around the room.

"I'm not, but panicking won't help. It's better to focus, to think."

Morgan shook his head and reached for some food. "There's no way out of this place. I've examined every inch."

"You might have missed something," Red said. "Lack of food and water can leave you sluggish."

"I didn't. Believe me. I've had more time to study it," he said, scowling.

"We're below ground. Four floors if I counted right," she said. "Only two of the floors had doors opening onto them. My guess is that two are above ground and two are below."

"That makes getting out of here even harder," he said.

"Maybe," she said. "Maybe not."

“What do you mean?"

"People know that I'm missing. Someone will conic looking for me." Red thought about Raphael's promise.

"They think you escaped," he reminded her.

"Some will believe that. My grandfather won't. And neither will a few people in Nuria. All we have to do is survive long enough for them to find us."

"Roark isn't going to let them find us. He can't afford to have any witnesses. I told you about Michael."

Red sobered as she thought about Michael Travers. "I've seen him. You're right. I don't know what Roark's done to him, but he's not the same man that we met." She pictured Raphael and sadness welled inside of her. Michael was his only family.

Red twisted the chain that secured her to the wall.

"What are you doing?" Morgan asked.

 'Testing it for weaknesses. Sometimes all you need to break one of these things is a little leverage."

The chain clanked as she wound it around and around.

"Be careful," Morgan said. His hands weren't shaking as bad now that he'd had some food. And he seemed more alert than he had been an hour ago.

"You should eat more," she said, her attention going back to the task at hand.

“I'm full," he said. "It's your turn to have a bite."

"I'm not hungry." Her stomach growled, making a liar out of her.

"Please have a couple of bites and a sip of water."

Red grabbed a small piece of what she assumed was synth-meat and took the canteen that Morgan offered. After a couple of sips of water, she placed it back on the tray. "I'm done. You need to have the rest. I plan to get out of here and I    need you at full strength."

"We can't get out of here or he'll have the proof he needs."

"Screw his proof. Surviving is all that matters now," she said. "Hear that Roark? Fuck you!"

"I'm sorry for leaving you," Morgan said quietly.

Red stopped working the chain and looked at him. "What's done is done. Regrets are a waste of time. Right now we need to focus on the future. And that means breaking out."

"I knew that you were the right woman for me. You're strong enough to be an alpha, even without the .. ." He let the words trail off, but Red knew what he'd been about to say. The fact that she couldn't change was coming back to haunt her now more than ever.

"Is that the only reason you pursued me, because I was strong?"

He shook his head. "No, at least not after the beginning."

"Then why did you find it so easy to leave?" Red watched him carefully, since she wouldn't be able to smell any changes in him due to the eye-watering stench.

Morgan took a deep breath. "I've asked myself that same question multiple times. There are no easy answers."

She shifted until she was facing him. "I'm not looking for easy, I want the truth."

"When you came along, everything happened so fast. At first I was trying to persuade you to return to IPTT, then I didn't want you to leave. I was confused. When it turned out that Kane was involved with Roark, I was angry. Angry at Kane, but also angry at you for destroying what we had."

Red flinched, but didn't say anything.

"I thought I'd moved past my anger, but when Sarah and Joshua appeared, I realized I hadn't. I knew I needed to reconcile the past or we'd never have a future together. I'm just sorry it's taken me this long to realize how much you mean to me. I love you, Gina. And I hope it's not too late to make it up to you."

Red's head dropped and she twisted her fingers. "I've made mistakes, too," she said quietly.

"What mistakes could you have possibly made?" he asked, incredulous.

She closed her eyes unable to face his condemnation. "While you were away, Raphael and I became close."

*    *    *

Morgan stilled, his heart slamming against his ribs. Raphael, his friend, his nemesis, had always been competitive. Throughout the years they'd competed for jobs and women. He'd stolen Karen Martin from him. Had the vamp managed to take the one that meant more than life itself?

He growled in frustration. That was the old Morgan talking. The new Morgan would forgive her of any transgressions as long as she said she loved him. And only him.

"What do you mean by close?" Morgan asked, needing to know the truth while dreading it at the same time.

"He's one of the only ones who showed me kindness after you left. I was lonely. I needed a friend."

Morgan listened, trying to read between the lines of what she was saying. His imagination tortured him with naked images of Gina and Raphael. "How close?" he repeated, bracing for whatever she had to say and praying his heart could take it.

"I didn't sleep with him, if that's what you're asking," she said.

His body sagged in relief. It shouldn't have mattered, but it did. He needed to know he could trust her completely. That she wouldn't run off, if someone more appealing came along.

"What did happen?" he asked.

"I let him kiss me."

Morgan could live with a kiss, if it hadn't gone past that point. It hurt, but he could accept it. "It's okay," he said. "Anything else happen?"

"He bit me," she whispered.

A growl rumbled out of his chest before he could stop it. He could handle a kiss, since it was relatively innocent. A bite was another matter completely.

"Why did you allow him to bite you, Gina?" His body trembled as his mind tried to reconcile her words with the intimacy he knew occurred when an alpha male placed a bite on a female.

"He said it was necessary for my protection. You of all people should recall the benefits." she added hastily, glancing at the vid recorder tucked in the corner.

Morgan followed her gaze. "Don't worry Roark's after visual proof, not audio. Aren't you, Montgomery?" he shouted. "You know that old saying about a picture's worth." Morgan didn't want to ask, but he had to know. "Did you enjoy Raphael's bite?" He choked on the words. "I mean, did you enjoy it more than mine?"

"Why do you ask?"

Morgan hesitated, debating whether to tell her the truth, but in the end he knew he had no choice. If they were to make a go of it once they got out of this hell, they had to be honest with each other from here on out. "Because Raphael is an alpha, too."

"I thought you were the alpha," she said, her confusion clear.

"I am. That's why I've been running Nuria for so long. But there are other alphas out there. Alphas like Raphael, who have no wish to run a town or anything else. He chooses to live under me and serve when it suits him. It's an unspoken agreement that allows him to stay in Nuria when he pleases."

"I'm not sure I follow."

Morgan decided to be blunt. "You could choose to go with him. even though I put my mark on you first."

"Oh." Gina bit her lip. She remained silent in deep thought. "That's not going to happen," she said finally.

"You need to be sure," Morgan said.

"I am sure," she said.                                                  

"Why?" Morgan kept what little hope he had left tamped down.

"Because I'm not in love with Raphael," Gina said, shifting as close as she could to him. "And I told him as much."

Morgan started at her confession. "What did he say?"

"He said he understood, then let me go."

He couldn't believe Raphael had given up so easily. Morgan wouldn't have if he wanted Gina enough to try to steal her out from under him. Maybe his friend was softening in his old age. Morgan smiled at the thought.

"Thank you for telling me," he said.

"I figured since we were getting everything out in the open, full disclosure was needed."

"I love you, Gina."

"I love you, too."

"How touching," Roark said, as he walked into the room. "I'm surprised my teeth haven't rotted from listening to all this sickeningly sweet crap."

Gina and Morgan stiffened.

"I hate to break up this sappy reunion, but I thought you'd like to know I will be moving Morgan out tomorrow. I think it's best the authorities find your body quickly. We wouldn't want the animals getting to you first."

"Body?" Gina murmured.

"Yes, it's quite tragic," Roark said. "Two star-crossed lovers who in the end betray each other. Kind of like she did with Michael's brother Raphael. By the way, how does it feel to know some other guy has been sticking it to your woman, while you're off chasing your tail?"

"You bastard," Morgan snapped, yanking at his restraints.

"Are you angry enough to shift for me?" Roark taunted.

Morgan stopped at his words. "You'd like that, wouldn't you'.'"'

Roark smiled. "I'd love it. Just the proof I'd need to present to the republics. Can you help him along, my dear?" he asked, turning to Gina. "Surely you must have learned a few tricks along the way."

*    *    *

Red stared at him, her body trembling in rage.

"Hmm, guess not," he said. "Looks like you only know how to spread your legs for the beast. I bet that makes you feel like a freak around them. I'm surprised they let a pureblood like you stay." He stepped closer, taunting her, but keeping just out of range. "What's the matter, bitch got your tongue?" Roark waved his hand in front of her.

Red swiped at him and missed.

"Close, but not close enough. Care to try again?" He leaned forward.

"Go to hell," she spat.

"Now why would I want to do that, when I'm so close to achieving my goals?" Roark asked, grinning like an idiot.

'This isn't over, Roark," Morgan said.

"It will be for you. Very soon." He spun on his heel and strode out of the room.

"What are we going to do?" Red asked in a whisper. Desperation clawed at her insides as she searched the same four walls for a way out.

"I don't know." he said. His head dropped back against the wall with a thump.

Red met Morgan's gaze. "I won't let him take you "

"You may not have a choice."