Scarlett was looking up at me with eyes that I could only describe as full of concern. It was the first time I’d seen it from her. A frown took over my lips as I nodded towards Hayes asking, “Where are they going to take him?”
“Luke’s going to question him.” She must have noticed the look I was trying to disguise because she added, “But not without us.” I’m glad she did, I wanted to hear what he had to say. “Sit.” Unsure was she was talking about I searched the room we had somehow arrived in. I didn’t have to search very far; there was a chair behind me. I didn’t hesitate in doing what she said. When I did, she demanded everyone else leave the room. Once they were gone, she kneeled in front of me. “There’s obviously something the matter, so hurry up and tell me what it is.” There she was. I would’ve laughed at the way she worded it had I been in the mood to do so. Instead, I just stayed quiet.
“You don’t want to tell me? That’s fine, but the longer you take the longer we will wait to go see the boy you brought with you, who I assume you have some kind of relationship with.” My eyes narrowed at her. If this was her showing concern, she was failing.
“You’re a terrible shoulder to lean,” I said.
She raised an eyebrow, “Who said I’m being a shoulder to lean on?” I rested my elbows on my knees and leaned closer to her.
Tilting my head I questioned, “Is this not you showing concern?” We were inches apart just staring at one another.
Without breaking eye contact she replied, “I’m not concerned,” I found it funny and cute how she bit out each word not wanting to admit it.
“Alright.” I sat back in the chair; I wouldn’t talk if she wouldn’t be honest. We sat there in silence for a good while. I crossed my arms in an exaggerated motion. I wanted her to say it out loud. She wasn’t pleased with that because I heard what sounded like a low growl come from her.
Not long after I heard her say, “I..might be…the littlest…amount…concerned. Are you happy now?”
I felt a small smile tug on my lips as I said, “I might be the littlest amount happy.”
“Good. Tell me why you’re upset.” 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3jUnlFQNZ
~~~
We made our way down the hallway to where they were holding Hayes hostage. It sounded worse when I thought about it like that. Two guards were outside the door blocking any entry into the dungeon. Scarlett nodded her head, and they stepped out of the way. Inside, Luke was standing next to the second cell.
“I’ve been waiting an hour for you two to come.” He had a critical expression as he studied both of us.
Scarlett waved her hand nonchalantly. “There’s nothing to worry about. Let’s get on with it. Remind me, why did we decide to lock him up?”
“He came out of the tavern with Samuel. We didn’t know if we could trust him.”
“Hm, open it.” Luke took a set of keys out of his pocket and took his time going through each one before choosing the right key. He unlocked the door and moved out of the way. Scarlett walked past him, but she was closely followed as she went in. I peeked around her seeing my friend’s hands chained to the wall. It was a pitiful sight. He wasn’t too excited about that; I couldn’t blame him, I wouldn’t be either if it were me in his place.
His eyes met mine and I saw a look of shock pass through them. Luke quickly got his attention when he asked, “Why were you at there?”
Hayes glared at him and instead turned his attention back to me. “You’re with them? Seriously?”
I grimaced as I said, “Technically, no, but for this particular task, yes.” I crossed my arms still curious in his side. “That doesn’t explain why you were there, though.”
“You won’t get anything out of me,” he replied.
“Not too long ago you were going on about how the people we were running from were awful, but you won’t help in stopping them?”
“They’re at least better than them.” At this point, Scarlett had a guard bring a chair to the room for her to sit in. She hadn’t even tried to hide her boredom as she rested her chin in her hand.
“These people didn’t try to kill me!”
“They are ruining our country, but you wouldn’t know that. They have you wrapped around their fingers like a puppet.”
“Enough,” Scarlett was sitting upright now. “The only puppet being played with is you. I don’t know how I’m ruining the country. The propaganda they are feeding you and others like you must be really entertaining to have you this deeply devoted. The only reason you’re only being chained is because you saved Samuel’s life. And now that we know he’s your friend we can’t exactly free you, but we won’t harm you either. So, you should thank him for that. It doesn’t exclude the fact you committed treason by working with them. You should’ve just lied and said you weren’t. Your anger towards us is pathetic considering the country has faced worse than what you think I’ve done. Now, I will ask you again, are you willing to cooperate? If not, it’s going to be a long road ahead of you.”
He snickered and laughed haughtily. “Your highness, it’s a pleasure. My pleasure indeed. You do your own bidding I see. Can’t trust anyone in your castle?”
“Indeed, the pleasure is all yours. I take no pleasure in entertaining your presence, especially one as lowly as yours,” she answered back. I felt my heart skip a beat at her snappy response.
Hayes must have noticed my reaction because he smirked at me as he said, “Fiery and quick-tempered. Fond of this one, Samuel?”
I didn’t hesitate. It didn’t even matter that her cousin was in the room listening. “Very much so.” I saw her gaze rest on me in a questioning manner. “I thought you knew that from our first encounter.”
“I thought you were just being a pest,” she said. I might have imagined it, but I thought I caught a glimpse of a pink tint spread across her cheeks. I didn’t have to time to examine them more closely because my friend thought it was the perfect moment to say something else.
“Don’t be foolish. She’s using you. She wouldn't have cared if you had died or not going tonight.” I was going to refute his statement, but I heard a…giggle? I turned towards the only person the noise could have come from.
“Using Samuel? You’ve got to be kidding. He’s as useful as a broken leg.” I muttered something underneath my breath, and hearing it she added, “Except for when he saved my life.”
Hayes ignored her and continued speaking to me, “She’ll get rid of you when she’s through with you.”
Looking directly at me she said, “I guess I should have shown you the door the night you dropped me off then.” She turned to Hayes and lowered herself to meet his gaze. “If I wanted to get rid of your friend, I would’ve done it by now. He talks a lot and asks too many questions. How you’ve dealt with him for so long is far beyond me. Even so, I’ve decided to keep him.” I held my chest with my hand. And like I had thought my heart had stopped beating. Did she say she wanted to keep me? That was the nicest thing she said to me since I’ve known her, which now that I thought about it wasn't long. Did that also mean she hadn’t rejected my advancements? It didn’t matter. I was in too deep, and my feet weren’t touching the ground any time soon. 273Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0ROUmwaVZ
