EMMA
Iwas sick to my stomach all last night, wondering what that guy wanted from me. Then, it got me thinking … what would Scar want from me? I had no clue. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. If I didn’t do what they said, they’d go after my sister next. I would do anything to keep her out of whatever shit it was.
My mother was at school, and Reagan was at the gym with our father and brother, so I didn’t worry about them showing up. I hadn’t talked to Carter since Sunday, but I wished he was close. I felt vulnerable and unprepared. If it was Scar I was dealing with, I had a feeling I was in way over my head. He wasn’t your typical petty criminal. From what I'd heard, Scar was a murderer, cunning, clever, and highly manipulative.
Fighting off the urge to vomit up the contents of my stomach, I spread out my beach towel and sat down. The sun was bright and warm against my skin, but it did nothing to soothe me. There were so many people around, laughing and talking while walking through the water as it glided up the sand. They looked happy and full of life, something I envied at that moment.
A voice behind me caught my attention. “Well, don’t you look beautiful today.”
“And aren’t you full of shit,” I fired back.
The guy chuckled and sat beside me like he did yesterday. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed he was dressed as before in only shorts and no T-shirt, showing off the dragon tattoo on his back. This time, he didn’t have the aviator sunglasses covering up his eyes. He turned his head to me, and I clenched my jaw before looking at him.
He didn’t have the look of what I assumed Scar’s minions would have. In my mind, I thought they’d be rugged, stocky thugs who reeked of cigarette smoke, but that wasn’t this guy at all. He was good-looking and a smooth talker, but he disgusted me. I despised anyone who worked for Scar.
I’d been around a gazillion rich boys in my life, and this guy was one of them. I didn’t understand why he’d want to work for a criminal.
The guy held out his hand, his tone polite. “I’m Nikolai, by the way. I don’t think I told you that yesterday.”
Pursing my lips, I stared at his hand and then into his icy blue eyes. “It’s because you were too busy threatening me.”
His gaze twinkled with humor. “True.”
My focus shifted to the dragon tattoo on his back, where I noticed the name Reaper intermingled with the fire coming out of the dragon’s mouth. It made me think of Paxton and how he had the skull tattoo with the name Reaper as well. We all knew what the name meant.
A shudder throttled my spine. “So, you do work for Scar?”
Nikolai grinned. “Now that you know, I guess we can get down to business. He wants to meet you on Friday.”
Mouth gaping, I looked around, confused. “How’s that possible? He’s in prison.”
Teeth flashing, he shook his head. “He gets out Friday morning.”
After choking down the bile, my stomach twisted into even more knots. How was Scar allowed out of prison? “What do you do for him?”
Nikolai raked his hungry gaze down my body. “You don’t want to know the answer to that. I kind of like the relationship we have going on here.”
“We have nothing,” I snarled. “Now tell me what Scar wants.”
He moved closer, his shoulder touching mine. “We need you. You see, Scar and I share a common enemy. All we have to do is take pictures of you and that bastard together. Once the world sees them, his life will be over.”
A blast of anger exploded in the very center of my being. “Not just no, but hell no! I’m not a damn prostitute. That will ruin me and my career.”
Nikolai beamed. “And it’ll crush dear ole daddy when he sees his little girl whoring herself out.”
“Screw you!” I spat, pushing away from him.
Nikolai smacked a hand over mine, squeezing it achingly tight. “We’re not done. You haven’t heard the rest of it.” Biting my cheek through the pain, I settled back in my spot beside him. His fingers relaxed, and it took a few seconds for the blood to flow back through my hand. “You wouldn’t be fucking anyone, Emma. Not unless you want to give in to me.”
I glared at him, hoping he could see the utter disdain for him. “I’d rather become a nun.” Jerking my hand out from under his, I lifted my knees and wrapped my arms around them. “Who is this man I’ll be basically blackmailing?”
Nikolai grinned slyly. “Let’s just say he’s a politician.”
“So, I’m going to ruin this guy’s life as well as mine while also shaming my entire family? Is this how Scar wants to hurt my dad?”
Nikolai stared at me, his expression unreadable. “Either you agree to this, or I turn the job over to your sister. It’s your choice. And like I told you before, if you or your sister refuses, you know who we’ll go after next.”
I couldn’t let them go after Reagan, and I couldn’t risk my parents’ lives. Squeezing my knees hard, I turned my attention to the ocean. There was nothing to think about.