The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 66

There was a sense that everything I heard about him was always the dark side. As Samantha fed me information about it, all I could gather was that he was a ruthless, cold-blooded killer who used to fight in an underground ring when he was in his twenties. I knew what his favorite hobby was, what his favorite color, and favorite type of food was. I knew some basic things about him, and what he did before he became a wealthy business tycoon. Yet all of the information I was learning about Reece was enough to make me run. I was scared. I was scared of his past. I knew that whatever he did, he was motivated by some reason, but I knew Reece Dean had never given much thought to the aftermath once he had carried out his mission. I admired him. I loved everything he did for me, and I loved the way he cherished and protected his family. However, what he did, and continued to do, terrified me. Within seconds, Samantha was on me. One of her hands was on my back, the other in my hair. She helped me push my hair back so that it wouldn't get in my way when I vomited the second time.

"Cat, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you or scare you. If Reece finds out, he will kill me. There are a lot of good things about him. Please, don't cry," she said in panic. It hadn't even occurred to me that I was crying. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to calm myself. Why was I crying? Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at me. All I wanted to see was the gentle look on Reece's face, and the look of love in his eyes. A calm demeanor was what I sought, not a brewing storm within him. I closed my eyes and ignored her.

"Catherine. Are you mad at me? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't hate Reece. He's not a bad man. He—"

"Mommy!" A little chirpy voice boomed behind us. After quickly swiping my cheeks with my hand, we both turned towards the source of the noise. Josephine ran towards Samantha, and she quickly picked her up. Joseph walked toward us with Reece behind him. As soon as his eyes met my wet ones, his jaw clenched. Joseph stepped back, and Reece swept his gaze sharply to Samantha. She blanched. I nervously glanced at her. I didn't want her to be in trouble.

"Why are you crying, Catherine?" Reece asked, his voice lethal but caring at the same time.

"I...I vomited. I vomited so hard I had tears in my eyes. I felt sick all of a sudden," I answered, partly telling the truth. Joseph bought my half-truth, but Reece saw right through me.

"Are you okay? Why don't you come inside and—" Joseph started, but he was unable to finish his sentence.

"Take Josephine inside, Joe," Reece said, without looking away from Samantha. He took Joey into his arms and reached for Samantha. She gasped, and Joseph looked concerned, but otherwise didn't intervene because he knew there would be no point in doing so.

"Brother--"

"Should Sam--" Joseph began, but Reece cut him off.

"She stays. Go back inside." Reece glared at Samantha. Joseph realized what was about to happen instantly. In the end, he had no choice but to turn on his heels and disappear. Reece stepped towards his sister, while she took a step away from him.

"Reece, wait--" I pleaded with my eyes, but he did not look at me. Instead, he went straight for Samantha.

"Some things are meant to be kept secret. Some knowledge hurts worse than expected. I explained that to you before, didn't I?" He asks as he takes another step forward. Was he going to hurt her? She swallowed loudly.

Yes, you did," she murmured, her voice breaking.

"What did you tell her?" he almost growled.

"I...I...."

"Do you want her to run from me, Samantha? Is that what you want?"

"No! No, Reece, that's not what I—"

"Do you want her to be frightened of me for the rest of her life?"

"No, Reece, just hear me out—"

"What. Did. You. Tell. Her?" He tried again, practically growling at her. Reece cornered the poor girl, and she was so terrified she couldn't form words to defend herself. It only made her seem like she had done something wrong when she hadn't. In order to protect her, I closed the space, sandwiching myself between them. After a moment of contemplation, Reece finally looked at me. The look in his eyes had me backing up a little.

"Nothing I didn't already know. Her heart was in the right space. She told me how much you already love me even though you still haven't uttered those words to me yet. She told me how far you're willing to go when it comes to me, and how well you will protect me in life when danger befalls me. Your sister opened my eyes, and made me realize I will always be loved by you, and how happy I'll stay being with you." I grabbed his cheek, and sighed as his warmth radiated through me, instantly making me hot. I wasn't entirely lying when I said what I said. What I said...I felt. In turn, Reece embraced my dark past, so now it was my turn to embrace his, no matter what it was. There is always the option to run and not be part of this madness, but where would that get me? Nowhere. Nobody would be able to protect me like he does, and I would never be happy with anyone else. A life without Reece is possible, but a life without him would be dull and full of sadness. While the days with him might not always be perfect, at least I'd have him for as long as I could. With him, I'd be protected, I'd be loved, and I'd have a perfect little family.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. With the knowledge in hand, I threw my arms around Samantha and embraced her. My hands went around her waist, catching her off guard by surprise. She hugged me back and relaxed into me, finally releasing the breath of fresh air she was desperately holding on to. While Samantha had momentarily scared me off, she did the right thing. She gave me knowledge and made me see things in a different light. And she was right. There were also so many good things about him that I had yet to discover. It was only the beginning, and I was grateful to learn about his dark side first. It was now my time to learn more about his good side. I finally let her go and looked at Reece. By now, his eyes were no longer filled with anger. His posture had relaxed, and he was no longer standing in front of us like a grim reaper. Sam reached out and hugged Reece, her body still trembling. He returned the hug immediately.

"She's a keeper, brother," Samantha mumbled into his chest. Reece pulled away to glance at her.

"What did you tell her?" he asked again, his voice even and calm. Samantha sighed, knowing she wouldn't get away with it. After looking at me, she looked back at him.

"I told her you were part of Silver Truth. And why...why it had to shut down," she explained. His gaze flickered to me then back at his sister.

"There's a reason why I never told Catherine about my past," he chided her.

I am sorry, I did not honor that," she admitted. Both of them turned to look at me, and I shifted nervously from where I stood. Reece cocked his head to the side, signaling for me to come to him, and I complied.

"Let's have a chat," he spoke into my ear, deadly calm. I gulped, nodding. It was beginning to look like I was in trouble.