Scarlet Angel Collection

8. Neil

Sometimes betrayals are for your own good. And sometimes, they are to protect others. The understanding that comes later does not lessen the pain now.

Sometimes betrayals are for your own good. And sometimes, they are to protect others. The understanding that comes later does not lessen the pain now.* * *

Scarlett"s eyes filled with moisture. She clenched her fists in rage and glared at her brother in disbelief. “What the hell does that mean?”

Cash c****d his head to the side. “Scar, c"mon. You gotta understand. If someone"s after you…”

Hot tears streamed down her face. “Oh, I see… If the going gets tough?”

“C"mon. You know it"s not like that.”

Bitter words formed on her tongue, only fueling her anger. “Guess I"m not quite family enough to stick up for, huh?”

Something in Cash snapped. His eyes shifted from pleading to angry, and when he spoke, his voice boomed. “HEY! You listen to me. I am sticking up for you. Probably even saving your life. But more important to me are my kids. I get the s**t that"s going on. But I have to protect Ethan and Sofie. You can hate me now, but that"s what I have to do.”

amHis words crushed her. Even though she was nearly eye-level with her brother, she felt a foot tall looking up at him. She wiped the dampness from her cheeks and sniffled. “You"re right. I"m sorry.”

Cash adjusted his jacket and walked over to the other man, keeping his eyes on Scarlett. “Neil, remember Chicago?”

The taller man wrinkled his brow and nodded. “Yeah. What"s that got to do with—”

“Good. Now I"m collecting. You keep her away. For her own and my family"s safety. You got that?”

Scarlett wanted to say something, anything, but she could not find the words. She was so ashamed by her own anger and selfishness at not considering Emma and the kids that her mind was numb.

Scarlett glanced up to see Neil and Cash with locked gazes in an intense unspoken argument.

Finally, Neil"s face softened. “Fine.”

“Thanks. Just keep her safe. She is my sister, after all.”

isThe two men shook hands, their forearms straining with the strength of their grips. When they released, Cash turned to his sister. “Don"t forget that we love you. I know this is crazy, but it"s the best way I know to keep you and the rest of the family safe.”

Scarlett just nodded.

“Look, I know it sucks, but right now they have no leads. Neil can help keep it that way. I was hoping it wouldn"t come to this, but when I found out about the accident at Universal Dynamics and that you might have been involved somehow, I… had to be ready for anything.” His arms wrapped around Scarlett and held her tight.

She wanted to sink into him and cry, but she knew it would not help her situation.

Cash let her go and started to walk away. After just a few steps, he stopped and pulled something from his waistband. “Oh, and here"s this. It belonged to our friend in the car.”

Neil took the gun from Cash and turned it over in his hands. “Figures. He had to use a piece of crap Sure-Point.”

“It"s better than nothing, right?”

Neil shoved the weapon into his own waistband. “No, not really.”

Scarlett struggled against more tears. With her eyes squeezed shut, she tried to make herself believe this was the right decision. In her mind, logically it was, but in her heart, she knew it was wrong. “Cash?”

Her brother turned to her. “Yeah?”

“What about my stuff at Mom"s? And… How are you going to get home?”

Cash chuckled. “I"ll keep your stuff in storage until you"re settled. And as far as me? Don"t worry. I"ve got a ride.”

He turned around and kept walking. As soon as he passed the gate, a yellow taxi pulled up and stopped.

Scarlett watched as her brother shook the cabbie"s hand and got in the front passenger seat. Another tear trickled down her cheek when the vehicle pulled away and disappeared. She jumped at Neil"s cold voice.

“We should go.”

* * *

The primer-grey car backfired as it came to a stop. Scarlett knew she was in a city, but had no idea which one it was. The blindfold she"d reluctantly agreed to wear and Neil"s obviously indirect route made sure she was good and lost. He knows his work.

He knows his work.The car lurched forward again and the last fringes of light trickling through the black cloth vanished. Everything was black.

Neil pulled the blindfold from her eyes. With a flat tone, he said the first words spoken by either of them since they left the docks. “We"re here.”

Scarlett blinked away the haze that clouded her vision. When she could see clearly again, she found herself in an empty warehouse with what appeared to be another building inside the warehouse itself. “Aaaannd here is where?”

Neil pulled the handle to the door and it came off in his hand. “Nice. Home, we"re home.”

She tried not to laugh as the stoic man climbed out through the window, Dukes of Hazard-style. Scarlett gently pulled on her own handle and the door popped open with little effort. “This is home?”

ThisNeil glanced over at her as he stalked to the interior building. “Until I figure out exactly what to do with you? Yes.”

Scarlett resigned herself to living in this strange place for a few days. As she darted after him, the rest of his words registered. “Wait… "What to do with me?" I thought you and Cash had this all figured out.”

The smaller, inside building sat against the far wall of the warehouse. Though thin, sheetrocked walls supported a roof two stories up, it was still more than a dozen feet from the larger building"s ceiling. Several windows, shuttered with blinds, dotted the structure"s face. Some of them were lit, some were not.

As she got closer, Scarlett noticed the small electrical box attached to the wall next to the door. Neil walked right up to the box and pulled it open. The casing swung to the side, revealing a very out-of-place touchscreen, currently displaying a numeric keypad.

Neil tapped a few of the numbers and pressed his thumb against the surface. Crosshairs appeared on the screen, centered on his thumb and the digit glowed. The pad beeped and an electronic voice welcomed Neil home.

Scarlett made a mental note of the combination keycode, thumbprint and biometric security to get in. She hoped getting out would be easier than getting in.

Neil reached for the tarnished-brass handle. When he pulled, a soft click came from behind the door and it swung open. Scarlett was not sure what to expect inside, but the drab, abandoned office look was not it. She knew that was what she should have expected, since the building looked like a simple office space. Still, something made her expect more. “You live in an abandoned office?”

He strolled inside and she followed. The two weaved their way through the empty offices and stopped in front of a broom closet. Neil opened the door and they stepped into the empty space.

A flickering light bulb illuminated the small closet. Scarlett eyed her host as he reached over and flipped the small light switch. Instead of the light turning off, though, the floor lurched under her feet.

Scarlett gave a squeak at the sudden movement but quickly realized the room was actually a small elevator. When the tiny lift came to a stop, she was staring at a large apartment space beneath the office"s floor. “Oh.”

The wall to Scarlett"s right was lined with three large viewscreens showing several chaotic webs of information. Halleon Technologies, the Drummond Tower… All this random stuff. What is this guy up to?

Halleon Technologies, the Drummond Tower… All this random stuff. What is this guy up to?To the left of the screens were several display cases. The shelves held random objects that Scarlett could only describe as junk. Among the items was a chunk of concrete, a diamond necklace, a child"s doll and an old brass key.

Concrete, steel and glass dominated the apartment. Few pieces of furniture decorated the area. Other than a few pieces of electronics, a couch and a small dinette set, the main living room was empty. To her left, though, Scarlett counted what looked like three large weapons lockers and wondered why someone might need that many firearms. She was surprised at the level of style. From the warehouse above, she expected more of a grungy, bachelor pad kind of place.

Neil stepped out of the elevator and moved toward a black leather couch in the middle of the main room. He removed his jacket, tossed it onto the sofa and held his arms out.

“Welcome home.”