Scarlet Angel Collection

9. Escape

We are all prisoners, whether held by someone else or by our own destinies.

We are all prisoners, whether held by someone else or by our own destinies.* * *

After just two weeks of isolation in Neil"s underground apartment, a realization struck Scarlett: She would never be safe. As much as she was starting to like him, and that it looked like he was starting to like her, she knew she would always be looking for another whiskey-breathed man in the shadows. Even worse, her family would never be safe. She could not live with that hanging over her head.

Scarlett watched Neil come and go at odd hours. His schedule was random and impossible to predict. Most of the time, he"d be gone for several hours, giving her plenty of time to get away. Once she figured that out, she knew what she had to do.

For fifteen minutes after he left, she sat on the couch facing the vidscreen with glazed eyes. Images and news clips flashed before her oblivious stare. Her mind thought of only her plan. Every minute that passed, her breath quickened a little.

When the clock finally ticked off the last minute, she dashed into her bedroom and retrieved the backpack she"d been living out of for the past month. Scarlett shoved her few belongings inside. From under her pillow, she grabbed the pistol Neil had left in case of emergency.

She made her way to the small elevator. Precious seconds dragged by in the tiny closet lift. The floor lurched to a halt and she waited. Listening for any sign of Neil"s approach, she heard only silence.

Scarlett moved through the offices and cubicles without a sound. At the door, she paused. This is it. No turning back.

This is it. No turning back.She reached for the handle. The latch clicked and the door swung open. Instead of seeing the open expanse of the warehouse, she saw only Neil.

Her gaze moved up until their eyes locked. His jaw set and his eyes bored into her. “What do you think you are doing?” Neil"s flat voice showed no emotion.

She knew it was too late to lie; the backpack made her intentions clear. “I"m leaving.”

Neil seized her arm and shoved her back. “Like hell you are.”

Scarlett stumbled back a few feet. She righted herself and glared him. “I am.” She moved to sidestep her obstacle. He reached out for her arm again.

The moment his hand made contact with her bicep, she wrapped her own arm around and over his. Arms locked together, she swung around to shove him away.

But Neil moved too fast. He anticipated her attack and pulled her close. Pivoting around, he came up behind her. His flat palm slammed into the center of her back.

Air exploded from her lungs as she sailed over the nearest desk. The backpack flew from her shoulder and landed several feet away.

Scarlett climbed to her knees. Her eyes burned with rage. “Who do you think you are? My jailer?”

“Look, I made a promise to Cash to watch and protect you. But more than that, I have to make sure you don"t endanger his family… ever.”

She leaned on the desk and rose to her feet. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you stay where Universal Dynamics can"t get you. Means you stay here”

Scarlett chuckled and stepped over to pick up the backpack. “What are you going to do, tie me up?” She picked up the pack with a smile.

“I"d rather not.”

She"d figured out Neil"s profession shortly after meeting him. She knew he was little more than a highly-paid corporate thief and assassin. “And what if I don"t let you? Would you kill me?”

“If I have to.”

Her smile disappeared. “Try it.” Her hand made its way into the black bag and touched the cold metal inside.

Neil stepped into the room. The door closed behind him. His tone changed, becoming more relaxed and conversational. “Why were you leaving? Where were you going? What were you hoping to accomplish?”

His change in tone caught Scarlett off guard and his questions shredded her anger. “To end this. I"m tired of living in hiding. I can"t live like this for the rest of my life. And I don"t want to always be a danger to my family.”

Neil sat on the edge of the nearest desk. “But how… How were you going to end it?”

The question frightened Scarlett. In her heart, she knew the answer. She"d already done it once. She hoped she could do it again. If not, it would end one way or the other. “I"m going to kill Derrick Martins.”

“I"ll tell you what. If you can get past me and out that door, I"ll let you go.” The man smiled.

Scarlett"s eyes narrowed and she tilted her head. “Why?”

“Because,” Neil laughed. “if you can get past me then you can handle anything they throw at you.”

A deadly silence hung in the air. Her fingers flexed in the bag. The weapon"s textured grip comforted her. She gauged him through narrowed eyes. “Fine.”

Her fingers closed around the handle of the gun. She pulled it free of the bag in one smooth motion.

The weapon"s polished black metal glinted under the florescent lights. She stared down the side of the barrel at Neil. “Now, I"m going to walk out of here.”

A smile cracked the corner of his mouth. “Okay.”

Scarlett stepped to the side with the open backpack in one hand and the pistol in the other. Neil"s utter calm unnerved her. The weapon quivered in her hand. She stopped between Neil and the door.

His muscles looked completely relaxed. She knew he was not going to just let her walk away. Her eyes narrowed and she blinked.

Before her mind could register what was happening, Neil launched himself off the desk. His hands came up and tore the gun from her fingers with a sharp twist. Continuing his fluid motion, one hand shot to the back of her head.

Scarlett"s next breath caught in her chest. Neil"s fingers dug into the soft flesh of her neck. His other hand held the pistol under her chin. Fear of pushing Neil too far overcame her determination and she froze.

A bead of sweat trickled down her temple.

After a long moment, he lowered the gun and flung her back into the room. “Try again,” he said flatly.

She stumbled forward and crashed into another desk. Neil pressed a button on the side of the gun. The magazine fell into his other hand. “Oh, and next time, if you actually plan to shoot, take off the safety.”

Scarlett felt the heat rise to her face. She knew she had to confront him directly. I earned a blackbelt in less than five years, I can handle this.

I earned a blackbelt in less than five years, I can handle this.The gun clanked onto the desk. She flung the backpack at her opponent launched herself at him.

Neil deflected the bag. He caught her fist and guided it away. The shift in direction threw Scarlett off balance.

He slammed his open palm into the center of her chest. She tumbled backward, over the desk and onto the floor. Scarlett struggled to breathe.

“Do you want to try again?”

Air came into her lungs in ragged and painful bursts. Words were beyond her. She raised her hand in surrender.

“Good. Now do you understand my dilemma? If I let you go, they will get you, and they will find out where you"ve been hiding. That puts Cash and his family in danger.”

She hated to admit he was right. She did not like it, but it made sense. “Then…” she coughed. She swallowed and tried to get a lungful of air. “Then what now?”

“You tell me.” Neil bent down and picked up the backpack. He peeked inside and tossed it to Scarlett.

“I don"t want to live here and I can"t stay in hiding forever,” she said, climbing to her unstable feet.

Neil laughed. “That"s good. I don"t want you living here forever.” He reloaded the weapon and held it out for her. “What makes you want to do this? What drives you? Think about that for a second, and then tell me what you want to do.”

Scarlett reached out and took the gun. The feel of the weapon"s weight and its pure killing potential, comforted her. It felt oddly natural.

She closed her eyes and images of Derrick, the accident at Universal Dynamics and her whiskey-breathed killer flashed through her mind. A tiny spark ignited in the void. She fed those images to the spark, turning it into a small flame.

In her mind, she saw Derrick standing over the bloody corpses of her family. She saw the unmoving bodies of her niece and nephew and the tiny flame became a raging firestorm.

She opened her eyes and glared at Neil. “Teach me. Teach me to end this and keep my family safe.”