Scarlet Angel Collection

10. Neil's Mission

Time has a way of slowing down when our lives hang on a desperate need or hunger, like for revenge.

Time has a way of slowing down when our lives hang on a desperate need or hunger, like for revenge.* * *

Scarlett rubbed her jaw. Neil"s last punch had knocked her to the floor again and was even more jarring than the one before. She could not figure out how he moved so fast and anticipated her best dodges and blocks.

“Ow.” Her tone was flat.

The last two weeks had been a blur of intense training and recovery. Beyond the physical pain, though, she had plenty of stress to release at her opponent. Asking Neil to turn her into a deadly killing machine resulted in her life being even less her own than before. Between the early, and sometimes random, waking hours and the simple physical abuse she was constantly on edge.

The connection between them had blossomed as well. They joked and talked more. Scarlett had even noticed more physical contact between them, intentional or not. She was even daring to think they could be friends, maybe even more.

Neil chuckled. “You still sure you want to do this?”

He asked that same question every time she made the slightest complaint. And every time he asked, it only solidified her resolve more. She was starting to think that was his intent.

One side of Scarlett"s mouth turned up in a breathless smile. “Please. I still think you hit like a girl.” Scarlett rolled backward and launched herself into a standing position. She landed, ready to block her opponent"s next attack.

Fifteen minutes passed as the two traded fast and unrelenting blows. Neil"s fists and elbows slammed into Scarlett"s hands and empty air. Scarlett"s fists met only air. When the timer sounded, Neil called them to a halt.

He dabbed a towel to his forehead. “Good. You"re getting better. I only made contact twice.”

Scarlett caught another towel Neil tossed to her. Her chest heaved and she struggled for a breath. “Twice is enough.”

“I thought you said I hit like a girl.”

“You do. It was just easier to avoid getting hit than to buy you a bottle of Midol for your girly little fist.”

Neil held his hands up and shook them. “Oooo… Big talker. Let"s count how many times my girly hands pummel your jaw next time.”

She scoffed. “Psh… Next time, you won"t touch me. And, oh…shower"s mine.”

“We"ll see about that. Just hurry up and don"t use all the hot water.”

Scarlett strolled off with the towel draped over her head. “Or what?” She turned the corner before Neil could answer.

Her shower was quick and cold; she preferred it that way. She came out of her room, rubbing another towel against her stringy, wet hair to find Neil fussing with one of the weapons lockers. She grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen. “We working on weapons today?”

“No. I have a job.” His eyes stayed focused on his guns.

Scarlett pulled the top on the bottle and squirted a long draught into her mouth. She looked over at the weapons locker. This was the first time she"d actually seen him open it. She didn"t even know what kinds of weapons were inside.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked over beside him. “A job? Okay. Need any help?”

“No. You"re still too green.”

She laughed. “Aw, c"mon… Nothin" like a little OJT, right?”

Neil let the carriage on one of his weapons slide home and stopped. He turned to face her and looked right into her eyes. “Look. I get your enthusiasm and you"re learning faster than any of the Marines I used to train. But this job is down and dirty. I don"t have time for training or babysitting.”

Scarlett raised her hands defensively and stepped back. “No problem.”

He returned to checking over his weapons and started shoving several into a bag. “Good. I"ll be back in a few days. I have to trust you on this, so don"t go anywhere. Just keep to your workout regimen and practice schedule.”

A metallic reflection caught her eye, drawing her gaze from Neil to the weapons he was stuffing into the bag. Other than the small pistol previously owned by the man who had tried to kill her, she"d only ever seen guns on television and in the movies. Those weapons looked nothing like Neil"s.

The cabinet contained a rack with several firearms and a few empty slots. Many of the weapons looked like they could be rifles or pistols but were much sleeker in design. One pistol had a series of green LED lights. Etched into the metal next to the lights was the word “Charge.”

Another gun, maybe a rifle, looked like it was made of a single, solid piece of metal. The main body was a rectangular shape about two inches tall and ran from the tip of the muzzle to the empty magazine chamber. She could only describe its smooth surface as sexy. A small digital counter displayed double zeroes next to several other lights and buttons.

Neil held up his last weapon and looked it over. A large magazine inserted into the odd pistol"s back end. A small display on the side showed the level of charge as well as the number of rounds that were loaded. Scarlett"s jaw dropped when she saw that the gun held more than a hundred rounds.

She found it difficult to fathom the amount of firepower he packed into the bag. Sheer awe gripped her as she watched him fill the duffle.

Neil zipped the bag closed and locked the cabinet. “I"m going to get my shower real quick.” He walked away and called over his shoulder in a casual voice. “And don"t play with the guns.”

Scarlett headed to the computer, watching him from the corner of her eye. I would never play with the guns. When she heard the click of Neil"s door closing, she turned around. Looking at them, however… That I would do.

I would never play with the guns.Looking at them, however… That I would do.She unzipped the duffle and stared at its contents. On top of the other weapons sat the pistol he put in last. Its matte, charcoal grey surface was cool to the touch. The individual pieces of the weapons were angular with sharply rounding corners. At the back, where the magazine inserted, the handle became a loop. It looked like a rifle butt.

When she picked up the weapon, it was lighter than she expected. The weapon"s butt actually helped stabilize the gun against her forearm. On the right side was a small switch with three settings: safe, semi and auto.

Her amazement with the weapon only deepened with every centimeter she inspected. From the magazine size, it was clear the gun did not fire traditional lead bullets. She"d heard about charged plasma rounds but they were supposed to be just for the military. Even those she"d seen on television were much larger. The idea that something so small could manage full-auto energy shots astounded her.

“It"s called the XA-47 Wolverine.”

Scarlett yelped and jumped back a step. She turned to see Neil coming toward her dressed in a dark blue suit and adjusting his tie.

“Oh, I"m sorry. I wasn"t playing with it. I"ve just never seen anything like it.”

He reached over and took the weapon from her. “You wouldn"t. It"s custom.” Neil held the gun up for her to see. “Everything on this is custom made, including the ammunition. It holds one hundred forty-nine rounds and can send them all at a target in less than a minute.”

“Shit.”

He laughed. “Yeah. That"s why it"s my favorite. Well, that and the fact that the rounds are little more than slivers of nickel wrapped in a bit of the sun"s corona. It takes a lot to stop one of these.”

Scarlett stood with her mouth wide open. It seemed barely possible that this kind of weapon could exist. “That"s incredible.”

“Well, while it is my favorite, it is far from my most advanced piece. But we"ll save that for later. Right now I have to go.” Neil returned the Wolverine to the bag. “You should have plenty of food. This"ll be a bit of a break for you, but, like I said, keep up your workouts and training. I"ll be back as soon as I can finish this.”

“And if you don"t come back?” She wasn"t sure she really wanted to ask the question but she knew she had to. With his line of work, and the one she was training for, that was always a possibility.

He grabbed the duffle and headed for the elevator. “If I"m not back in a week, you grab whatever weapons and ammo you can carry. You call Cash and he"ll get you money. When he does, you go as far as you can, as fast as you can.”

He stepped onto the platform and reached for the switch. “You good?”

She nodded. Scarlett felt a strange emptiness at him leaving. The connection she felt to him was even stronger than she expected. Worry over his safety cut deep into her thoughts.

With a mental shake, she shoved those thoughts down and buried them deep inside. The last thing she wanted was to put someone she cared about, even someone as skilled as Neil, in danger. “Yeah.”

“Good. Remember, three to four days tops.”

Neil pushed the button and the elevator lurched upward. Scarlett watched him rise up through the ceiling into the warehouse. She wasn"t sure what she was going to do next, but taking a break was not part of her plan.