Scarlet Assassin

by Isabella

  The back glass shattered with the sound of gunshots, followed by another that splintered the right side of the windshield into webs that nearly blocked her view. She was out of options. Time to move. Pushing the SUV harder she slid through the turns. A gun-wielding man raised his weapon and got off a shot that shattered her window. She felt the bullet zip past her face, missing by inches.

  All AJ could think was move faster. Faster! She heard yelling behind her, but at the speed she was moving there was no way they would catch her on foot. Not even vampires could run that fast. A splattering of bullets rained across the back end of the SUV before it was finally silent. Hitting the main road, she pushed the car further trying to put as much distance between her and the coven as possible. She’d have to dump the SUV and find another ride to the airport, but anything on the road would be obvious. What she wouldn’t do for a phone right now, just to hear Clarissa’s voice and know she was safe. She needed that small assurance more than she needed to breathe. Maybe she could find a pay phone somewhere. Finally passing a strip mall she drove along the front, searching. Nothing, not even a stump, she’d take anything. Asking to use a phone inside was out of the question. She smelled like an outhouse and looked like she’d been dunked in one, too. Gazing down at her hands she felt her gag reflex start. Keep it together, she whispered repeatedly.

  She pulled behind a row of buildings. Slowing, she surveyed her options of the few cars available: a sedan, a truck and an old Dodge Dart. Great, not much to choose from. She pulled into a parking space next to the Dart, figuring it would be the easiest to steal. The Dart would also draw the least amount of attention. The only question was would it make it to the airport fifteen miles away?

  Jumping out of the vehicle, AJ grimaced in pain. Grabbing her side, she felt a something sharp stab her hand. A rib poked through. With all the metal and glass flying around she wasn’t surprised she was hit. What surprised her was that she didn’t even feel the bullet hit her side—at least she assumed it was a bullet. Today just wasn’t her day. Hell, it wasn’t even her week if truth be told. She didn’t need to lose any more blood. She was running on a deficit as it was. Now it was imperative that she get to the airport and home. If she was going to die she wanted it to be next to Clarissa and not on some deserted Hicksville street. Stepping over to the Dodge, she elbowed the back window, pulled the door lock and slipped into the driver’s seat. Reaching underneath she yanked on the wiring harness and pulled two wires. Touching the bare ends made the connection and the engine cranked over. Pumping the gas, she tapped them again and the car started instantly. Slamming the car door, she slid down into the seat, punched the gas and tore out of the parking lot. Slowing just enough to make sure no one was coming down the street, she pulled out on to the main road again and tried to act as local as possible.

  She passed the airport sign within minutes, and soon drifted to a stop next to her waiting plane. It wouldn’t be long now before she was home and with Clarissa. Her only hope was that Selene would keep her safe.

  “Ms. Lockwood, are you all right?”

  Those were the last words AJ heard before she collapsed at the stairs of the plane.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Clarissa froze, her eyes locked on the scene playing out on top of Selene’s desk. She wished she’d knocked now, but what was done was done. She wanted to go home, but knew that Selene wouldn’t allow her to be that easy of a target. Her house had a security system, but not much more than that, so she’d wait for AJ at the penthouse.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were otherwise detained, Selene. I’ll wait for you next door.”

  “Sorry boss, she got away from…” Jax stood frozen behind Clarissa, too. “Well, I can see you’re—”

  Clarissa closed the door before he could finish his sentence. “I think we should give them some privacy, don’t you?”

  “Well—”

  “Really? Have you no shame?”

  “No, not really,” Jax said following Clarissa back to Selene’s room.

  “Why am I not surprised, Jax? As you can see Selene is busy, so I’d like you to take me home.”

  “No can do, Clarissa. Selene told me to keep an eye on you and keep you safe in here.” He swept his arm wide, waiting for her to go back inside.

  Clarissa’s frustration boiled over. “Take me home now, Jax.” Clarissa’s anger could prompt her to change into a vampire and she was close to ascending into her sub-human form. “Now.”

  Jax morphed into the most gruesome vampire Clarissa had seen. His soul had to be hundreds of years old. It’s withered old frame, with its craggy creases and deep-set eyes stopped Clarissa cold. Her transformation halted. Never had she seen someone look so wicked and dangerous.

  “You shouldn’t push people, Clarissa. Some of us aren’t as nice as AJ or Selene. Now sit the fuck down and wait. Selene will be here when she’s finished.” Jax’s heel caught the door and it slammed behind him. “What’s wrong? Surprised?”

  “Sorta,” she lied. She was shocked. “How old are you Jax?”

  “How old is dirt?” He joked. “I’ve seen things that history books talk about. I’ve been places you could only dream of and yet, I feel as young as I did when I was brought over.”

  Clarissa could believe his boastful claims. Old souls like him were rare. She’d never met one, but had heard of the legends. They had legendary status amongst the younger bloods. Hard to kill, even harder to find. Their wisdom ran deep, their voices just as so. The fact that he was in Selene’s employ was surprising. She suddenly felt safe sitting in the same room with him.

  “Your master must–”

  “Is long dead. He wasn’t worth the time it took to kill him, he gave me a gift I would gladly return if I could.”

  Clarissa craned her neck as if doing so would encourage him to elaborate further. He didn’t bite, instead he sat changing back into his more visually appealing image. Clarissa blew out a breath through pursed lips. She wouldn’t get anywhere with Jax, so she might as well relax and wait.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Icy fingers spread through the room. Clarissa’s interruption had more than dropped the temperature, it had been like jumping into a cold shower with all your clothes on as far as Francesca was concerned. Selene pulled back, clutching at the fragments of her shirt, pulling it closed. Turning away from Francesca, she cinched her belt and poured two fingers of something into a glass.

  “Want some?” Her cold tone left little question about how she was feeling.

  Francesca knew she should be embarrassed at being caught in the act, but her body still ached for Selene. For the third time with Selene she felt as if a job was half-completed.

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

  “I’ll have Jax take you home.” Still with her back to Francesca she shot the drink and then slammed it on the bar and refilled it.

  “I don’t need Jax to take me home. I need you to talk to me. I need…I don’t know what I need…I mean I do know what I need, but clearly that ship has sailed.” Francesca pushed down her skirt.

  “Your friend was escorted home, so I want to make sure you get home safe.”

  “Well that’s very gallant of you, Selene.”

  Raising her glass in salute, Selene downed another and then one more. Francesca suspected Selene’s metabolism would burn up the alcohol like a Bunsen burner. A hot flame short lived once the gas was turned off.

  “I try.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you do.” Francesca straightened her blouse. “We both know that we can’t stay away from each other now. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I can feel you inside me.”

  Selene turned to face Francesca and grabbed her arms. “I’m not girlfriend material, Francesca. I’m—”

  “Oh, I know, you have that dark, dangerous bitch down. Trust me.” Francesca yanked her arms out of Selene’s grasp. “I’m a big girl and I know exactly what you are, but trust me I’m not afraid of you.”

&nb
sp; “You should be.”

  Selene flung herself down on the couch and let out a deep breath. Francesca couldn’t let her off that easy. Selene had done something to her. She didn’t feel like her normal self anymore. She hadn’t felt normal since her first visit to The Dungeon.

  “So it ends before it ever starts? Jesus, I’m sounding like a fucking stalker girlfriend who doesn’t get a call back after the first date.”

  Selene just sat there, staring off and unable to make eye contact. Francesca suspected this wasn’t her first time breaking a heart or two and she was sure it wouldn’t be her last. Shaking herself, she wondered how she’d gotten so sideways so easily. Her logical mind was starting to fire-up and reason was boiling to the top of her scattered thoughts. Direct contact with Selene had a clouding effect on her, she suspected. Grabbing her jacket and shoes, Francesca could only feel pity for Selene. It was clear she was struggling with her demons. She supposed in a life this long, it was bound to happen.

  Francesca’s only option was to take back whatever control she had innocently handed over to Selene. While she’d never had addictive tendencies, she suspected breaking away from Selene would feel like withdrawal. God, what was she thinking? She barely knew the woman and here she was planning how to deal with dependency. Christ, she needed to get as far away from Selene as she could. She’d quit Lockwood Pharmaceuticals! She’d find a new job! Her mind raced with thoughts on how she could avoid Selene and the physical contact. She was losing her mind. Run, she thought.

  “Well, I hate to fuck and run, but thanks for another interesting evening. I think you’re right, we wouldn’t be good together. My apologies for bothering you, Selene.” She stalked out, slamming the door behind her.

  She practically ran down the hallway and out into the club. Her path clear, her mind starting to free itself from the shroud of strange fog. In her haste to leave, she bumped head first into a solid form.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” Francesca said, her head still swimming.

  A strong hand grabbed her elbow before she fainted. “My fault completely, my dear. You look distressed, perhaps a glass of water?”

  Looking up she faded into deep dark eyes.

  “Oh not again.” she said, recognizing the signs of what she suspected was a vampire.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Selene felt like someone had kicked her in the stomach. Her feelings raced for Francesca. Grabbing her jacket, she ran after her. Knocking on the next door as she passed it, she yelled, “I’ll be back. Keep an eye on Clarissa.”

  Clarissa opened the door. “Wait, Selene.”

  She didn’t stop. She didn’t look back. Instead she was focused on the man with his hand on Francesca, escorting her out the door of the club. Her senses spiked off the Richter scale. Whoever it was, he was a vampire and he had his hands on her girl. Her girl? Oh great! She didn’t have time to flesh out her feelings right now. She needed to catch Francesca before something happened. In her condition, she was susceptible to a mere suggestion and that was Selene’s fault.

  “Francesca. Wait. Francesca!” Selene screamed at the pair walking toward the parking lot.

  “Selene, wait. I don’t think you should be out there alone,” Clarissa yelled as she and Jax followed behind.

  “Francesca, stop now,” Selene commanded.

  Selene could see Francesca trying to stop, yet the man kept pulling her along quickly behind him. Running, she yelled again at Francesca. She was gaining on the duo, reaching them just as the man dropped his grip on Francesca and bolted for the alley.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I think so. I don’t know what happened. One minute I’m knocking into this guy and then next thing I’m being dragged behind him and unable to stop.”

  She wrapped Francesca in a quick hug she kissed her cheek. She let her go just as Jax and Clarissa reached them. “Jax, grab Francesca and get the ladies inside.” She yelled and took off after the man.

  “Wait, Selene…”

  She heard Francesca yell after her. She wasn’t about to let some low level bloodsucker get away with taking advantage of Francesca. She already felt awful, but she would have been devastated if something happened because of the way she treated Francesca. Clearly she was transferring her feelings onto this creep, but it would feel good to kick his ass for a reason and ease her own guilt. Maybe when she got back she and Francesca could talk. First things first, find the jerk and kick his ass. That would send a powerful message to anyone else who thought they could walk into her club and swoop in on unsuspecting women.

  His scent was easy to follow. Down the alley, it dumped her into an open doorway. Without thought, she barreled ahead only to come face-to-face with the very man she was chasing.

  De Marcus.

  ****

  “Ms. Lockwood.” A whisper somewhere far off called to AJ “Ms. Lockwood.”

  There it was again. A soft voice, a nudge–someone calling her name, only it wasn’t Clarissa.

  “I don’t think she’s going to wake-up.”

  “I’ll call her office and see if someone can meet us at the airport. Maybe I should call the police, she’s beat-up pretty bad.”

  “I don’t know but hand me those wipes, she smells awful.”

  AJ cracked her eyes barely enough to see the flight crew of her jet standing over her. Wetness wiped across her face and down her neck. Another swipe of wetness startled her.

  “Stop, please,” she barely eeked out.

  “Oh, Ms. Lockwood, you’re awake.”

  “Have we taken off yet?”

  “Yes, just minutes ago.”

  She felt her world spin as she tried to sit-up. Her head throbbed with each beat of her heart. Touching her side she had some satisfaction that the wound had stopped bleeding and was slowly starting to heal.

  “I need a phone.”

  “Of course.” The attendant went to the front of the plane and came back with a cell phone. “Who would you like me to dial? Oh, wait…I’m sorry we don’t have a signal.”

  “Why am I not surprised? Shit.”

  Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and tried to swallow. “Water please.”

  “Oh, of course.”

  Her world just couldn’t right itself could it? It would take at least an hour to get to the city, a half an hour to land and in the mean time she hoped she could get a signal so she might possibly be able to check on Clarissa. She examined her hands. The caked on dirt and blood needed to come off. Finishing the bottle of water, she tried to get up.

  “Can you give me a hand, Tonya?” she requested.

  “Are you sure you want to get up, Ms. Lockwood? I mean you look like you’ve been in a bad accident. Why don’t we wait until we land? I’ll call for an ambulance and we can get you checked out.”

  “I’m fine, really. I just need to wash this gunk off of me. I can’t stand to smell myself for one more minute and I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing.”

  “Oh no Ms.—”

  AJ raised her hand, stopping Tonya. “I pay you well, but I don’t pay you to lie, so if you’ll just help stand. I want to wash-up.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “There should be a few travel kits in the back. Can you see if you can scrounge me up something to change into?” AJ swayed a bit as she slowly made her way to the compact bathroom.

  “All I could find were some sweats. Actually they’re mine, but I’m happy to help out. I just don’t think we wear the same size shoe.” Tonya handed the clothing to AJ.

  At least they weren’t pink with sparkles. AJ shook her head.

  “Thanks. I appreciate the clothes. Can you keep an eye on the phone and let me know when we have a signal. I need to make an important phone call.”

  “Of course. The pilot says we’ll be landing in about twenty minutes. I’m sure we’ll have a signal when we land.”

  “It might be too late by that time.” AJ hated admitting it, but De Marcus had the jump on her. She
would just have to hope that Selene was doing her part and keeping Clarissa safe. Looking down at the cell phone still nestled in her hand she noticed two small bars of availability.

  Success!

  She could finally call Clarissa.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Selene stopped just inside the door of the small room. It was empty except for De Marcus sitting in a chair staring at her and the man she was chasing standing next to him.

  Fucking, De Marcus.

  “Well, isn’t this an interesting situation,” he said, leering at her.

  “A trap, how clever of you, De Marcus.”

  “Yes, well you fell for it didn’t you?”

  Selene could kick herself for being so possessive. The man she was after had put his hands on Francesca and all she could think was to kick his ass and save the girl. Oh, how chivalrous. Shit! Selene slipped her hands in her jacket trying to control her rage. She would kill De Marcus tonight, period. Evil like his deserved a brutal death and she was just the one to provide it.

  “Now why would you want me?”

  “Seriously? Selene, you’re smarter than that, with you out of the way and AJ dead, I have Clarissa all to myself.”

  Selene gave De Marcus the best shocked expression she could muster. He had no clue AJ was still alive on her way to protect Clarissa. It wasn’t her job to pop his little bubble, only to protect Clarissa. If she forfeited her life in that job, then so be it.

  “Surprised? I thought you knew.”

  “How would I know?”

  “Well, I thought Butch would call and gloat, but obviously I misjudged him. He has a modicum of class after all.”

  “So, where is Clarissa? Back at the club?”