Scarlet Assassin

by Isabella

  “I’m good, I was just worried about you. A nice gentleman from the club brought me home. He made sure the apartment was fine and then left. I’ve been sitting here worried about you. When are you coming home?”

  “I’m on my way now.” Francesca conceded deep down inside that she wasn’t going to be one of those women who threw themselves at someone who didn’t want her.

  “Good, I can’t wait to hear how it went with tall, dark and sexy.”

  She heard Daphne giggling on the other side of the line. If she only knew, Francesca thought. “Well there isn’t much to tell.”

  “Hmmhmmm.”

  “I’ll catch a cab and see you in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay, see you them.”

  A soft touch on her arm turned her around. Selene stood close to her, smelling washed and a gentle smile reached her eyes.

  “Can I take you home?”

  Francesca panicked. “I don’t think–”

  “It’s okay. I’ll have Jax take you home.”

  She cursed herself. This was the opening she’d waited for, right?

  “Wait, are you sure you have time? I mean AJ and Clarissa have been waiting for you, too.”

  “Do you mind if I take Francesca home? We can take care of that other business when I get back, if that’s all right?”

  “This is more important,” AJ said, winking at Selene. “Go, take care of your business. That other stuff will wait till you get back.”

  “Thanks.”

  Francesca smiled at her boss. She wasn’t sure what was going on between Selene and AJ but she was glad to have the opportunity to finally talk to Selene.

  “Thank you.” Francesca hugged AJ and Clarissa good-bye. “I’ll see you at work.”

  AJ patted her side and said, “Thanks for stitching me up. I think I’ll take a couple of days off. See you Monday.”

  “Okay, see you Monday.”

  With that, she was out of the club and into the dark, cold damp night with Selene right behind her.

  ****

  Selene opened the car door for Francesca, but stopped her before she got in.

  “I’m not very good at this kind of thing…”

  Before Selene could finish her sentence, Francesca melted against her. Her head buried against Selene’s chest. Wrapping her in a tight embrace, Selene felt the world fall away, leaving them to each other. Tipping Francesca’s chin up, she looked into soft, understanding eyes.

  Light.

  That’s all she could think of when she looked into them.

  “I can’t promise you a lot, but how ’bout we take this one day at a time? I know we’ve sorta jumped the gun right into intimacy, but if you’re willing to step back and start fresh, I’d like to do something I’ve never done before.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Fall in love.”

  “Never?”

  “Nope, never.”

  Admitting that she’d never been in love made her feel vulnerable, weak and afraid she’d have her heart broken. Reaching into her pocket, she rubbed her thumb over her father’s pocket watch. She could almost feel the engraving on the inside.

  My love is like the air, always around you, embracing you. Love, M.

  Epilogue

  Selene dropped De Marcus’s body on the gravel. Expecting him to come to life she poked him with the tip of her boot and then poked him again. Looking down at his face, she noticed his eye socket had sucked in where his eye used to be. Now she wished she’d picked that up, too.

  “You ready, buddy?” AJ set the gas cans down next to his head.

  “Yep.” Selene stepped back and looked over at Clarissa, who hadn’t said a word since finding out he was dead. “You okay, Clare?” Selene reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

  She just nodded and smiled weakly. They had all hoped they would find closure with De Marcus’s death, but Clarissa deserved it most of all. Selene doubted she would find it anytime soon. Scars like these took years to fade and they would always lay just under the surface unable to be seen by anyone else, but you always knew they were there. She hoped her own scars would heal with time. Maybe they would with the love of a good woman like Francesca.

  They had talked the whole way home and then stood at Francesca’s front door for another two hours. The time had flown and suddenly it was daylight and Selene could still feel its warmth on her skin. She hadn’t succumbed to the darkness, not yet at least. With a promise to take things slower, they’d made a lunch date. Agreeing that something more casual would be less stressful for both of them and less likely to find them rolling between the sheets. Was this how couples negotiated the dating landscape? She wasn’t sure, but she’d talked to Clarissa while AJ made sure the quarry was closed and empty. Clarissa had been supportive and given her blessing. Not that Selene needed it, but Clarissa was the closest thing to a friend Selene had and they had history, an intimate history together. Selene respected that, plus it felt good to talk to her about Francesca.

  AJ handed Clarissa the gas can, but she shook her head, so AJ doused his body. Each woman looked down at the man lying at her feet. Each wanted him dead for different reasons; one for taking her innocence, one for hurting her lover, and for Selene, well it was just a job. She knew the bastard deserved this and more, but this was the best he would get. AJ handed Clarissa a flare gun and they all stepped back. He lay at the edge of the quarry lip waiting for his final punishment. Whether he knew it or not, he would give Clarissa her life back tonight and for that Selene was grateful.

  “Whenever you’re ready baby,” AJ said, lovingly stroking Clarissa’s back. “I love you and he can never hurt you again. This is for your sister, your mother and your father.”

  Without another word, Clarissa raised the gun and shot at the body. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled the trigger. As soon as his body caught fire, she turned into AJ and buried her face into her chest. Selene and AJ stood watching his body burn. It flamed up and then burst into a bright fireball. De Marcus was finally dead.

  “Let’s go home, baby.” AJ raised Clarissa’s face up and kissed her.

  Selene could only smile and pat AJ on the back as she watched her old life flame out and the promise of a new life burn bright.

  “Let’s go home ladies.”

  About the Author

  Isabella, writing as Jett Abbott, lives in California with her wife and three sons. She teaches college, and speaks at high schools and universities on current issues facing the LGBT community. She enjoys traveling with her wife, riding her motorcycle, and spending time with her family. She’s also the owner of Sapphire Books Publishing.

  She is a member of Gold Crown Literary Society, Romance Writers of America. She has written several short stories, and writing as Jett Abbott she is now working on the follow-up to Executive Disclosure - Surviving Reagan

  You can follow her on Facebook at

  www.facebook.com/isabella.author

  or at the Sapphire Books website

  www.sapphirebooks.com

  Other Isabella titles available at Sapphire Books

  Award winning novel - Always Faithful - By Isabella ISBN - 978-0-9828608-0-9

  Major Nichol “Nic” Caldwell is the only survivor of her helicopter crash in Iraq. She is left alone to wonder why she and she alone. Survivor’s guilt has nothing on the young Major as she is forced to deal with the scars, both physical and mental, left from her ordeal overseas. Before the accident, she couldn’t think of doing anything else in her life.

  Claire Monroe is your average military wife, with a loving husband and a little girl. She is used to the time apart from her husband. In fact, it was one of the reasons she married him. Then, one day, her life is turned upside down when she gets a visit from the Marine Corps.

  Can these two women come to terms with the past and finally find happiness, or will their shared sense of honor keep them apart?

  Broken Shield - By Isabella - ISBN - 978-0-98286
08-2-3

  Tyler Jackson, former paramedic now firefighter, has seen her share of death up close. The death of her wife caused Tyler to rethink her career choices, but the death of her mother two weeks later cemented her return to the ranks of firefighter. Her path of self-destruction and womanizing is just a front to hide the heartbreak and devastation she lives with every day. Tyler’s given up on finding love and having the family she’s always wanted. When tragedy strikes her life for a second time she finds something she thought she lost.

  Ashley Henderson loves her job. Ignoring her mother’s advice, she opts for a career in law enforcement. But, Ashley hides a secret that soon turns her life upside down. Shame, guilt and fear keep Ashley from venturing forward and finding the love she so desperately craves. Her life comes crashing down around her in one swift moment forcing her to come clean about her secrets and her life.

  Can two women thrust together by one traumatic event survive and find love together, or will their past force them apart?

  American Yakuza - By Isabella - ISBN - 978-0-9828608-3-0

  Luce Potter straddles three cultures as she strives to live with the ideals of family, honor, and duty. When her grandfather passes the family business to her, Luce finds out that power, responsibility and justice come with a price. Is it a price she’s willing to die for?

  Brooke Erickson lives the fast-paced life of an investigative journalist living on the edge until it all comes crashing down around her one night in Europe. Stateside, Brooke learns to deal with a new reality when she goes to work at a financial magazine and finds out things aren’t always as they seem.

  Can two women find enough common ground for love or will their two different worlds and cultures keep them apart?

  Executive Disclosure - By Isabella - ISBN - 978-0-9828608-3-0

  When a life is threatened, it takes a special breed of person to step in front of a bullet. Chad Morgan’s job has put her life on the line more times that she can count. Getting close to the client is expected; getting too close could be deadly for Chad.

  Reagan Reynolds wants the top job at Reynolds Holdings and knows how to play the game like “the boys”. She’s not above using her beauty and body as currency to get what she wants. Shocked to find out someone wants her dead, Reagan isn’t thrilled at the prospect of needing protection as she tries to convince the board she’s the right woman for a man’s job.

  How far will a killer go to get what they want? Secrets and deception twist the rules of the game as a killer closes in. How far will Chad go to protect her beautiful, but challenging client?

  American Yakuza II - The Lies that Bind - By Isabella

  ISBN - 978-1-939062-20-8

  Luce Potter runs her life and her business with an iron fist and complete control until lies and deception unravel her world. The shadow of betrayal consumes Luce, threatening to destroy the most precious thing in her life, Brooke Erickson.

  Brooke Erickson finds herself on the outside of Luce’s life looking in. As events spiral out of control Brooke can only watch as the woman she loves pushes her further away. Suddenly, devastated and alone, Brooke refuses to let go without an explanation.

  Colby Water, a federal agent investigating the ever-elusive Luce Potter, discovers someone from her past is front and center in her investigation of the Yakuza crime leader. Before she can put the crime boss in prison, she must confront the ultimate deception in her professional life.

  When worlds collide, betrayal, dishonor and death are inevitable. Can Luce and Brooke survive the explosion?

  Titles writing as Jett Abbott

  Scarlet Masquerade - By Jett Abbott

  ISBN - 978-0-9828608-1-6

  What do you say to the woman you thought died over a century ago? Will time heal all wounds or does it just allow them to fester and grow? AJ Locke has lived over two centuries and works like a demon, both figuratively and literally. As the owner of a successful pharmaceutical company that specializes in blood research, she has changed the way she can live her life. Wanting for nothing, she has smartly compartmentalized her life so that when she needs to, she can pick up and start all over again, which happens every twenty years or so. Love is not an emotion AJ spends much time on. Since losing the love of her life to the plague one hundred fifty years ago, she vowed to never travel down that road again. That isn’t to say she doesn’t have women when she wants them, she just wants them on her terms and that doesn’t involve a long term commitment.

  AJ’s cool veneer is peeled back when she sees the love of her life in a lesbian bar, in the same town, in the same day and time in which she lives. Is her mind playing tricks on her? If not, how did Clarissa survive the plague when she had made AJ promise never to change her?

  Clarissa Graham is a university professor who has lived an obscure life teaching English literature. She has made it a point to stay off the radar and never become involved with anything that resembles her past life. Every once in a while Clarissa has an itch that needs to be scratched, so she finds an out of the way location to scratch it. She keeps her personal life separate from her professional one, and in doing so she is able to keep her secrets to herself. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down when someone tries to kill her. She finds herself in the middle of an assassination plot with no idea who wants her dead