Page 48 of Saving Scarlett

My cheeks heated and I slid back into my seat, glancing back out of my window at the barely visible blaze in the distance. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe outside of the city until things die down,” Bane replied, kissing my hand again. “Phantom made a temporary power outage just as we were leaving, so no security cameras in that area would have seen our car, but from the looks of the fiery scene, the police are likely to chalk it up as a Mob shootout. I don’t see them suspecting anyone else has been there.”

As sirens screamed in the distance, which wasn’t uncommon for New Orleans on a good night, we drove for what felt like hours, weaving through the backstreets of the city. I tried to calm my racing thoughts, but the image of Joshua’s lifeless body kept creeping back into my mind.

“Scarlett,” Bane’s voice interrupted my thoughts, his eyebrows furrowing. “Are you okay?”

I shrugged, tears welling up in my eyes as my emotions shifted. “I don’t know,” I whispered. “It’s just… everything that’s happened. It’s a lot to process.”

Bane reached across the console, caressing my cheek. “I know, but we made it out alive, love. That’s something, isn’t it?”

I nodded, feeling a small glimmer of hope amidst the disarray. Maybe there was a chance for us to start over, to build a new life together. After everything, it was all I wanted, so I clung to that hope like a lifeline. The world outside was a blur of darkness and uncertainty, but in that small, stolen moment in time, I grasped onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, we’d find a way to overcome our demons and forge a new path together.

After some time, Bane turned down a quiet side street and cut the engine. In the sudden silence, he turned to look at me. The moonlight illuminated his face, showcasing the bruises and marks from all the fights he’d gotten into over the past days to save me, but his face still took my breath away.

Leaning forward, he brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “Are you okay? Really okay?”

I nodded, the tenderness of his touch sending warmth blooming in my chest. “Thanks to you, I’ll be okay.”

Seeming unable to hold back any longer, he pulled me into his arms until I was straddling him in his seat. I melted against him, finally letting my emotions free as tears spilled down my cheeks.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whispered, the memory of that pain bringing it back to my chest.

“I’ll always find you,” he murmured into my hair as his hand ran over my knotty locks. “No matter what.”

Drawing back, he gazed into my eyes and I lost myself in their depths. “You’re everything to me, Little Red. Everything.”

My hand went up to caress his cheek, loving the way his stubble felt below my fingers. “And you’re my hero. My love. Mon amant assassin.” My assassin lover.

Chuckling, he brought his lips to mine, wrapping his arm around my back and pulling me closer until I was nearly on his lap.

Overcome with emotion, I deepened the kiss, trying to convey all the fear, relief, and passion that had been building inside me. He returned it fervently, our bruised bodies fitting together like two broken pieces made whole.

“The moment I saw you in the bookstore, mon joli petit amant” he said, pulling away just enough to look into my eyes, his forehead leaning against mine. “I knew I would move heaven and earth to keep you by my side. You were my light in the darkness. My reason for being. I fought it at first because I wanted to keep you safe from me, but I will never let you go again.”

Chapter 41

The Survivor

Our weary feet crunched over the gravel as we approached the safe house, hidden behind dense foliage just outside of New Orleans. Bane’s firm, reassuring hand held mine as we stumbled through the dark. Still present was a mixture of relief and lingering fear that left me both alive and vulnerable.

“Almost there,” he murmured, his voice rough from shouting orders and fighting for our lives. The moonlight caught the angles of his face, illuminating his eyes.

“Thank you, baby,” I whispered, his hand giving mine a reassuring squeeze.

When we reached the front door, Bane… Ethan… retrieved a key from his pocket, quickly unlocking it. We stepped inside, the musty scent of disuse immediately hitting my nostrils. Our bodies still hummed with adrenaline, the aftereffects of the blood-pumping battle we’d just fought. My muscles ached and screamed, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. All that mattered was that we were alive.

“Are you alright?” he asked, genuine concern lacing his voice as he scanned me for any visible injuries. His gaze lingered on the bruises and cuts marring my skin.

“I’m fine,” I lied, not wanting to burden him with my pain. “Just a little shaken.”

“Scarlett, don’t lie to me.” He lifted my chin with his fingers, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’ve been through hell tonight. It’s okay to admit that you’re hurting.”

I sighed, conceding defeat. “Alright, maybe I’m not completely fine. But I’ll heal.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He guided me toward the small bathroom. The flickering overhead light illuminated the cracked tile floor, so much different from our cottage in Alabama, but I was grateful for any semblance of normalcy after the chaotic night we’d experienced.

As I washed off the grime and blood clinging to my skin, I couldn’t help but be lost in thought about this man who had saved me. He had shown me a side of himself few people had seen—a gentle, caring protector who would do whatever he could to protect me. I knew, however, beneath that tenderness lay a skilled assassin, a man who had taken lives and navigated the darkest corners of humanity for years. How could one person be so contradictory?

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