Page 5 of Saving Scarlett

“Clean up this mess,” he spat, stalking out of the house. Only a second later, I heard him speed away, a sob of relief breaking free the moment he did.

Every inch of my body screamed in agony as I struggled to my hands and knees. I wanted to lie there and sob, but I knew better. Move, I told myself. Survive. This was not the first beating I had endured at Joshua’s hands, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. I refused to let him break me, but I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t even walk. For a moment, I just needed rest.

I dragged myself upstairs to my bathroom, barely able to stand. Leaning against the sink, I avoided my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t need to see the damage to know it was bad. My ribs throbbed with every breath. When I lifted my shirt, dark bruises were already forming across my torso. My lip was split and bleeding, and my right eye was almost swollen shut.

Climbing into my bed, I finally allowed the tears to fall as I waited for the darkness to consume me and take the pain away.

Chapter 4

The Savior

“This should get you to the end of the month but let me know if you need more. I also ordered dinner. You need to eat.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a brown envelope containing more than half of the cash I’d gotten earlier that day and handed it to my sister.

She narrowed her eyes at me, the expression making her look ten years younger and better rested. The past year had not been easy on Caroline. It hadn’t been easy on any of us.

“Do I even need to ask?”

Turning to look at my seven-year-old niece in the hospital bed beside me, I shrugged but didn’t answer. She and I both knew the envelope contained blood money–they always did. With a rare form of blood cancer ravaging Evelyn’s body and the insurance not paying for the experimental treatment she was receiving, there were no other options. My sister lost her husband in a car accident and our parents were gone. They had no one else but me, and I would do anything to make sure they were taken care of.

“It doesn’t matter where the money comes from, Cara. What matters is that Evie is taken care of and you don’t have to leave her side or worry about working.”

Even though her expression softened, I could still see the hesitation in her eyes. Stepping forward, I pulled her into a hug, my heart breaking when a sob burst from her throat. She was such a strong person, a fierce mother, but when I came to see them, my presence gave her permission to let go. I turned my attention to Evie, making sure she was still asleep, running my hand up and down my sister’s back as she cried against my chest.

“They’ve kept her under all d-day.” The weight of the day pressed down on her and bled into me, stuttering her words.

“Maybe they’re just trying to make her sleep through the pain. She’ll wake up again soon. The doctors know what they’re doing.”

Even if I didn’t know what would happen, it was what we both wanted to be true, needed to be true. Trusting them was our only option.

I remained at the hospital until the moon was high in the sky, and visiting hours were long over.

After we’d eaten Chinese takeout, I watched over Evie as Caroline went home and showered, taking a little time for herself. She’d practically been living in the hospital ever since Evie had been admitted, and I knew it took a lot out of her. She needed that little escape.

Once I got back into my car, I pulled out my burner phone and contacted Phantom, the computer genius turned hacker, who was looking into the CEO who’d hired me that morning. He may have paid me to kill his wife, but I never went into a job without insurance, without knowing every single thing there was to know about my client. I didn’t want to know the stuff that was already public. I wanted to know where his funds came from and where they went, who he was fucking and when, account numbers, back door affiliations…anything I could use against him if things went south.

While Phantom was still digging, he infiltrated the security code of the client’s neighborhood gate and house, sending a signal to a wireless device in my pocket that would allow me entrance without incident. With free reign of his house and neighborhood, I pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed toward the McMansion he called home.

Although I lived closer to downtown, I was familiar with the area the CEO lived in. The brick and wrought iron gate surrounded the entire neighborhood, giving its residents an illusion of safety that could be easily broken by a simple hack. When I arrived at the gate, I pulled my black hood over my head, merely holding the device up to my blacked-out window as I passed. The gate opened so quickly that I barely had to slow down.

Not wanting to park anywhere near his residence, I pulled my car into the driveway of another house, one that was listed for sale but not occupied.

Under the cover of darkness, my black clothes making me nothing more than a shadow, I made my way around the block, moving through backyards so I wouldn’t show up on any cameras. The air was still, no noises but that of crickets and wildlife meeting my ears when I approached the back door of the CEO’s home.

For several minutes I waited, peeking into the windows for any signs of movement. It was nearing midnight, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still awake.

Once I was sure no one was moving around inside the home, I pulled my lock-picking kit out of my pocket, the lock releasing quickly under my skilled maneuvering. The last thing I did before I opened the door was lift the device in my pocket again, making sure his security system was disarmed. Sure, he’d given me the access code, but I didn’t want to chance it being the wrong numbers. He may have paid me, but I didn’t trust him enough to believe he wouldn’t try to trick me. I had my own methods, and they weren’t to follow his directions.

Breaking into the opulent home was like taking candy from a baby. Once I was inside, I leaned against the wall nearest the garage, silently twisting the handle and peeking inside to see if they were even home. What I saw inside caught me by surprise. There was only one vehicle in the garage, a blue Lexus SUV, and the concrete beside it was covered in broken glass. Slipping through the open door, I closed it behind me, needing to take a closer look.

The smell of whiskey met my nose the moment I crouched beside the mess, telling me the glass was from someone’s drink. What troubled me more was the drops of blood mixed within the shards. I silently cursed to myself, wondering what in the hell was going on in this man’s home, and whether I’d led myself into a situation that was more trouble than it was worth. The only thing I did know was that he wasn’t there, not if he was driving the silver BMW I’d seen him in earlier that day.

Leaving the garage behind, I crept up the staircase to the second level. If his wife was home, I expected her to be in the master bedroom. Since Phantom had already sent me pictures of the house’s blueprints, I knew exactly where their bedroom was.

The double door entrance to the large suite was already open but the lights were off. I remained just outside for a moment, listening for any sounds coming from within, but there were none. If anyone was inside, they were asleep.

Blowing out a low breath, I pulled my mask over my face, and stepped into the room, making my way toward the bed. I didn’t intend to kill her just yet, but I still wanted to see her before I made my way into her husband’s office to see what he was hiding inside his safe.

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