Page 55 of Scarlet Mark
Setting the phone aside, I propped Raoul’s dying body up against the wood as a doorstop. It wouldn’t necessarily halt someone else’s entry, but it would give me time to address the issue should someone try to access the bathroom.
Standing, I turned on the sink to wash the blood from my dagger, preferring a clean tool to a soiled one.
Ah, bleach.
Useful.
Roughly two minutes later, my blade sparkled beneath the light. “Perfect.” I returned the knife to its designated pocket and picked up the phone again. “Your associate made a mess I had to clean up. Where were we?”
“You were enlightening me on your desire to die.”
My lips curled. “I do enjoy death, Assad. Thank you for noticing. Oh, while I have you, is there a particular way you would like me to take you out? Because I’m open to suggestions. Although, I should warn you, my counterpart has some pretty wicked ideas of her own on how to take you down.”
Which was precisely the message I wanted to deliver.Amara has told me everything.
“You should be cautious of who you threaten, Mister Bedivere. Collateral damage is a very real complication. And with such a publicly known last name, it could put certain family members at risk. Your brother, for example, could be mistaken for you. You both have dark hair, yes? Similar stature, close in age. Where is he now? San Francisco?” A voice spoke up in the background. “I thought so, yes. That region of California is lovely this time of year.”
“That’s cute,” I murmured, amused. “Good luck with your plans, Assad. Just know that I’ll be seeing you soon.” I dropped the phone and stomped on it, shattering it to pieces.
Goal accomplished.
And if he wanted to try to go after my brother, I wished him the utmost luck.
Only a Cavalieri could touch Hunter Bedivere, and Arthur would never accept the hit.
“You’re making quite a mess,” I said, looking down at a very dead Raoul. I tsked and nudged him aside with my foot.
We needed to go. And quickly.
I slipped out of the bathroom, thankful for the still-empty hallway, and returned to a ghostly white Amara.
“Time to go, kitten,” I told her, pulling money from my pocket to toss onto the table. It was double the bill, which should satisfy the restaurant.
Until they found the body.
Fortunately, our reservations were under an untraceable alias.
Cav and Scarlet Daggerdidn’t exist.
Which meant I needed another alias. I could already picture Raven rolling her near-black eyes in response, causing me to smirk as I grabbed Amara’s hand.
I thanked the host, tipping him generously on the way out, and pulled my trembling date into my side. “Shh,” I murmured, my arm sliding around her shoulders. She didn’t reply but kept pace with me as I guided her away from the restaurant and down the street.
Taking my phone from my pocket, I dialed a lift service first, requesting a pickup three blocks away. Then I called for a cleanup at the restaurant. Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to burn it down.
As we neared the pickup point, I dialed my airline service and requested a departure from Cairo International for three hours from now. Even if the authorities caught wind of our aliases from the reservation list, it would take them days to pass the information through the systems.
We’d be long gone with a mysteriously lost destination.
Assuming Raven helped me out again.
Another long night ahead. Maybe this one would end with Amara naked and writhing in the plane. A man could dream.
Amara
“He threatened your brother?” When I asked Killian about his conversation with Amir, that was the last thing I expected him to say. No, not true. He shocked me more by saying it would be fine. “How are you not worried?”
Killian chuckled as he settled into the executive chair beside me on the plane, his long legs sprawling in a casual way that boasted his relaxed state. “Hunter has one of the best security details in the world. And even if Amir manages to get through them, he then has to take my brother down. Which, believe me, won’t be easy.”
