Page 16 of Scarlet Mark
Drugs weren’t something I experimented much with as a kid or an adult, but fuck if that ketamine didn’t take me on a wild ride. It made sleeping impossible because every time I closed my eyes, some strange phantom stared back at me.
Damn woman had knocked me fully off-kilter. Which earned her a smidgen of respect. Not only had she eluded me for weeks, but she’d also bested me.
It would not be happening again.
She remained quiet beside me, but I could practically hear her mind working. Part of me was thrilled by the thought of another escape attempt, curious to see how she’d finagle her way out of my grasp. The other part of me knew it was impossible.
That device on her wrist could only be removed by my thumbprint.
And it would not only explode at my request, but it would also track her.
Being a member of the Tabella Della Morte paid off. Literally. I had access to all the best toys, and my bank account afforded me the opportunity to play with them. Even the items that weren’t available to government agencies yet, such as that beauty around her wrist.
My pocket buzzed with an incoming message about the car I’d ordered. I eyed the details with a grin. One perk of being in Germany? The Autobahn. And Senator Jenkins had requested a pickup location outside of the city for later tonight, giving me a prime excuse for a drive in the new toy.
Maybe I’d take a vacation afterward, roaming around Europe for a while. I had friends in various places. Could be a worthwhile holiday.
And boring as hell. Especially after the last few days.
Amara Rose had become my obsession, one I had enjoyed more than any other mark in my history. Handing her over to Jenkins’s men would suck. But I couldn’t prolong our time together after it took me so long to track her down. The senator wanted his fiancée back.
What would he do to her?
Punish her?
Kill her?
I frowned at that last bit. No. He wouldn’t murder her after paying so much for her to be caught alive—a rarity in my line of work.
As if sensing my train of thought, she wrapped her arms around her middle, her shoulders hunching. Several hours of plotting seemed to have worn her out, or maybe she’d finally accepted that there was no escape.
No, she wouldn’t cave that easily. This woman was a fighter. She actually reminded me a bit of myself, refusing to accept fate when it stared her right in the face.
“Why did you con one of the country’s most beloved senators?” I wondered. “Was it a rite of passage of sorts? A graduation to a new level? I mean, what prompted it?”
Her eyes appeared greener in the daylight, the shades of blue receding to the areas around her pupils. “You assume I conned him.”
“Didn’t you?” I pressed. That was what the senator implied.
She shrugged. “Everyone lies about something.”
A vague statement, one I could easily hear myself saying. “So tell me a truth,” I dared. “Tell me something real.”
“Why?”
“Because I spent the last three weeks tracking your whereabouts and I want to know a truth outside your world of fiction.”
She laughed, but it lacked humor. “A truth.” She shook her head. “Malcom might be a beloved senator on the surface, but a devil lurks beneath his skin. I wouldn’t be surprised if he double-crosses you in some way, either.”
“That’s not something about you,” I pointed out while filing away the subtle warning.
My read on the senator had raised a few red flags. However, Calthorpe assured me he was a solid client. Of course, all the leader of the Tabella Della Morte cared about was being paid. Oh, his Cavalieri—like me—were his trusted knights, but Arthur Calthorpe did not have an emotional bone in his body. It was something I admired about him, his coldhearted will to rule us all. But it also kept me on constant guard.
“Come on, princess,” I urged. “Give me something to remember you by.”
“The ketamine wasn’t enough?” she asked coyly.
“Oh, that definitely provided a lasting memory.” I leaned into her space. “As was the sensation of your hot cunt against my leg. But I want to know somethingrealabout you.”
