Page 59 of Scarlet Mark
“Charlotte is the last place he’ll search for us,” Killian said, his lips against my ear. “I know it’s not somewhere you want to go again, but it’s the safest location for us to hide. And there’s a benefit this weekend with two of our marks in attendance. It’s the perfect next step.”
I blinked, startled and confused by his words. “Wh-what?”
He combed his fingers through my hair, his opposite arm wrapped tightly around my back.
“It’s a masquerade gala.” He kissed my temple and pulled back a little to gaze down at me. “I mentioned it earlier this week, remember?”
Did he?My head ached too much for me to recall the conversation. Too many plans. Too many details. Too muchpain.
“I thought we’d still be in Cairo,” he continued. “However, since Raoul essentially fell into our lap, it accelerates our timeline and makes the event on Friday night a possibility. We’ll need to find a way onto the guest list, but I know a few people who can help with that. And I know somewhere we can lie low in Charlotte. Assad and Malcom will be too busy searching overseas for us to even consider our relocation to North Carolina. By the time they realize where we are, we’ll already be into the next phase of our plan.”
“You’re…?” I swallowed, my throat sore from my emotional outburst. Had I screamed? Wept? I couldn’t focus, too exhausted from all the weights holding me down.
Amir.
Malcom.
Clarissa.
I shuddered, wanting nothing more than to forgeteverything.
Except, Killian had no intention of returning me to them. This was part of his master plan. To take down Malcom and everyone else.
“You’re not taking me back to him,” I whispered, the words more for myself than for him.
“What?” Killian reared back as if I’d slapped him. Again, I supposed. Because I had hit him. A few times. And he never fought back, just picked me up and carried me here. “How could you possibly think that?”
“Charlotte…” The word had been a trigger, my worst fear coming to life, and I’d reacted as a scared little girl. Like the time when I was sixteen and hid under my bed, shaking, refusing to believe myparentshad allowed all those men to touch me.
“Amara.” Killian gripped my hair, forcing my head back. “I’ve never lied to you. I will never lie to you. Yes, you were my mark. But I’ve since fired the client, rendering the project null and void. You’re my new client, kitten. We’re going to kill everyone who has ever touched you. Not because you’re paying me. Not because I expect anything from you. But because I want to. Understand?”
Another round of stupid tears filled my eyes, this time for an entirely different reason—relief.
Relief tinged with wonder.
And maybe a little thrill.
“You’re really helping me,” I marveled, uncertain of how to interpret the emotions that came with the revelation.
Because I believed him. Maybe I shouldn’t, maybe this was all just a ruse to calm me down, but his gaze radiated truth. As did all of his actions. He kept me in the loop. Told me what he was doing, even when delivering me to Boris. Continued to confide in me about his past and present. Had followed through with every action thus far without faltering.
Yet I’d doubted him now.
“I…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m not used to…”
“Shh.” He brushed his lips over mine. “I know, Amara. It’s okay. You have every right to doubt me and our situation. I’m a lot of things, but a coward isn’t one of them. If I were taking you to Malcom, I would tell you.”
Pride and honor gleamed in his molten chocolate irises, searing me from the inside out. God, this man had the power to destroy me in a way no one else ever had. The last several minutes proved that to me.
How could someone I’d known for such a brief amount of time possess that sort of talent?
What else could he make me feel?
Passion?
Excitement?
Pleasure?
