Page 91 of Scarlet Mark
“You did.” I combed my fingers through her tangled strands, wishing I could offer her more. Like clothes. “I’m proud of you, kitten.”
“For killing him?”
“No.” I pulled away to cup her cheek, wanting to see her eyes. They were still brown from the contacts but glimmering with power. “I’m proud of you for standing up to him, for allowing your strength to lead your actions. You’re gorgeous and fierce and the most courageous woman I’ve ever met. You’re amazing, Amara.”And I think I’ve fallen in love with you.
“Gorgeous?” she repeated, glancing down at her current state. “Not at the moment.”
“Sometimes beauty isn’t about appearance, but what lives inside a person.” I pressed my lips to her swollen mouth, then rested my forehead against hers. “We’re not done here.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I want her dead, Killian.”
“Good.” I slid my palm to her nape, holding her to me for a moment longer. There had to be clothes down here somewhere. We’d find them in—
An explosion rocked the foundation above, followed by two more in quick succession. My lips curled, the sound one of my favorites. “Nikolai is here.” He must have been nearby, which could only mean one thing.
Arthur had tasked him as a backup resource for tonight’s auction. Knowing Nikolai, when the order went out, he’d picked it up first so he could jump in only as needed. He could have given me a heads-up, but something told me Arthur wanted him to keep me in the dark and act like some sort of babysitter.
A punishment for not acting on his information as swiftly as he preferred.Dick.
Well, at least it worked in my favor.
Another boom sounded upstairs, the walls around us shaking from the impact. “We need to get out of here before something collapses on our heads,” I said, noting the escape routes and grabbing my knives. I took her palm with my free hand and pulled her back down the corridor, as this seemed to be a dead end.
But Amara squeezed my hand, tugging me into a narrow pathway that led away from the cells. Trusting her to know her way around, I followed. Sure enough, a set of back stairs appeared. She guided us upward to a panel that controlled a door, and surprised me by entering the code.
“How did you know that?” I asked as we stepped through the threshold into what appeared to be a back room of sorts.
“I watched as Malcom entered it on our way down.”
My lips curled. “Clever.”
“He always underestimated my intelligence,” she said, guiding me through the room and into a concrete hallway. These must have been old servant quarters of some kind because they led to yet another set of stairs.
She crept upward as another grenade went off in the distance, then opened the final door to reveal a more ornate seating area. It was vacant, but her dress lay in tatters on the floor. This must have been where they started their assault.
“Who were the other guys?” I wondered out loud again.
“They were friends Malcom knew from the party. Taviv gave the one a gun after he volunteered to help teach me a lesson, which was a little weird. But yeah, I’ve seen them before. However, never, uh, like that.” She opened a closet filled with jackets and pulled a peacoat off a hanger. It hit her midthigh, so it worked almost as a dress.
I didn’t bother trying anything on. I’d just have to face these assholes in my boxers.
“Where to?” I asked her. “Where would they hide?” Because they had to be panicking as a result of Nikolai’s explosions.
“The office.” She was already moving, her spine straight and her strides determined. I twirled my blades in my palms as I followed, ready to cut anyone who stepped in our path.
The grenades had stopped going off, either because Nikolai was already inside or because he’d run out of firepower. Likely the former.
Amara paused in the hallway, just outside a double door, her shoulders tensed.
This must be the office.
With a nod, as if reassuring herself, she shoved the doors open and froze on the threshold. A gasp fluttered from her mouth as my own jaw hit the floor.
I’d anticipated the potential for an ambush.
But not this macabre scene.
Clarissa and Geoff Rose were already dead, their throats slit from ear to ear. And between them sat a legal-sized envelope with Amara’s name scrawled across it.
