“You didn’t have to do that,” she said once they were clear of any trouble.
“Yeah, I did,” he said. “What kind of man stands back while his woman’s insulted?”
She looked up at him as they walked. “I’m your woman now?”
He shook his head. “They didn’t know that.”
“Right…”
He wasn’t sure if that sounded like disappointment. There was no way Scarlett wanted anything to do with him. She tolerated him because she was essentially his prisoner. She’d tried to escape every time he turned around, so she wouldn’t want to be his woman. She was a good girl, and good girls married nice men—men who put in their nine to five every day and paid their taxes.
He opened the passenger door for her. Once he’d settled inside, the quiet was deafening. “That ex of yours. He the one who hurt you?”
Scarlett nodded. “I’ve been hiding for a long time. He destroyed my life, and it seems even that’s not enough for him.”
“Want me to kill him?”
Her mouth fell agape. “You can’t just kill anyone because you feel like it,” she said. “That’s not how real life works … even if we want it to.”
“I’ll do it for you,” he said. “Then you won’t have to look over your shoulder.”
“So you’re letting me go?”
He didn’t want to let go, not ever. The thought of being in his house alone again made him feel uneasy. The solitude had always been his strength, but now he wanted to hear Scarlett’s chatter, hear her breathing next to him at night, and feel the passion she roused in him effortlessly.
“Not yet.”
He pulled onto the road, heading away from the city, back to his sanctuary … or his personal prison. He wasn’t so sure anymore.
Chapter Six
Entering Bain’s home again that night, Scarlett was confused, which shouldn
’t be at all surprising when she thought about how much her life had changed within forty-eight hours. She’d gone from living a really shitty life, to being kidnapped by a man she was having sexual fantasies over. Now she was enjoying the fact he considered her his woman. Her feelings were all over the place.
“I’m sorry,” Bain said, which had her turning in the main hall. There had been many times tonight that she could have run away, and yet she hadn’t. Not once had she wanted to leave his side. Even though she had watched him kill, she felt safe around him. He would protect her from everything.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I wanted you to have fun tonight.”
“I did have fun. It was nice being with you, and not scared.” That fact her ex’s brother, Neil, turned up was just bad luck. She had a restraining order, and for the past year she’d been able to live her life without fear, and that was the way it was going to stay. Also, in a weird way, it was refreshing knowing that Bain had offered to kill her ex for her. “I was curious, how much do you charge?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You offered to kill my ex. I just wondered how much that would be?”
His laugh didn’t offer much comfort. “You couldn’t afford me, babe. I offered to do it free of charge.”
“How much does a hit cost?” she asked.
“Is this for a story?”
“Nope, this is me being curious about a world I thought was left in movies.”
“It differs depending on the person, and who they are. If it’s someone important, but it’s high risk, it can cost about ten mill. Some of them, like the guy today, can be between five and seven.”
“Are you serious?” she asked.