“Your parents work for the government?”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “No, why does any of this matter? I’m nobody. I’m not a threat to you or anyone.”
He put a finger to his lips. “Who do they work for?”
“I don’t know.”
Bain grabbed her jacket and gave her a quick jerk. “Hey, I asked you a fucking question.”
Her eyes welled up with tears. “I don’t know! My dad left when I was six, and I haven’t talked to my mom in years.”
Good. The fewer people looking for her, the better. He pressed her shoulder down to get her to sit on the chair, then squatted down and patted her hips, feeling for pockets. “You have any weapons on you?”
“No.”
His cell phone rang, so he stood back up and walked away from her.
“You get the job done?” asked Boss.
“I always get the job done.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I have another contract for you. Interested?”
Killing was all he knew. From the planning stage, surveillance, to pulling the trigger, it was all a rush. Something dark resided in him, for as long as he could remember, and it seemed his job as a mercenary was the only thing that kept it sated.
“Sure, why not?”
“Excellent. Now that Viper’s retired, I’m short a good man. You can go far with Killer of Kings, Bain.”
Bain wasn’t worried about the next paycheck or maintaining a lavish lifestyle. His life was no frills. He also had so much fucking cash that he was already set for life. He did his job because he had to.
“Help me!”
He whirled around. The little bitch had some nerve. Bain glared at her, his jaw twitching with his rising anger.
“Who was that?” asked Boss.
“Don’t worry about her. You’re not the only one I work for,” he said, dismissively. “Text me the details. I’ll be busy for a while.” He put his phone in his pocket and crossed his arms over his chest. There were so many wicked things he could do to Scarlett to make her pay for her disobedience. He’d doled out every kind of torture in his day, most learned from personal experience. Right now, all he cared about was ensuring she kept quiet while he was away on his next hit. With his luck, someone would come to his front door and hear her screaming.
“You’ve been a bad girl, Scarlett.”
She stared at him, her big green eyes roaming over his body. He looked down at himself. Over the years he’d gotten so much fucking ink that there wasn’t much skin left untouched. It was a necessity, his way of covering up the past, an attempt to change himself into something new. It was never enough, the scars and memories continuing to haunt him.
“What do you think I should do to you for that little stunt?”
Her mouth opened, then closed. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Of course you did. You’re trying to save yourself, but what you don’t realize is there’s no escape. Nobody knows where you are, and by the sounds of it, nobody gives a shit.”
“You’re never letting me leave?”
“There you go, now you’re catching on. But until I can trust you, I’m sure you understand why I have to use this.” He pulled out a black gag from his back pocket, waving it in front of her, and then motioned her to walk up the stairs. There was no way he could stand coming down into the shitty basement to check on her every few hours. The dank space was worse than he remembered, so he’d keep her within arm’s length for now.
When they got to the top of the stairs, she made a break for it.
Chapter Two
Scarlett tried to run, but he caught her around the arm and hauled her back against him. She fought hard. Fighting him was useless, but she couldn’t stop. She needed to get away from this monster, to survive. Her life was miserable, but she didn’t want to die. There was so much she hadn’t achieved yet, and so much to live for.