Scarlet Angel (12 page)

When she came back into the living room, Neil stood
in the center of the space. She strolled out with her arms wide and
spun around.

Neil whistled. “Wow... looks good. Looks very
professional.”

“
Well, I did have a good
teacher.”

The two boarded the elevator and rode it to ground
level. Every muscle in Scarlett’s body vibrated with excitement.
She wanted to bolt out of the elevator to the warehouse.

Neil opened the door to the large expanse and
escorted her out for the first time since letting her in. Before
them sat a tan colored sedan. Scarlett’s heart sank at the sight of
Neil’s drab choice in vehicles. “This is your car?”

He nodded. “It blends in.”

“
To what? The dirt?”

“
Funny.”

The passenger side door opened silently and she got
in. Neil held out a leather blindfold.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Really? I know where we
are.”

“
This is about where we’re
going.”

“
Fine.” She tied the brown strap
over her eyes. “There... Can’t see a damn thing.”

“
Good.”

Scarlett lied. From the corner of her eye she could
see a sliver of light. She wasn’t sure it would be enough to know
where she was going, but it was better than nothing.
Sorry,
Neil. Curiosity and all.

From what she could tell, they never left the
warehouse district. In fact, she thought they might have made a few
circles.
Typical Neil, just trying to cover his tracks.

After nearly ten minutes of peeking at the scraps of
light, everything went dark. From the way the engine echoed,
Scarlett figured it to be another warehouse.

The car came to a stop and Neil cut the engine. A
moment later, Scarlett’s door opened and he helped her out. She
started to remove the blindfold.

“
Ah, ah, ah... Not just
yet.”

“
So, now you expect me to walk
with this thing on?”

“
Sorry.”

She knew he wasn’t sorry. The hand on her arm shook
slightly as he snickered.

“
Don’t worry, I’ll lead you.” With
one hand on her arm, he nudged her forward. They walked across an
open expanse then up a few steps. Finally, they stopped and he let
her go. A loud clang came from behind, followed by Neil’s
voice.

“
You can take off your blindfold
now.”

Her nose wrinkled at the assault of stale blood,
body odor and rancid sweat. Her hands moved slowly up until they
reached her head. She tugged at the knot. The brown leather strap
slipped from her eyes and fell onto the floor.

Scarlett clenched her jaw. She turned around to make
sure she was, in fact, where her eyes told her she was. No matter
how much she looked around, her brain struggled to register her
environment.

She stood at the edge of a large ring. From the
floor up, the space was wrapped in metal bars. Another layer of
bars covered the top, making an inescapable cage. Outside of the
ring, she saw black bleacher-stands rising up like a concert hall.
Two doors, also made of the same metal bars, provided the only
access in or out of the cage. One door sat directly opposite her
and the other at her back.

She turned slowly to face Neil. “What the hell is
this?”

Neil strolled around the perimeter of the cage,
running his fingers along one of the bars. “This is a local
underground fighting arena. That wonderful odor you’re smelling is
from last night’s fight.”

“
I don’t understand.”

“
Scar, I have to make sure you
have the right stuff to do this. I’ve invested a lot in you. If you
can do this, then you are ready.”

She looked around again, seeing only the bars and
the bare concrete floor. “So, what? You want me to escape?”

“
No. The cage itself is not your
test. I’ll open it and let you out as soon as you’re done.” He
reached the far side of the arena and disappeared into the
shadows.

He reappeared a few seconds later. Neil opened the
other cage door and let it swing wide. Then he reached back into
the hidden crevices of the stands and pulled something.

A figure stumbled out of the darkness. Propelled by
Neil’s hard shove, he stumbled into the arena and fell to the
floor. The door slammed behind him.

Scarlett didn’t move. She watched the third person
move slowly and get up.

Ratty, blond hair tumbled over the new arrival’s
filthy shoulders. He looked up and revealed a hollowed and sickly
face splotched with sores and bruises. His hands trembled with the
need for a fix.

“
Neil, no.” Her voice was only a
whisper.

Neil walked back around and stood next to Scarlett’s
door. From behind his back, he produced a nine-millimeter pistol.
He set it on the ground and kicked it into the ring.

“
This is your final
test.”

Chapter 18
The Test

People are never who they appear to be.

* * *

Scarlett stared at the gun at her feet. “Neil. What
the hell is this?”

“
This is your first
job.”

She looked back over at the young man on the other
side of the arena. He stood, wavering slightly. His gaze was
distant as he absently scratched at a sore on his arm.

He can’t be more than seventeen.

“
But he’s just an innocent kid. I
don’t know him!”

Neil laughed. “He’s the job. You are being hired to
kill him. Actually, I am, but I’m assigning it to you. Kill him,
and you get paid.”

“
Paid? That’s not what I signed up
for.”

The boy looked around.

“
Scarlett, what the hell did you
think this was about? That I would train you for some petty
vengeance? Oh, no. That would be an incredible waste of my time and
your talents. You are a killer, born and bred.”

She shook her head and stepped back. “No. Only
Derrick. It’s only Derrick.”

Neil laughed again. “You actually think you can get
in and kill Derrick and no one else? Stealth is one thing, but he
lives in a fortress. You’re going to have to leave a trail of
bodies.”

“
Still... That’s
different.”

“
No. No, it’s not. Those guards
will have girlfriends, boyfriends, spouses and children. This...”
He pointed to the target. “This is your reality now. You are a
killer. You’ve done it once, now do it again. Finish the job and we
can talk about Derrick.”

She reached down and picked up the gun. The man at
the other end of the arena froze, his gaze locked on the weapon in
her hand. She looked at him then down to the weapon. “Why? Why
him?”

“
It doesn’t matter. It’s the job.
If you want to be safe, you have to be able to do the
job.”

Her voice was soft. “The job.”
Am I really going
to do this? He’s just a kid. Why him, it makes no sense.
Safe...

She lifted the weapon. The sights centered on the
boy’s face.

He shook his head and stepped back. “No... Please.
Don’t do this. C’mon man...”

Neil’s voice came from behind, smooth and confident.
“Finish the job, Scarlett.”

Scarlett breathed in as much as her lungs would hold
then let it flow from her lips in one long exhale. The target’s
eyes settled on either side of the front sight post. Her finger
squeezed against the trigger. The cool metal resisted her pull.

I can’t.

She flipped the safety on with her thumb and tossed
the weapon aside. The metal grated along the concrete as it skidded
out of the arena.

“
No.”

Neil’s quiet voice dripped with anger. “What do you
mean ‘No’? Do you think I’ve screwed around this whole time just
for you to chicken out like a little bitch, just because you have
to get rid of some piece of garbage?”

“
I said no. I won’t kill this kid.
I don’t know him. He’s not the one who tried to kill
me.”

“
He’s not the...” Neil’s words
trailed off. “Fine.”

The trainer picked up the gun and stalked away. He
shoved the gun back into his waistband and followed the perimeter
of the cage. When he reached the far door, he stopped.

“
Hey, man...” The addict suddenly
became aware of his presence and turned to him. “Hey...C’mon, man.
Let me out... please? I won’t tell no one, I swear!”

Neil pulled out a gun and kicked it under the bars.
“Kill her and I’ll let you go.”

“
What? Aw, hey man... no way.” The
addict stumbled back and waved Neil off. “I ain’t killin’ nobody,
bro.”

“
I’ll give you ten thousand
dollars to kill her.”

“
You’re crazy, man.”

“
Five thousand now, and five more
when she’s dead.” Neil pulled a roll of cash from his pocket. “How
much flash can you get with this?”

The addict’s eyes widened. He drooled at the sight
of the money. He reached forward and took a half-step.

“
Neil, what the hell are you
doing?” Scarlett yelled from the other end of the arena.

“
Sorry, Scar. But you lost your
turn. Only one of you can walk out of here. If it’s not gonna be
you, it’s gonna be him.”

The sickly man reached for the money. Just as his
fingers were about to touch it, Neil pulled it back.

“
What the...? Hey man!”

Neil held the money up for the other to see. “You
want this? Pick up the gun.”

The other man looked down at the gun then over to
Scarlett. She saw the pain in his eyes, the pain of his addiction,
of the decision he was making.

He reached down and his fingers closed around the
metal grip. His gaze locked with Scarlett’s. “I’m sorry.” He lifted
the weapon.

She looked over to her trainer. “Neil, don’t do
this. It’s not necessary.” She kept her voice calm despite the
mental alarms screaming at her to move.

“
Yes. It is.”

Scarlett stared down the barrel of the gun. From its
angle, she estimated the bullet’s path to her own midsection.
“What’s your name?”

The addict’s brow furrowed and he tilted his head.
“Huh?”

“
What’s your name? If you’re going
to kill me, I should at least get to know your name.”

“
Chaz. Everyone calls me
Chaz.”

“
Okay, Chaz.”

Chaz’s head turned as if he was afraid of the weapon
in his own hand. He extended the gun another few inches. His grip
was unsure and his arm wavered.

C’mon Chaz, keep it together. Don’t go too wild on
me.

She watched the gun like it was a cobra, swaying
back and forth. The hypnotic movement lasted only a second but held
her in place.

The inside of the gun’s barrel flashed with a green
glow. Instincts flared and she twisted to the side. The shot rang
out and echoed through the arena. But it was not the sound of a
bullet. It was the sizzle of a plasma round.

Scarlett turned around to see a cross section of the
cage’s bars formed into a ball of drooping slag. “NEIL! What the
hell is wrong with you?”

“
Oh shit. Oh shit. What was that?
What the hell was that, man?” Chaz dropped the weapon and jumped
back.

Neil laughed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think I gave
him this?” He pulled another gun from behind his back.

From her vantage point, Scarlett could not tell the
difference between the two weapons.

“
You see, I couldn’t very well
give him the nine-mil I gave you. That wouldn’t be fair. Not with
your body suit on.”

Scarlett shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

“
Chaz. Pick up the
gun.”

“
No way, man. That thing’s insane.
What the hell is it?”

Neil stepped closer to the boy and leaned against
the bars. “Chaz? Chaz. Listen to me.”

The addict looked back and forth between Neil and
the gun.

“
Chaz, it’s a plasma pistol. It’s
military grade. It won’t hurt you as long as you’re the one holding
it. Now pick it up.”

“
Nuh-uh, man. You never said
anything about no plasma gun. How do I know that thing won’t blow
up on me? That’s crazy shit.”

Scarlett watched the two go back and forth. She
stepped sideways, inching closer along the edge of the cage.

“
Fine. Alright Chaz. Twenty
thousand. Now kill her.”

Chaz stared at the gun. Scarlett could see the
pressure of what Neil was asking him to do on his face. Slowly, the
young man bent down and picked up the plasma pistol. He looked at
the weapon then up to Scarlett. “No... I can’t.”

In one, smooth motion, Neil pulled the carriage back
on the nine-mil, reached through the bars and put the barrel to
Chaz’s head. “Chaz? Listen closely. If you don’t kill her now, I’m
going to pull this trigger and decorate the floor with your brains.
Do you understand me?”

Chaz nodded. As he lifted his arm, the gun hung limp
in his hand. Scarlett continued to step slowly around the cage,
getting closer and closer to Neil and Chaz. The barrel lifted and
pointed at her heart.

Neil pressed the gun harder against Chaz’s temple.
“Chaz? I don’t have all day.”

Now or never.

The boy’s hand gripped the gun tighter. His hand was
steadier this time. She watched his finger twitch and pull back on
the trigger. Scarlett twisted to the side and launched herself
forward.

The plasma round zipped by her head, singeing a few
stray hairs. She ignored the searing blast and pushed her legs
harder with each step. Her hands reached Chaz before he could react
and shoot again.