Scarlet Assassin (27 page)

“What’s that?”

“Fall in love.”

“Never?”

“Nope, never.”

Admitting that she’d never been in love made her feel vulnerable, weak and afraid she’d have her heart broken. Reaching into her pocket, she rubbed her thumb over her father’s pocket watch. She could almost feel the engraving on the inside.

My love is like the air, always around you, embracing you. Love, M.

Epilogue

Selene dropped De Marcus’s body on the gravel. Expecting him to come to life she poked him with the tip of her boot and then poked him again. Looking down at his face, she noticed his eye socket had sucked in where his eye used to be. Now she wished she’d picked that up, too.

“You ready, buddy?” AJ set the gas cans down next to his head.

“Yep.” Selene stepped back and looked over at Clarissa, who hadn’t said a word since finding out he was dead. “You okay, Clare?” Selene reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

She just nodded and smiled weakly. They had all hoped they would find closure with De Marcus’s death, but Clarissa deserved it most of all. Selene doubted she would find it anytime soon. Scars like these took years to fade and they would always lay just under the surface unable to be seen by anyone else, but you always knew they were there. She hoped her own scars would heal with time. Maybe they would with the love of a good woman like Francesca.

They had talked the whole way home and then stood at Francesca’s front door for another two hours. The time had flown and suddenly it was daylight and Selene could still feel its warmth on her skin. She hadn’t succumbed to the darkness, not yet at least. With a promise to take things slower, they’d made a lunch date. Agreeing that something more casual would be less stressful for both of them and less likely to find them rolling between the sheets. Was this how couples negotiated the dating landscape? She wasn’t sure, but she’d talked to Clarissa while AJ made sure the quarry was closed and empty. Clarissa had been supportive and given her blessing. Not that Selene needed it, but Clarissa was the closest thing to a friend Selene had and they had history, an intimate history together. Selene respected that, plus it felt good to talk to her about Francesca.

AJ handed Clarissa the gas can, but she shook her head, so AJ doused his body. Each woman looked down at the man lying at her feet. Each wanted him dead for different reasons; one for taking her innocence, one for hurting her lover, and for Selene, well it was just a job. She knew the bastard deserved this and more, but this was the best he would get. AJ handed Clarissa a flare gun and they all stepped back. He lay at the edge of the quarry lip waiting for his final punishment. Whether he knew it or not, he would give Clarissa her life back tonight and for that Selene was grateful.

“Whenever you’re ready baby,” AJ said, lovingly stroking Clarissa’s back. “I love you and he can never hurt you again. This is for your sister, your mother and your father.”

Without another word, Clarissa raised the gun and shot at the body. Tears streamed down her face as she pulled the trigger. As soon as his body caught fire, she turned into AJ and buried her face into her chest. Selene and AJ stood watching his body burn. It flamed up and then burst into a bright fireball. De Marcus was finally dead.

“Let’s go home, baby.” AJ raised Clarissa’s face up and kissed her.

Selene could only smile and pat AJ on the back as she watched her old life flame out and the promise of a new life burn bright.

“Let’s go home ladies.”

About the Author

Isabella, writing as Jett Abbott, lives in California with her wife and three sons. She teaches college, and speaks at high schools and universities on current issues facing the LGBT community. She enjoys traveling with her wife, riding her motorcycle, and spending time with her family. She’s also the owner of Sapphire Books Publishing.

She is a member of Gold Crown Literary Society, Romance Writers of America. She has written several short stories, and writing as Jett Abbott she is now working on the follow-up to
Executive Disclosure - Surviving Reagan

You can follow her on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/isabella.author

or at the Sapphire Books website

www.sapphirebooks.com

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What do you say to the woman you thought died over a century ago? Will time heal all wounds or does it just allow them to fester and grow? AJ Locke has lived over two centuries and works like a demon, both figuratively and literally. As the owner of a successful pharmaceutical company that specializes in blood research, she has changed the way she can live her life. Wanting for nothing, she has smartly compartmentalized her life so that when she needs to, she can pick up and start all over again, which happens every twenty years or so. Love is not an emotion AJ spends much time on. Since losing the love of her life to the plague one hundred fifty years ago, she vowed to never travel down that road again. That isn’t to say she doesn’t have women when she wants them, she just wants them on her terms and that doesn’t involve a long term commitment.

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