Page 46 of Fighting for Scarlett

Raul deserved to die, and not just because he was a notorious weapons trafficker, but because of everything he’d done to Scarlett.

As soon as Scarlett had her clothes back on, he grabbed her hand. The shooting had stopped which meant the men were either gone or they were going to come inside to assess the damage they’d caused. Likely the shooting was to flush him and Scarlett out. They had no vehicle since his was mostly destroyed, and while drivable it wasn’t going to be any use as a getaway vehicle.

If the men thought they were going to exit the building from the ground floor then they’d do the opposite.

Dragging Scarlett along with him, Tate headed upstairs, then down the hall to the stairs that led to the attic. Pulling on the hanging rope, the steps appeared from the ceiling, and he pulled Scarlett up with him.

She came willingly, not fighting him, and her fingers had curled around his tight enough to hurt. Again, she wasn’t acting like someone who wanted to get away, she was acting like someone scared and clinging to the only thing they trusted to keep them safe.

In the attic, he opened the small window down the end. It was just big enough for them to climb through it. From there, they could climb into the tree beside the house, jump from it to one in the neighbor’s yard, climb down it, jump some fences, and get back onto the street on the other side of his block.

Then he and Scarlett were going to talk, and she was going to tell him how she’d been pulled into all of this, and so help him, he was going to do whatever it took to get the truth out of her.

No more lies.

No more games.

No more distractions.

Scarlett Madden was going to tell him what he wanted to know, and then he’d decide what to do with her.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

January 16th

2:00 A.M.

When was this going to stop?

Was Raul still trying to kidnap her or did he just want her dead now?

And what about Tate?

Was he in danger too?

How did Raul even know that she was staying at his house?

Wasn’t like it was planned or anything. Tate had been watching her house, probably because he thought she was guilty, and wound up saving her life. When he could have just handed her over to the authorities he hadn't. Instead, he’d taken her to his house, tended to her, made love to her, held her while she slept, all because … Scarlett didn't even know why.

She didn’t think he did either.

Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, but alongside the fear, there was a huge dollop of anger.

Raul Castillo didn't get to blow up her life like this.

He’d ruined everything, made her doubt her team and the people she worked with, tainted her home, got her accused of betraying her country and branded a traitor. Whether they believed in her innocence or not, Prey would surely fire her, she’d lose her dream job and the people she had built a family with.

Everything was ruined.

But he wasn’t going to take her life.

Nope.

In fact, she was going to do whatever it took to see that he was caught. Heck, she’d rather he was dead. He deserved it for what he’d done to her, and countless numbers of people who had been killed with the weapons he had trafficked to people he knew were going to use them for evil.

Finally, they ran through the front yard of a house at the back of Tate’s block and six houses down, and out onto the street.

There had been no more gunshots after the ones that had destroyed Tate’s living room. Were the men still there? Checking the house to see if they were inside? Or were they already being followed?

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