Page 46 of Saving Scarlett
A shudder wracked through my body as I watched him take the man’s life, but I felt no remorse. They were all evil and deserved what they got.
With the dead guard’s body sprawled on the ground, Bane reached for my hand and took a few steps toward the exit when I heard the unmistakable voices of Victor, Joshua, and my father engaged in a heated conversation. My heart was like a heavy weight, anchoring me to the floor as I strained my ears to hear what was being said. But as quickly as my body froze, it thawed. Before Bane could stop me, I darted ahead, peeking into the crack where the guard had left the door slightly ajar.
“Ah, Scarlett,” Victor sneered, sending ice through my veins as he stepped into view and pushed the door open wider. “So glad you could join us.”
Behind him, my father’s expression was pure horror when he caught sight of me. A towering figure, who I assumed was his bodyguard, stood beside him.
Victor took a step closer, but Bane wrapped his arm around my body and pulled me aside, positioning himself in front of me with his gun in Victor’s face. “Stay away from her.”
When Victor took a step back, I caught a glimpse of my husband standing beside him with a gun aimed at my father. I tried to get around Bane, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Joshua,” I stammered, unable to hide the tremor in my voice. “You won’t get away with this.”
“Ah, my lovely wife,” Joshua replied, his tone mocking. “You’d be surprised what I can get away with.”
“Scarlett, stay behind me,” Bane whispered only seconds before the room erupted into chaos. Joshua opened fire on my father and his bodyguard, bullets ripping through the air like lethal hailstones. Using the momentary distraction, Victor darted for a stack of crates and Bane returned fire, shielding me with his body.
“Stay down!” Bane yelled at me, his voice barely audible above the cacophony of gunfire and shouts. My heart hammered, fear making it difficult to breathe. I crouched low, trying to make myself as small a target as possible.
“Scarlett, you need to get out of here!” My father’s voice rang out from across the room as he hid behind one of the rusted machines, concern etched in his silver-haired features as he fired another round. His bodyguard stood beside him, his square jaw tense as he engaged in the firefight.
Continuing to provide cover, Bane pushed me out of the doorway. “Go! Now!”
For a moment, I just stood there, a cool numbness washing over my body as I debated what to do. I couldn’t leave him there—couldn’t leave my father—but before I could take a single step, a bullet struck my father’s bodyguard in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.
In that moment, everything seemed to slow down, and amidst the chaos, Victor spotted an opening and lunged for my father, seizing him by the arm and pressing a gun to his temple. The room fell silent, the gunfire ceasing as everyone froze, their attention locked on the standoff.
“Drop your weapons, or I’ll blow his brains out!” Victor snarled, his eyes wide with madness. Bane hesitated, his blue eyes filled with conflict as he seemed to weigh his options. “Do it, now!”
“Scarlett,” Bane murmured under his breath, his expression full of regret. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t let him kill my father,” I whispered back, my voice shaking. It felt like the world was collapsing around me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. He stood protectively in front of me, shielding me from any potential danger, but I could feel his muscles tense at my words.
“Enough!” Victor snarled, his impatience reaching its peak. He tightened his grip on my father’s arm, the barrel of the gun digging into his skin. “This is all so... pathetic.”
“Let him go, Victor,” Bane growled, his voice low and dangerous. Coming out from behind his hiding spot, Joshua pointed his gun at my father as well, the look on his face turning my stomach. My father had done so much for him over the years. Seeing him so willing to take my father’s life made me realize how little I really knew him.
“Joshua, you’re a coward!” I screamed, my fear giving way to fury. “You’ve always been a coward, and you’ll never change!”
“Shut up, Scarlett!” Joshua snarled back, his eyes wild as he glared at me from across the room.
“Please...” My voice trembled as I pleaded with Joshua. “Don’t let him hurt my father.”
My eyes turned to my father’s old business partner. “Victor, please don’t do this,” I pleaded, desperate for a resolution that wouldn’t end in bloodshed. But as I looked into Victor’s eyes, I realized there would be no reasoning with him.
“Last chance,” Victor hissed, pressing the gun harder against my father’s temple.
“Joshua, please,” I whispered, hopelessness seeping into my words. “If there’s any humanity left in you, let him go.”
“Humanity?” Joshua scoffed. “That was never part of the deal.”
“Enough!” Victor barked. In one fluid movement, he released my father, pushing him to the ground. “You have served your purpose, Mr. Prejean. Your time is up.”
Before any of us could react, Victor turned his gun on Joshua and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet tearing through Joshua’s head. He crumpled to the floor, blood pooling around his lifeless body. The sound of the gunshot echoed through the room, leaving a ringing in my ears and bile burning up my throat.
“Joshua!” I screamed, choking on the name as tears blurred my vision, my body doubling over. My world went dark, swirling in a vortex of my emotions. Bane’s strong arms wrapped around me, his warmth the only thing grounding me in the horrifying reality.
“Scarlett,” he whispered into my ear. “I promise you, we’re going to get out of here. I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”