Scarlet

06 | An Ultimatum

"I'm down to Earth, but still above you."

♢♦♢

Once again, Scarlet was at complete peace. She sat atop the queen-sized bed with closed eyes and steady exhales. The bedroom was pitch black- exactly how she liked things to be. She even forgot the uncomfortable clothing she was in, her mind was warped up in the ecstatic darkness.

"Please tell me you got rid of the body properly."

"I did. Worry about hacking that phone."

A heavy breath left Scarlet's nose when she recalled her exchange with her sibling, Gray, in a call just a few moments ago. After a short and sweet house tour, Davon had let her be so she could set her things up in the bedroom given to her.

The structure itself was beyond cozy. It deserved the term 'home', because it truly was very warm and welcoming. With minimal decoration and wooden furniture, it was unlike any other house Scarlet had ever seen.

"There is a tracker on that phone. It seems that Red's agency monitored her location from time to time for safety reasons. You'll need to be careful about where you go from now on."
"Hmm."

Scarlet left the sitting position and laid down on her back. Her arms rested by her sides loosely, and her legs hung by the edge of the bed.

"I replied to that boss of hers, but this is the last time. You're responsible for that shit. Apparently Red messaged 'I'll message you once I reach the Millers', and when her location on their tracker remained consistent for some time, they became doubtful. They were about to call you. I handled things, but never again."

"Mmkay."

"Now give me time to comb through everything on her phone. In the meantime, you should get to know lover boy. If today ends with a smooch between you two, that's even better."

"Fuck you."

"No thanks, I'll pass. Davon won't though."

And that was when Scarlet had decided that she wanted to end the call with Gray. They were talking through her bluetooth earpiece, and this was how they planned on communicating in the future too. Scarlet wasn't overly fond of technology, and that included mobile phones as well. An earpiece was the only type of device she'd ever use, much to Gray's distaste.

Scarlet's mind darted away from her sibling and towards the man she met an hour or two ago. Her hatred for him had reduced considerably, but not disappeared all-together. She still loathed him and the idea of making him grow closer to her.

The reason her father had asked her to befriend him, was because he wanted Scarlet to lure Davon out. He had said that when she could guarantee that Davon trusts her, he wanted her to bring him over to her father. Scarlet suspected that this was a case of extortion, and that he wanted to threaten Davon's dad- after all, he was an influential politician.

For what purpose did he want to blackmail the man? She didn't know. She didn't know her father's purpose, and his motive behind every murder that he assigned to his children. It was mostly because she didn't care, but also because even if she did ask, he would never answer.

So in the end, she wasn't assigned to spy. She was assigned to befriend and lure. If she was lucky enough, she might be able to kill him at the last stage of her objective.

Scarlet's eyes shot open when three sharp knocks resonated from the bedroom's door. She clenched her teeth in agitation before sitting back up again. Her palms sunk into the mattress and she fixed her posture. She knew who it was on the other side, but she didn't know if she was in the mood to see him.

"Come in." She said loudly, only to hear a click from the door's handle. The door opened and the lights from the hallway poured into the pitch-black room, making Scarlet clench her teeth even harder. Another soft click resounded, and this time, the lights of her bedroom turned on.

Scarlet blinked a few times to let her vision adjust. Her fingers tightened around the bed sheet that touched her palms. She tried to tame the sudden blood thirst that rose in her when Davon disrupted her moment of ecstasy. Even so, she knew better than to act upon her desire.

Davon's wet hair had dried up. The flat wet strands that glimmered were now dry and wavy. They weren't styled per se, rather, it looked as though he had run his hands through them a couple of times.

"I hope you liked the room."

Scarlet watched him wordlessly. Surely, this was not all that he came to say? She couldn't read his face. Davon was not smiling or anything of that sorts. His expression was similar to the one he wore when they first met; blank.

"Anyway, I'm sure you know my schedule. I'm up by seven, I leave the house by eight, and I stay at the office until six in the afternoon. Then I leave and go home. I suppose you'll be... accompanying me twenty four-seven then?"

Scarlet only nodded slowly in response, and a small sigh left Davon's mouth. This was truly tiring. He was still trying his best to loosen her up, but not because his dad wanted him to.

It was because things may possibly grow awkward in the future if this distance in communication between them carried on. He felt that her protecting him with her life all the while barely talking to him would be far from comfortable.

Oh, if only he knew what her true intention was.

"Yes, sir." Scarlet forced out in the name of 'befriending' him, and Davon was truly surprised she even spoke. He recovered from the temporary shock to nod his head.

"See you tomorrow then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sir."

Davon observed her for a fleeting second before he spun around to leave, his hand still clutching the handle as he closed the door behind him. But he didn't turn off the lights. Scarlet jumped off of the bed and stalked towards the light switch, with the urge to kill Davon still strong. She did have her daggers hidden under the bed, so a bloodbath would have taken place if he hadn't left when he did.

Scarlet had begun to stretch a hand towards the light switch, but her earpiece let out a long beep to let her know Gray was calling her. With an increase in her vexation, she pressed the button on the device and held it down for a few seconds until it connected her with him.

"This better be important." She gritted out as she switched off the lights.

"It is. I went through her message history. Turns out, her boss plans on holding a video call with her some time in the future, to know how everything is at her first job. The call can't be missed or postponed, otherwise they'll send someone to check things personally. Its due date is absolute."

"And?" Scarlet asked, just when she turned around to walk towards the bed.

"Meaning, the video call is scheduled to take place after a little over two weeks, and that's when your cover will be blown."

Scarlet was barely a foot away from the bed when her steps came to a complete stop. She had pieced things together in an instant, and when Gray's next words confirmed her thoughts, she sucked in a deep breath. Her nails dug into her palm out of plain irritation. She now had to speed up the pace of her mission instead of taking her time. Scarlet hated to be rushed, and right now, the storm that brewed in her head nearly made her take a regrettable step.

"You have fifteen days to trap John Miller's son."