4

Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run

Chapter 126 Outlaw

Scarlett was so much more than a hot blonde with a red Corvette. He had no idea what a complex and fascinating woman she would turn out to be when he saw her in those shorts looking under the hood of her car. This newly discovered outlaw side to Scarlett was irresistible.

"I used to be a law and order type," Scarlett said, "but I lost that luxury when I had to run from my ex. When I found the money, it was go on the run with money or without. It wasn't really much of a decision. The best part was he couldn't call the police; the money was all illegally earned."

"You know, I believe you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Jax said.

Scarlett laughed.

"I bet you say that to all the girls after they tell they permanently borrowed a room full of money."

"You've got a point."

"It's my criminal abilities that you are awed by," she said.

"I am awed by them. How did you ever figure out there was a hidden room?"

"It was a few weeks before the wedding and I was staying in a guest house on his property on Star Island in Florida. I was using the master bedroom. I noticed that the hook in the closet was crooked. It just seemed really strange to me because he was very particular about things being right. I touched the hook and it was loose. I swung it around, just playing with it and the door to the hidden room opens. Suddenly, I'm standing there in this room of money. It was crazy."

"How did you pull off getting the money out?"

"I told my father and he went out and got some equipment to sweep the money room to see if there was any kind of surveillance on the room. There wasn't. I had a security team of four with me all the time even when I went out shopping. A few days before my wedding, I went shopping all day. Security went with me while my father stayed at the house and removed the money. He left a camera in the room, so we could see when my ex discovered the money was gone."

"Genius. How long did it take him to find out?"

"Almost two weeks after I left him standing at the altar. I guess he didn't think that I would find it. I would have walked away with nothing if he would have left me alone, but based on his past pattern with girlfriends and the fact that I knew some of his illegal activities, there was no way he wouldn't come after me. It's such a TV/movie myth that you can bring someone down with a single computer file. I didn't take the money out of greed. I took it because having it gave my father and me a better chance of staying alive."

"What did he do when he discovered the money was missing?"

"He looked like he was going to explode with anger. He started kicking the shelves. He found the camera and threw it against the wall and then squashed it like a bug. Here's the extra credit part—he doesn't know for sure who took the money. Sometimes his security people were alone in the house. One or more of them could have taken the money."

"Would he kill them?"

"If he could prove to himself who took the money. He isn't a forgiving person, so his security staff was hardcore mean. If he told one of them to run a baby over with his car, the guy would do it. These were scary guys. I pitched a fit when they started following me around the house. I couldn't get rid of them, but I did get them banned from the second story of the house where my bedroom was. When I was away from the house, they watched me like a hawk, but I pretended that I really believed him when he told me he was concerned about my safety because there had been a threat on my life."

"Was there really a threat on your life?"

"I don't think so, but I pretended that I believed him. I couldn't let him know that I knew he was going to kill me in an accident on our honeymoon."

"How did you find that out?"

"I knew enough about him to worry him, but I didn't know enough or have the proof to blackmail him into leaving me alone. I don't have proof that he was going to kill me, but when he would talk about the honeymoon, it just made my blood run cold. I've learned to trust my instincts and it would have been easy to arrange an accident. He has money and power. No one would care about me. He would get to play the part of the widower and get lots of attention and sympathy."

"He might really think one of his security guys stole the money. The guard would blame it on you. He might not know you took the money."

"I wish I were a better person and could say that I would feel bad if one of the guards took the consequences for my father's and my actions, but those guys are just so devoid of human emotion. I don't know what trauma they endured to end up like that, but they are scary. I can't fix them."

"I can't fix them?"

"I know. There's this part of me that wants to fix people. I wasn't marrying my ex for his money so I could have expensive clothes and bags and fly on private planes. I wanted to do good. I wanted to help kids. I was working on a charity that begins with one elementary school in a small town. Something small enough that I could really see what needed to be done and make a difference. I know that sounds stupid and idealistic."

There it was again; that soft side to Scarlett. She was an odd mix of sweetness with a streak of outlaw. Her outlaw skills might even be better than his.

"I didn't tell you all this so you would be amazed at my outlaw side. I have a business proposal for you."

"Let me guess, you want me to kill your ex?"

"Are you insane?" Scarlett looked at him with shock. "That would be a suicide mission."