“He does not. He wishes he could sound as amazing as me. But he can’t.”
Henry waves his pointer finger through the air, throws out his hip, and sways his head—impersonating Mel. “He does so. He’s much more amazing than me, and I’d love to shag the fucker.”
I grin at Sean as he pulls me up. I shout to Henry, “You should've listened to Sean. Mel’s going to rip your face off when she gets out.”
Henry swats a hand at her. “She couldn’t hurt a butterfly. Her peak is over. She’s droopy, and headed for a gravity induced decline, am I right, love?”
After Sean pulls me over the top, I push up with my knees and stand, wiping the sand from my limbs. He looks down at me tenderly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Thank God you never do as you’re told.” He kisses my forehead and seems to breathe easier.
The moment I’m off the rope, Mel grabs it and scales the side of the pit, hurling her body over the rim before jumping up and rushing Henry. He stands perfectly still, his hands in his pockets and an indifferent expression on his face. His serene façade cracks just as she’s about to plow into him. He lets out a shriek and runs, arms flailing, into the woods. Mel races after him, swearing up a storm.
Sean glances down at me. “Do I need to stop her?”
“Nah, she likes him.”
Sean’s eyes widen. “I’d hate to see what it looks like if she hates him.”
“I know, right?” I sigh and lean into Sean.
He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head as he tells me what he heard in the basement at Black's. “They know you’re at Henry’s. We can’t go back there.”
I cringe at the thought of the barrel. No, it’s more than that. It terrifies me, shooting shards of ice through my veins, cutting all the way to my heart. I swear it stops beating for a moment. I pull away and turn toward Sean. “Then we can’t wait. We need to head directly to Vic Jr.’s and finish this.”
“There’s a step in the middle first. You need to call Black and accept the job.”
The lump in my throat grows to a gargantuan size, strangling me from within. There’s so much pressure on me it feels like one wrong move will mash my body to the pavement. One false step and I'm dead. No, it’s worse than that—my sick brother has a barrel with my name on it.
I nod and whisper, “If he catches me… If this doesn’t go right—”
Sean pulls me into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around me. “I won’t let him hurt you. Not now, not ever. After tonight, Vic Jr. will be sorry he ever fucked with a Ferro.”
CHAPTER 11
The phone rings and Black answers, “Avery, I’m surprised to hear from you.”
I’m breathing too fast, and my voice is trembling. She’ll hear it, so I do the only thing that would make those sounds seem reasonable. I sniffle and blurt out, “I want the job. The madam job you offered before.”
“What about Mr. Ferro? I thought you were through with the matchmaking business?” Her voice is silky and smooth. I can picture her sitting at her desk with a smile on her face. The game of cat and mouse has always amused her. She’s going to toy with me for a while before making her final decision.
My throat is tight, and I’m shaking, I answer tersely, “He left me.” My voice rings hollow. “You said he’d do it. You told me—” I sniffle and gasp, “You told me he’d leave, and he did.”
“I hadn’t heard Mr. Ferro returned home. When did this occur?”
“I don’t know! He walked away earlier and said his life here is toxic. Miss Black, I really don’t want to talk about him.”
“So he left on his jet this evening?”
“I guess so.” I know so. Correction—I know his jet mapped their flight plan and took off with one passenger this evening. If she checks, she’ll be able to corroborate my story. “I need that job, Miss Black. Is it still open?”
She pauses, sighs deeply, and responds. “It is, but considering your behavior—the way you disregard every rule and refuse my oversight—Avery, this position isn’t for you. Some women were made to lead while others are better working on their backs.”
I mash my lips together and try not to scream at her. “Give me a chance. I’ll show you how valuable I can be. I’m not interested in men anymore. I’m never falling for another guy as long as I live. I have nothing else to do, no other source of income. Miss Black, please…” I beg, adding a jagged breath at the end to sound like I’m not quite done crying.
“Never beg,” she scolds. “It shows weakness.”
“Yes, Miss Black.” Silence passes between us, stretching on forever.
I start to think she’s walked away from her phone when she replies, “Be here at 11 pm. You can shadow me this evening. I’m speaking with a potential client. If he signs, he pays up front. We go in, collect his contract and preferences, pictures, and then make the match. He has a girl on his arm within twenty-four hours. That’s how it works. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
My heart pounds like I’ve never wanted anything more. Miss Black is a master manipulator. It's no wonder she’s so good at this. If I didn’t know what I was walking into, I would have shown up with a smile on my face, grateful for her help. I sound as earnest as possible when I answer, “Yes, God, yes! Thank you, Miss Black. I won’t let you down.”
“No, you won’t.”
I hang up and turn to Mel. Henry is behind her, digging through abandoned boxes in the basement of the dorm. We had no other place to go—at least nowhere Black didn’t know to look. And if Sean is spotted, they’ll realize I know what’s going on.
Mel is watching me with her golden eyes, nodding, silent until I hang up. Then she throws her arms around me and squeezes so hard my eyeballs nearly pop out of my head. “That was fucking perfect. There’s no way she suspects a thing.” Just as she releases me, Mel’s cell rings. She nods for everyone to be silent and answers, “Hey, what’s up?”
Miss Black’s velvety voice seeps into the room through the phone. “I need you tonight.”
“I’ve already got plans—” Mel’s lips tip up at the corners.
“It’s in your best interest to show up here. I have a client interested in your mark. I need you to ensure delivery. You know how Avery can get.”
Mel interrupts, repeating, “I’m sorry, Miss Black, but I have other plans tonight.”
She growls, her words dripping with unsaid threats, “I’ll make it worth your while, and, if you look the other way, I believe we can reach a mutually beneficial arrangement. If you disregard your duties, however, I’ll send Gabe after you, and you will not like his methods of persuasion. I suggest you show up here at 11 pm on the dot.”
Mel pales slightly. “Yes, Miss Black. I’ll be there. Hey, what’s the plan? Some guy wants to rent her or what?” Mel tries to get Black to talk, and waits on edge—hoping she’ll say something.
Black’s not a fool, though. “Come and see for yourself," she says. "There’s a lot more money to be made if you’re willing to blur the lines, Melanie. Don’t be late.” The line goes dead.
Mel tucks her phone back into her pocket and glances at me. “I don’t like this. Too many things can go wrong. I’d feel a lot better about it if Vic Jr. had a gun to his head the entire time.”
Sean is tense, his jaw locked tight, and his thick arms folded over his chest. His chin is tucked low, and he’s been thinking, not saying much until that moment. “There are a lot of variables, I agree, but as soon as you and Avery are inside and within range of his security system, we can move in. No one will walk away from this.”
A box topples, and we look over to see a startled Henry holding up some Mardi Gras beads. “What?”
Mel snaps at him. “Are you even listening? This is it. We succeed, or we die. There’s nothing in the middle.”
“Yes, yes, I’m well aware.” He stuffs the beads in his pocket and saunters over to stand next to Mel. “Marty is already on the premises to provide us a head start. He can make s
ure everyone is contained in the correct room at the correct time.”
I feel sick, but I have to ask. “Are we going to slaughter all these people? No one walks away?”
Sean glances at me from under his lashes. “They decimated my home and tried to eradicate my entire family. They have my mother chained and plan on doing the same to you—or worse. We know Vic has plans for you, so you tell me—who gets to live? I’ll bend to you on this, but letting any of these people walk away today leaves the possibility of losing more lives in the future. I prefer not to take that risk.”
Mel asks, “What about Black? She’s not even going to be there.”