I incline my head in greeting.I can't imagine what the fuck it is this man wants from me. He's smiling at me like a fox and I can feel every hair on my body stand on end. Elizabeth has turned away from me and is now deep in conversation with the woman sitting beside her. I don't know why she detests me so; I'm just an employee. I'm sent on errands and I serve only as entertainment to their clients. I'm not a threat to anyone in this room.Or depending on how you look at it, I'm a threat to everyone."Huxley, sit with us." The only empty seat is beside Mr. Pascual. I should've recognized the dark, bushy hair. I would never have tried to get a better look at the man. I sit stiffly in the chair. He glances at me as I sit, but I don't meet his eyes.Damien says to Mr. Pascual, "How long will you be staying?""Oh," I feel him look at me. "With good company, I could stay much longer. Is that not so?"Damien raises his glass in acknowledgement.Meanwhile, I'm practically trembling. Having t
When the Huxley girl leaves with Eduardo, Damien feels something deep inside him that he hasn't felt it a long time.Remorse.He invited her for a purpose, and that was to entertain Eduardo. He was well aware that she was not fond of the job, Ethan told him, but he couldn't afford to relieve her of these duties. Now with Theo determined to never entertain again, he has to find a permanent replacement. And Huxley is a perfect candidate. Well, not perfect, but suitable. So, he invited her to his party so she could keep Eduardo happy and out of his hair.But after seeing the pleading look in her eyes when he said Eduardo could accompany her to the bathroom, which was just an excuse to get away, he knew, something inside of him twisted around uncomfortably. She was both pleading and accusing him simultaneously, all with her eyes.Elizabeth touches his shoulder. "What's the matter with you? It's like you're not even enjoying yourself." He wasn't. He only threw these parties because Elizabe
I'm packing my bags.Well, I'm stuck between packing them, then unpacking everything I've folded neatly inside my duffel bag. I haven't informed Devon of my decision yet, mostly because I haven't quite decided what to do yet, but if I do decide to quit, he'll understand. He'll have to. This task is impossible, or maybe I'm just not qualified for the job. I'm no spy. I'm just an idiot who thought she'd be a hero, but I was wrong. I'm no match for the underworld.But then, everything switches and I'm unpacking again. Aaron. He can't rot in that cell. I know he isn't innocent, I know he's confessed to killing that man, but it was self-defense, even though no jury believed him. I did, though, I believe he's innocent. Everyone deserves a second chance and my brother is no exception.It's twenty-three minutes past twelve. I should've been at the lounge four hours ago. I'm not sure if that means I've lost my job, but there's a pretty good chance that I have. The Kellers hate tardiness. Also,
Devon slams his phone on the coffee table. He hears a crack, but it's satisfying. It's five in the morning and Amelia hasn't given him any news. It's either she hasn't found anything and is determined to leave the city, or she's dead.She can't be fucking dead.He starts pacing around his living room, staring at the cracked screen and hoping it will light up with a notification. A text, a missed call, anything. His glass is empty, and he moves to the cabinet in the corner of his living room to refill it with whiskey. He then decides to ditch the glass. He'll drink straight from the bottle instead.He was counting on her to get the job done, he still is. She's his best chance at getting the information he needs. The employer's paying a lot of money for that name. They'll get even more money once they do get the name, and Devon will get the promotion he's had his eye on for three years. There's a lot at stake and she can't fuck it up.It's not just the name, though. He is worried about
I leave my duffel bag in the man's car. I'm paranoid about all the money in there, but I guess I can trust him. He didn't say a word during the ride to the clinic and I had no questions to ask. All I kept thinking about was Devon, shot.How did such a thing happen?I have a feeling it has something to do with the Kellers, but I could be wrong. If there's one thing Devon's good at, it's hiding. What if it does have something to do with the Kellers, though? If he wants to see me so desperately, even after he's been shot, it means it's got to be something important.How did he know I would be going home? How'd he even get to say anything if he was shot?I follow the man inside a large building. I fix my gaze on the waiting room. Only a few seats are occupied. We get to a desk where a woman with bright red hair smiles at us. "How may I help you?""We're looking for a Richard Thompson. He was in the theater the last time I was here. Has he been moved since?"I turn to look at him. She type
At 7 am sharp, I'm standing outside the lounge.I didn't think I would end up here again, especially after everything that has happened in the past couple of days, but Sam managed to convince me. Aaron is worth fighting for. All his life, he did the best he could to support us. He worked hard and sacrificed most of his teen years helping my mother out, and I can't let him down when he needs me the most.My co-worker, Chris, nods his head in greeting. "What happened to you yesterday?""Family matter."I start wiping down the counters and shining glasses even though they're already sparkling. Chris doesn't ask me anything else. Getting a day off is a rarity here, so he doesn't want to ask me a lot of questions. Besides, Ethan told me I could take the day off personally, so I'm not concerned about anything.I check the time on the clock hovering above us. The Kellers are normally in at around 8, so I still have twenty minutes, but of course Ethan shows up much earlier."Get me a scotch."
I clamp my hand to my mouth and scurry away without a sound. If they see me looking, who knows what might happen to me? The toilet is just two doors down, so I get in and leave the door open a little so I can hear when they come out. I'm certain I saw Ethan and Elizabeth, but it was dark in there and maybe I made a mistake.I pee and wash my hands quickly so I can get back to watching the store room. I wait for approximately five minutes. I'm starting to feel anxious because if I take any longer, Chris will kill me. He can't handle all the orders on his own, despite how efficient he is. I'm sure it hasn't been that long, but it feels like they've been in there for an eternity. As I step my foot out to leave, I quickly retract it when I hear the creak of a door. I peer through the gap and sure enough, Elizabeth struts out. I would recognize her glossy curls and her gait anywhere.After a minute, Ethan follows her, buttoning his blazer on the way to the main area. I follow him out becau
I wipe the debris from my legs. There's are some small red indentations and scratches on my knees and calves, but none of this damage is permanent. Nothing rubbing alcohol and adhesives won't fix.I have no doubt that Damien will want to see me after I leave the bathroom. I wipe the smudged mascara from underneath my eyes and rinse my fingertips off under warm water. At any second, someone will come looking for me.There's an impatient knock on the door."Hurry up, girl. You don't want to leave him waiting."Five minutes after Trevor and his men left, a car parked in front of us and a few men climbed out. At first, I thought they were other men who came to finish the job, but they were with the Kellers. I don't know how they found out about what happened so fast, but I was glad to be saved. They shoved me in the backseat of their car and I watched them shove Rodrigo's and Thomas's bodies inside the SUV and one of them sped off.The police never got involved.I imagined being held and