says, pointing at the floor. “I’m gonna be downstairs, and I’ll see if you try to escape, so don’t even try. Don’t fucking move or make a noise, or shit’s gonna hit the fan. You got it?”
I nod, silently sitting down on a chair in the corner. He glares at me one more time before turning around and closing the door behind him.
I listen to the sounds; him running down the stairs, the man banging on the door calling out his name, and I wonder … if the time has come for the game to change.
***
PHOENIX
“Phoenix?” he yells, banging on the door. “I know you’re in there. Open up!”
Taking a deep breath, I pace around the hallway, pondering whether I should open the door or not. I don’t know how he tracked me back here. Then again, all it takes is a few clicks to know where she lives. She’s a fucking celebrity, so of course it’s easy to find out where she lives. But I didn’t actually think he’d come chasing after me.
Goddammit. What the fuck is he doing here anyway?
“Let me in.” He jerks the door handle.
“All right, all right!” I yell, walking toward the door. “I’m coming.”
This is it. No turning back now. He knows I’m here, and now that I’ve spoken up, the chance to hide and sit this one out is gone.
I just fucking hope Vanessa can keep her mouth shut while he’s here or else shit’s really going to hit the fan. And neither of them is going to like what I’ll do.
When I open the door, he bursts inside. “Fuck, what took you so long?”
“Hello to you, too,” I say, slamming the door shut.
“Wait, don’t close the door,” he says, pushing past me to open it again.
“What are you doing?” I ask. “Are the cops on your ass or something?”
“No.” He laughs. “But we need a hideout change, so I figured with you would be the safest place for now.”
“Wait … what? Did you say we?”
Before I know it, the same dude from before steps into the house. The prisoner who came along with us and who threatened to kill us both. Drago, I recall. Just seeing him again makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Hey,” he says, stepping inside before I have a chance to close the door on him.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” I say.
“Relax, Nix, he’s working for the company now.”
“What?” I frown. “That douche?”
“Hey now, I think we got off on the wrong foot,” Drago says.
“No fucking way; you choked DeLuca, motherfucker,” I say, getting ready to punch him in the face.
DeLuca steps between us. “Wow, calm down, boy. He’s with us now, and we don’t hurt our own.”
“Fuck that, I don’t owe this guy shit. Get the fuck out of here,” I spit.
“You know the rules, Nix. They could always kick you out instead, and I’d rather not see that happening.”
Of course, he wouldn’t, but he’s the favorite of the organization, so he’d have a lot of say in the matter. Too much. Like, this could go completely into the wrong direction within the snap of a finger.
“Fuck the rules,” I say, looking at DeLuca. “You’re gonna let that piece of shit into this house? What’s wrong with you? You know why I’m here and what I’m doing.”
“Yes, but we needed a place to hide for the day, before we get back to the office.”
The office. Such a fancy word for such an unfancy place.
“Yeah, what are you doing here, exactly?” Drago asks, peeking into the living room, which is, of course, one giant mess.
Fuck me. This is not going right at all.
“You guys can’t stay here,” I say. “Not even for a day.”
“Oh, c’mon. Can’t we at least have breakfast with you?”
“Already had one,” I growl.
“I didn’t,” Drago says, and he waltzes into the kitchen as if it’s his place. Goddamn, that son of a bitch. When he makes a remark of the mess we’ve made, I want to go on ahead and kill him.
“Don’t,” DeLuca whispers, putting his hand on my chest to hold me back. “Don’t do it.”
“Why the hell not? He deserves it.”
“The organization would kill you if you touched one of us.”
“He’s not one of us!” I whisper-yell.
“He is now. It’s not our call.”
“What are you doing with him? Why didn’t you two separate like I told you to?”
“Well, he kind of tagged along and things got hectic. I don’t fucking remember, okay? It’s a bit of