I think of the two hundred and twenty million my father stole. Is it even possible to lose that much?
“He didn’t want to involve your father, and your father didn’t want to be involved. But after they broke his fingers—”
I slammed them in the Tiger Wings, he’d said. Tiger wings! I’m so embarrassed, Reese. Can you believe that?
And I could.
I believed everything.
“...still owes lots,” Angela is saying. “They’ve been trying to get someone on the inside to work your father, but they haven’t succeeded. I heard they might have gotten someone in there recently. I don’t know. Have you spoken to him?”
I think of our last visit. How frail my dad was. How he winced when we hugged. I was so preoccupied with my brilliant fake-money scheme that I hadn’t paid enough attention to what was right in front of me.
“How much?” I hear myself say.
Chris puts a hand on my arm. “Reese.”
“How much does he owe?” I’m picturing Alex’s face when he steered us over the embankment. How much were our lives worth?
“About a million,” Angela replies coolly. “Plus interest.”
“How much is that?”
“After three years? Closer to two.”
“That’s bullshit.”
She shrugs, one bony shoulder piercing the sky. “I’m not involved.”
“That’s bullshit, too.”
Her eyes narrow, and she reassesses me. Before the scandal I didn’t care if people underestimated me. I didn’t care if they thought I was stupid. It was easier that way. Dismiss the bleached hair and the sparkly heels and the crotch shots—fine by me. But now? Now I’m really not in the mood.
“How many other people do they finance?”
Chris is stroking my back, and now he squeezes my shoulder. “Reese.”
I shake him off. “If they keep you in business, you don’t care how dumb they are. You care where the money is. And so do they. That makes you part of the problem.”
Angela’s eyes flash angrily, and she opens her mouth to speak, but Chris stands and cuts her off. “Don’t do this,” he says.
“You’re an idiot,” I counter. “Do you really think she didn’t tell your ‘roommates’ where to find you the second you walked in the door?”
He grits his teeth. “Shut up.”
I point at the carving. “A first grader could have done this. Is this really the best proof you could come up with?” I swipe at the jack and the king. “I don’t know where your money is, asshole.” I point between them. “You, and you, and Dumb and Dumber can go fuck yourselves. Or each other. I don’t care.”
A few people have turned, their interest piqued by the commotion, but Angela merely studies a display panel on the table, unimpressed by my impressive outburst. “They’re here. Two seconds.”
Chris’s eyes widen. “What? Two? You—”
“I didn’t call them,” Angela says, sounding bored. “They must have followed you. Find a way to blend.”
He grabs my hand and pulls me to a standing position just as the doors we’d entered through swing open. I catch a glimpse of two tall bald guys in suits before Chris presses me into the corner and drops his head to mine. I squirm and shove at his chest.
“Don’t,” he murmurs, snagging my hands and squeezing them so hard it hurts. Past his shoulder I see Angela saunter over to greet her allies.
“What are you doing?” My heart thumps against my ribs. I’m sure he can feel it.
“This happens all the time in here,” he says, one hand gliding down my back to cup my ass. “Just play along.”
I twist my face away when I feel his stubble graze the corner of my mouth. How many times have I made out in the corner of a dark bar or club? How many times did I not care about the man I was with? When was the last time I cared about myself? Now. I care now. It may be too late, but I care.
“Don’t,” I say, my voice rough. “Don’t kiss me.”
He inhales, the sound catching. “I won’t,” he says. “But you need to pretend.”
“I’m always pretending.”
“I know the carving isn’t proof,” he says. “And I don’t care if you believe Alex had a gambling addiction. I care if you believe the threat is real.”
“Your roommates are real. I see them.”
“I’m not making this up, Reese. They’ve been looking for you just as long as I have. You’re lucky I found you first.”
“I feel lucky.”
“Stop. If Angela can’t get them out of here, you’re going to need to run. They probably have people outside. If you don’t