Starlet: A Dark Retelling - Cora Kenborn Page 0,15
I say, dragging out the word. “Thanks for your time.” I glance down at the ripped card strewn across my shoe. “If you change your mind—”
“I won’t.”
The bartender stares at me with suspicion in her eyes, so I smile just to be a dick.
“I have to get back to work.” Angel scurries past me like someone lit her ass on fire. I watch as she swings the backdoor open, pausing only to glance over her shoulder at her friend. “You coming, Violet?”
“I’ll catch up in a minute.”
Angel barely acknowledges her friend before the heavy, metal door slams behind her. I’m not a man accustomed to small talk or manners, so I don’t offer either as I turn around to leave. I have a ride to catch.
“Hey!” Shoes scuffle behind me as a hand grabs my bicep. “Dominic McCallum!”
I stop mid-stride. Shit. I’m not in the mood to deal with another wannabe-actress who thinks my dick rings the doorbell to stardom, so I spin around, my thumb digging into my temple. “Look lady, I’m not your ticket to Hollywood. In fact, most agents prefer to spend their free time jabbing pins in little Dominic McCallum voodoo dolls.”
Shooting me a hard look, she lets go of my arm. “That’s not what…” Her words trail off as she bends down to pick up my torn business card. Holding it up, she lets out a labored sigh. “What you said to Angel, is it true? I mean, can you really—?”
Son of a bitch. “How long were you standing there?”
She shrugs. “Long enough.”
I roll her cryptic admission around in my head as my ride share app alerts me that my car is here. She clears her throat, and I glance up to see her angling her head as if trying to look through me.
“If you’re really offering her that kind of money, what’s the catch?”
I was right. She was eavesdropping. “Why do you assume there’s a catch?”
“There always is.”
As if on cue, my app chimes again. “This has been fun, but my ride is waiting.”
Before I can take two steps, she blurts out, “Is this about your search for Alexandra Romanov?”
Spinning around, I narrow my eyes. Intuition has always saved my ass, and at the moment, warning signs are pinging off this girl like atomic road flares. “I’m sorry?”
“Come on, McCallum, you think I’m stupid? I know that’s why Reggie’s girl slapped you. I heard everything. Not that it would’ve been hard to figure out. Every asshole with a telephoto lens and an overdrawn bank account is hunting for that girl.”
“So, what does that have to do with Angel?”
“You think I don’t see the resemblance? I’m broke, not blind.”
I force a blank expression. “I don’t follow.” Only I do. And when she sighs, I know she does, too.
“You won’t hurt her, right?” She stares down at her hands, and despite the sarcastic armor, I know this girl is being sincere.
“Look, I may be a lot of things, but homicidal isn’t one of them.” Choosing my words carefully, I offer a half-truth. “There’s a million dollars on the line. People with less morals than me will do anything to get their hands on it, and most of them won’t care what happens after the payout.”
She finally looks me in the eye. I have no idea what’s rolling around in that Crayola head of hers, but as I watch her tap the ripped edge of my card against her bottom lip, I’m hoping it’s surrender. “And you do?”
Frustrated, I rake a hand through my hair. “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to get thrown to the wolves. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”
As her rigid posture relaxes, mine coils tighter than a starved python. That’s just a little too much truth for me. I know the moment she sees it, too. The exact moment she resigns both of us to whatever she’s been wrestling with.
“Promise me you’ll watch out for her.”
“What?”
“Promise me!” she yells, delivering a surprisingly hard punch to my chest.
My palms fly up. “Okay, Jesus, I promise.”
Keeping her eyes firmly on mine, she pauses before reaching in her apron and pulling out a pen. I watch as she scribbles frantically on the back of my torn card before shoving it in my face. The moment I take it, a shadow of regret passes over her face. “This is her address.”
No. It can’t be this easy.
“Why would you give me this?”
She stares at me before dropping her gaze to the destroyed card clenched in