Hope rekindles in my chest. Hope and something related to hope, the belief in the possibility of a good future life with someone special. It’s a specific emotion, but it’s an important one.
“Two million,” I say.
Lorraine’s eyes sparkle.
“Let’s have a conversation, dear.”
I turn toward her and think that maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to feel afraid ever again.
27
Ethan
Three days pass after Aria returns to The Syndicate and I have my meeting with Richard.
That meeting goes nowhere, as I suspected. He wants more concessions than I’m willing to give, but I promised him that I’d meet all of his demands, that I just need time. He bought that for whatever reason, and gave me three days.
Three days to prepare. Three days without Aria.
That’s how I find myself here, in an abandoned parking lot at three in the morning. There isn’t much to our plan, to be totally honest, but it has been hard. As part of the deal with The Syndicate, Aria had to live with them for these past few days to ensure that we wouldn’t back out. There’s no chance of that, of course, since The Syndicate is our last hope, but they want to be thorough and I respect that.
I shift nervously, standing under the lone spotlight. I can hear water dripping nearby and smell the rain from earlier in the night. I’m alone, very alone, although I shouldn’t be. The Syndicate is late.
As I think back over the last few weeks, I can’t help but wonder how I got to this point.
I went from buying a strange girl I barely knew and wanting to seduce her for a game, to needing to keep her. I’m willing to do anything for her now, and although that terrifies me, we both know why.
I love her. I can’t help myself. We have so much in common, a shared history, and although our paths forked along the way and we went in different directions, I know I can help her. I can bring her back into the light. Maybe I can even save her.
But this has to go well first. I can’t do anything if I lose my company and let Richard Taylor fucking destroy me.
I hear a sound toward the lot’s entrance and I perk up, looking in that direction. There’s an old factory behind me, the brick smelling mildewy and damp, and I can’t see far enough to spot anything moving toward me. There are no lights, which means there are no cars. I’m probably just imagining things.
But as I stand there, I suddenly become aware of something. It’s a strange feeling in the back of my mind. I look up and when I look back down, I spot two men coming around the corner of the factory.
I don’t recognize them, but they’re carrying large rifles. I stop backwards and turn, but more men are coming from the other side. I want to run, but I have to control myself. I can’t look like a weak fool in this moment, so I stay where I am and face them.
The man that approaches me is young, maybe in his early twenties, with a wicked scar down his face. “Ethan Locks?” he asks.
I nod. “That’s me.”
“We’re with The Syndicate. Lorraine will be here shortly.”
“Thanks,” I say.
The guy nods and then motions at his men. They fan out, disappearing into the night. The man stays there, standing near me.
“We’re securing the area,” he says.
I nod at him, understanding. I vaguely know how Lorraine is, though not exactly. She’s apparently an old woman in charge of the Syndicate, which seems very odd, but everything lately seems fucking crazy anyway. I don’t know how an old woman runs the biggest prostitution ring in the city, but I’m just accepting these things as they happen.
“Check that,” the guy says and nods at me. “They’re coming, Mr. Locks. Good luck.” He melts back toward the factory and disappears into the shadows before I can respond.
I’m left standing there alone again, although I know there are at least twenty men standing around me, hidden in the shadows.
I take a deep breath, calming my pulse, and concentrate on the task ahead. I can’t let my nerves get the best of me. Down the road, I spot a set of headlights slowly heading toward me. They make the turn into the parking lot and the car parks next to my own. It’s an old black town car from the nineties, though it looks like it’s in perfect condition.
The back door opens and I expect an old woman, but instead it’s Aria. She’s dressed in a black shirt and jeans, and as soon as she spots me she runs toward me.
“Ethan!” she says, throwing herself at me.
I laugh, catching her in a hug, pulling her small body against mine. I’m shocked all over again at how good it feels to be near her and how happy I am to see her. I didn’t know what I expected, but clearly nothing has changed. We went three days without seeing each other, and it feels like no time at all has passed.