Gabe stops the car and walks around, opens the door for Black. She glides out and straightens. Mel slips out next, leaving me alone in the car. Gabe offers me his hand, and as I clasp my palm in his, I feel the scrape of paper being pressed into my palm. I say nothing, and pretend to adjust my bra strap after standing. I turn briefly, adjust my bra, and stuff the piece of paper out of sight. I can’t read it now. She’ll see.
Gabe notices but says nothing as he climbs back into the driver's seat and pulls away. My stomach fills with lead, and I can’t seem to make my feet move. Death waits for me in that house. I can’t go.
Black moves in long, lean strides toward the enormous front door. Mel is behind her until she realizes I’m not moving. I can barely breathe. It feels like an elephant sat on my chest.
Mel hooks her arm through mine and leans in, whispering, “You can do this.”
I say nothing. Instead, I stare at the door and feel my stomach sink into my heels. “This isn’t right.”
“No shit, but there aren’t many options right now. We can’t abort. She’ll know we know. Fuck, Vic will know and he’ll be coming for us. This is our only chance. Move your feet. Stop thinking. Just act.”
I nod a tiny bit and glance over at her. “Is that what you do?”
“Yeah, there’s a reason why I practice with knives, Avery. Muscle memory is faster than anything else. Don’t think. Just act.”
Black is at the door, looks back at us slowly walking toward her, and rings the bell.
I whisper, “Okay. Once Marty is here, everything will be fine. He’ll get the bracelet to the security room, and Sean will come for me.”
“Right. Marty already has everything worked out. When we see him, the hardest part of this shit will be over. The rest is up to Marty, Sean, and Henry. Then you and I get the fuck out.”
I nod and glance over at her. “In case we don’t make it—”
Mel cuts me off, “We’ll make it. It’ll be fine, so there's no need for any sentiment right now. Focus. We have to stall Black and Vic long enough for Marty to get Sean and Henry inside. We can do that.”
“Black can throw the whole thing off.”
Mel glares at Black. “I know.”
“Well, then what?”
“We wing it and fight like hell.” Before we’re within earshot of Black, Mel releases my arm, pretends to be adjusting my dress, tugs at the skirt, and smooths the bodice. “And remember, surviving justifies anything. Don’t think. Just act.”
I turn toward the front door and feel an icy finger work its way up my spine as the mammoth door is opens, and light pours onto the doorstep. Miss Black’s slick voice fills my head, “Miss Black here to see Victor. I have an appointment.”
CHAPTER 18
We’re led down hallways by a man I’ve never seen before. I glance around for Marty, not seeing him. Panic tries to claw its way up from my gut and into my throat, but I slam it back down. It doesn’t mean anything. As we walk through the house, Mel and I follow Black in silence. The butler—dude in a posh black suit—opens a door to a room with massive windows on one end, thick grooved, floor-to-ceiling wood paneling and ornately carved moldings.
He ushers us inside. “Mr. Campone will be with you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable.” The man retreats, closing the doors behind him.
This isn’t right. Marty should have met us en route. That was the plan. I glance at Mel who seems totally calm. She walks over to the windows and looks out onto the sprawling lawn. Massive floodlights illuminate sections of the yard, accentuating an Olympic-sized swimming pool, casitas, and a tennis court. Trees form a wall of dark shadows at the back edge of the property.
Miss Black saunters across the room to an old desk and sits in the high-backed leather chair behind it. She settles in and steeples her fingers as if she owns the place.
I want to pace, but can’t. I chance a glance at Black and catch her eyes. I feel my lips tip up into a nervous smile. She looks away from me, her eyes cutting to the side swiftly. The butterflies in my stomach turn to stone and plop down one by one until I’m so nauseated I’m ready to puke. I walk over to a section of built-in bookcases and pull a thick old book from the shelf. I open it and pretend to read, carefully pulling Gabe’s note and placing it in the center of the page. There are two words scribbled hastily. Eight little letters that pierce through me, ripping me apart:
SHE KNOWS
I feel my back stiffen as I close the book with the note still inside and slide it back onto the shelf. Before I can say anything to Mel, the doors open and Vic walks in with two men in his wake.
Vic is dressed in black, hip-hugging slacks and has a freshly shaven head. His eyes are hard and lifeless, which appears even more unsettling when combined with the playful smile on his lips. An icy pang of panic rushes through my veins when he looks my way. He opens his arms with a smile as if he were going to hug me. “Sis! Good to see you again. You ran off so fast last time we didn’t get to talk business.”
I force myself to calmly spit out his name. “Victor.”
Mel eyes the man wearily and scans his minions. It’s three on three, assuming Black is on our side. I can tell she’s wondering the same thing. The longer we go without spotting Marty, the worse I feel. It means nothing went right, and we’re already dead.
Vic turns toward Miss Black and laughs bitterly. “I don’t recall you being invited here tonight.”
Her steepled fingers fold together, and she looks up at him, completely calm. “Delighted to see you, too, Victor. There’s a matter we need to address prior to any further discussion this evening.”
Victor doesn’t hide his temper. “Are you fucking me over? You know what I do to people who are two-bit liars, don’t you, Black? I know you do, so what’s so fucking important you’d risk pissing me off?”
Black stands, walks directly toward me and loops her fingers around my bracelet. She yanks and the clasp pops, breaking the gold chain free. “This isn’t mine. You might want to look into it before the evening advances. I’d hate to see you spend good money on something that won't come to fruition.” She dangles the gold bracelet over his palm before dropping it.
Vic lifts it, looks at the stone. “Ladies, care to share what you’ve got here?” The response is demanded. His voice lacks the questioning tone. Vic’s eyes drift to Mel’s wrist, and, when he spots the matching bracelet, he snaps his fingers and jerks his head toward her. “Take it.”
His men walk over to Mel and rip the bracelet from her wrist. Mel doesn’t fight back, doesn’t react. Everything is going to hell when the door flies open and Marty storms in. He’s dressed in black fatigues with a gun strapped to his hip. There’s a wire that connects to a walkie-talkie in his back hip pocket. Four men flank him, and it’s clear he’s in charge, which surprises me. I thought Marty blended here.
Marty’s voice sounds hard, firm. “Sorry to interrupt but it’s necessary.” He stands at attention like a solider reporting for duty.
Hope fills my chest as Marty’s gaze lands on me. Everything will be all right now. I can finally breathe, and certainty squares my shoulders and lifts my chin. He’ll get Sean to me. He knows my backup plan too. I can do it. He can help me. I can do this, and it will all work out. Thank God. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life.
Vic dangles the two bracelets in the air and asks the men, “Do you know what these are?”
Marty steps forward to pluck the jewelry from Vic’s hands. “Yes, sir. This is the device I described. It’s housed in the bead.”
Mel realizes it before I do. As my heart sinks and denial cries out within me, she screams, “You fucking bastard!”
Mel continues to spew nasty curses at him as a guard lunges at her, attempting to restrain her. She slashes at him when he tries to pin her arm behind her back. A primal scream tears from her throat as she whirls around, knives in hand, slashing at anyone who comes near her. Two more men come forward, and the three of them force her to the
floor before she can inflict any serious damage. They took her down without any effort at all. She’s dragged from the room, promising Marty a painful death. Her voice disappears down the hallway, and then suddenly falls silent.
“Marty,” I say, my voice quavering. Heart pounding I stare at him and feel my jaw tightening. “I thought you cared.”
Vic watches with delight. Black is unexpressive as usual, still behind the desk like it’s just another day at the office.
Marty’s voice is cold. “You thought wrong.”
Eyes narrowed to thin slits I scream at him, “How could you do this? After everything we went through. Why didn’t you kill me before? Why fucking wait ‘til now? Why pretend to be my friend?”
Marty glances to the side at Vic. Vic grins and gestures happily, “Go ahead and tell her. It’s a marvelous story, this one. So much potential. It’s nice to see what you’re made of, Masterson.”
Marty steps toward me and gazes down, his golden eyes hard. “Vic hired me. That part was true—all of it—but there was a tiny omission, and it’s the only reason you’re still alive.”
My jaw slowly drops as I put the pieces together. Marty saved me even though Vic Senior wanted me dead. Why? Why risk it?
Black speaks up, sounding bored, “Victor—his father—hired Marty, but his loyalty has always been elsewhere, even before Victor the elder was gunned down. You’re alive because Vic Jr. wanted it that way. Marty is a mercenary, Avery. He works for your brother.”
I mouth the word NO, but no sound comes out.
Marty remains still and says nothing. He’s not smug, arrogant, or anything. He stares straight ahead like a soldier, while Vic Jr. slow-claps, laughing at me.
“The look on your face is fucking beautiful. I can’t wait to see what comes next.” He pauses, lifts a finger, and adds, “Wait for it.”
The crack of a gunshot shatters the night.
He turns his head toward Marty, asks, “Was that it?”
Marty shakes his head. “One more.”
A second shot rings out before I realize what it means. Vic grins. “You don’t do warning shots, do you, Masterson?”
“No, sir.”
My chest feels like it’s ripping in two. I run toward the window and look out. Two bodies float facedown in the pool with ribbons of red flowing from their black clothing, tinting the sparkling water. I can make out the long lines of the trench coats from here. The belts float to the surface of the pool as the waves from the initial splash calm.
A walkie-talkie on Marty’s hip makes a static sound as someone talks into his earpiece. Marty nods at Vic Jr. “It’s done.”
“Finally! Two Ferros down. I always start with the hardest to kill. It makes the rest of the game so much easier.” He chortles a deranged fit of laughter and then walks over to me, slaps his hand on my shoulder. I try to slink away from him, from his touch, but he doesn’t let go. “Do you like to play games, Avery? Because I have a few picked out, just for you—and now there’s no one to save you. Not Sean. Not Mel. And, sure as hell, not Marty. No one.” He wraps his lips around the last two words and smiles sadistically in my face.
Terror courses through my veins, but I can’t move. I can’t speak. My hand is on my stomach as horror hits me hard.
Vic steps closer and whispers in my ear, “It's just you and me, little sister.