The Misters: Books 1-5 Box Set

by JA Huss

“Kat is fine,” I say, straightening my spine. “And yeah. I mean what’s happened to me in the past eleven years can’t be summed up in one conversation. Obviously.”

  “Uh-huh,” Ariel says.

  “Stop it, Ari.” Cindy is pointing her finger at her sister. “I mean it. She came to us for help. Don’t chase her away.”

  Ariel barely acknowledges Cindy. Instead she looks me straight in the eyes. “Is that why you came? For help? You think… what? We’re all in this together?”

  “We could be,” I say.

  “Uh-huh,” she says again. “Lucio Gori Junior. He did that to your neck.”

  “It’s awful,” Ivy says. “I can’t even imagine. I’m really not used to all this excitement. I’m just a boring girl who decided to seduce Mr. Romantic one day. So, honey”—she reaches across the table and takes my hand in hers, gives it a squeeze—“if you need help I’m on your side.”

  Well, that’s nice. “Thank you,” I say.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ivy.” We all turn to look at Ariel. “She’s Oliver’s ghost.”

  “I’m not a ghost. I’m an ex… girlfriend.”

  Ariel screws up her face. “Oliver doesn’t have girlfriends.”

  “Well, we dated for like six months four years ago. I think that counts.”

  “Oh, my God,” Ivy says, counting on her fingers. “Were you underage? That’s kinda hot.”

  “It’s stupid, is what it is,” Ariel says. “Like my brother needs that kind of attention?”

  “He’s my brother too,” Cindy says. “I think it’s hot. I started stalking Paxton when I was thirteen.”

  “You’re sick,” Ariel says.

  Cindy just nods her head. “Damn right. And he’s just as sick as me. We’re peas in a pod.”

  “I just think it proves how much Oliver likes her,” Ivy says. “I mean, to take a risk like that? After… you know.” She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment before opening them back up and saying, “Nolan took a risk like that for me too. I think it’s sweet.”

  “Mac took a risk with me too.” Ellie was looking out the front window during this conversation. Like she was lost in thought. But now she comes over to the table. “And really, if any of us are a ghost, it’s probably Tori. Her and West’s story. Jesus. Talk about drama.”

  “I don’t think it’s sweet,” Ariel says. “I think they’re a bunch of dumbasses who think with their cocks.”

  “That too,” Cindy says. “But they’re our cock-thinking dumbasses.”

  “Welp,” Ellie says. “We might as well get started on the plan while we wait for Tori to come back inside.”

  “She’s not part of the plan,” Ariel says.

  “Oh, I think she is,” Ellie says. “If she knew Lucio Gori Junior, then she knows Lucio Gori Senior, Ariel. She can be the bait.”

  “Bait?” I ask.

  “Just a figure of speech Tori came up with,” Ellie says. “She was the bait, but you know… I think our little kitten here might work better. They’re expecting Tori to do something. She’s wild and unpredictable. Tell me, Kat. Are you known for being wild and unpredictable?”

  “Not really,” I say, letting the answer come out without thinking.

  “See,” Ellie says, taking the seat next to Ariel at the table and folding her hands in her lap. “She’s perfect. She’s exactly who we need.”

  Ariel sighs, still staring at me. “I don’t trust you.”

  I stand up. “Look… maybe it was a mistake to come here. Just tell Oliver I had to go to work. And I need a day to myself to think.”

  Cindy grabs my arm so quick, I startle. “Sorry,” she says, letting go. “But wait. You can’t just walk out now. My sister isn’t someone who trusts people easily, that’s all. Meet us tomorrow. We can all have a good long think and then see the situation with new eyes.”

  “Good idea,” Ivy says. “I’m sure whatever the men are doing outside will require a nice long think as well. At the very least we need enough time to stop them from going forward with whatever stupid plan they come up with next.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.” Ellie laughs. She looks at me. “We’ve decided to cut them out of this little problem we find ourselves in and take the reins.”

  “Men.” Cindy sighs. “They really are a bunch of cock-thinking dumbasses.”

  I consider their offer for a second. It would be nice to have people on my side. And these girls all seem capable in their own ways. I mean, five more people to help me dig my way out of this fucking hole I’m in? How could I say no to that?

  “OK,” I say. “I’ll meet you tomorrow.”

  “We can have coffee at the theater,” Ariel says.

  “How about we don’t go to the FoCo Theater?” Cindy says. “The last thing we need is Sparrow sticking her nose into things.”

  Everyone looks at Ariel for an answer. “Fine. We have an old building on Mason Street just behind Shrike Bikes. My dad’s been renovating it for years, but he hardly ever goes over there. And he’s so busy preparing for the Zombie Run this weekend, he won’t be there tomorrow for sure. How about noon?”

  I nod. “OK. I’ll be there.” And then I walk to the front door and let myself out.

  I exhale deeply and take an equally large one back in to steady myself as I open the gate and start walking up the street towards downtown.

  I can’t decide if what just happened is on plan or not.

  I decide it is. I decide it went just the way it was supposed to.

  I decide that even if I just majorly fucked it all up, I don’t care. Because I cannot do this on my own. I need those girls on my side if I want to win this game.

  Chapter Twenty-One - OLIVER

  “Where’s Katya?” I say, when our little outside talk is over and we file back into the kitchen.

  “She said she had to go to work,” Ariel says.

  I squint my eyes at my sister. “Did she? Well, she doesn’t work, per se. So I find that highly suspicious.”

  “What does she do?” Pax asks.

  “Never mind. I’m gonna go find her.”

  “She said she needs some time,” Ellie says. “Said to tell you that. You know. Space, Oliver?”

  I look at her. Then Ariel. Then Cindy and Ivy.

  If Victoria was in here with them, I’d have an easier time thinking they were lying. But Ellie? She doesn’t strike me as a liar. “She did?” I ask.

  Ivy nods. “It’s a lot to take in. Meeting people who have your dark moments in common.” She gazes at Nolan affectionately. I want to roll my eyes at them and their common dark moments.

  “How do you think she found you again, Oliver?” It’s Ellie asking but I’m looking at Ariel.

  “She’s the one who left, not me,” I answer. Ariel shakes her head just the tiniest bit. But I know what she’s thinking. That look says, We might have a problem. And by we might have a problem, she means we might be going to prison.

  I know that look well, but it’s been a good long while since we were this vulnerable.

  Hook-Me-Up is a real dating site. Ariel came up with the idea when she was in high school and we papered Colorado State University with flyers about it, since it’s practically next door to Shrike Bikes.

  A dating site is a good way to collect a lot of personal information about people. You get photos, hobbies, occupation, and if not straight-up daily schedules, at the very least you get patterns. Lots of patterns.

  You also get credit card info.

  We aren’t stealing money, though. We’re compiling data, which is just as valuable. We sell that data. Emails and shit. But that part of it is all legal.

  Not everything happening over at Hook-Me-Up is legal.

  The first time I heard the words ‘dark web’ it came out of my mother’s mouth.

  I remember being so intrigued because the conversation went something like… Five can get that from the dark web.

  Could get what? should be most people’s first question.

 
But mine was… That motherfucker is holding out on me. He has a secret about computers and he’s not sharing it.

  I went to Ariel, since we’re the closest of all my many cousins and siblings and we were both really into coding back then. And she said she’d heard of it, but didn’t use it because people who frequent the dark web were part of the underbelly, and did we really want to be considered underbelly?

  Ariel and I aren’t evil. Or Five, for that matter. But being able to code things, or break into things using code, well, it makes you more powerful than you’d be without that skill. It makes us different than most people.

  A little darker. A little dirtier since you can live underground.

  And if you want to find the dark side of anything it’s not that hard when you know how to write the perfect code.

  Cindy got in shortly after. She’s a snooper, that one. And she’s tenacious. Most of what she uses the dark web for is pretty innocent. She finds clients on the Hidden Wiki. She’s basically just doing job searches.

  But Ariel and I are not as innocent.

  And I have a very sick feeling that Katya is back because of what Ariel and I do on the dark web.

  “We gotta get to work too,” Ariel says. “Two of the servers are down and we’ve gotten like a thousand complaints from people who are afraid they won’t get laid tonight. So you go handle that and I’ll smooth things over in customer service. OK?”

  Aside from my new paranoia about Katya, something is not right here with Ariel and the girls. I can feel it. They are up to something. “Fine,” I say, heading towards the door. I’d rather figure it out without all their faces staring at me.

  “Can we expect you for dinner tonight?” Cindy calls out. “At the condo?”

  “No,” I say. “Fuck that.”

  I can hear all the girls giggling at my reaction as I close the door behind me.

  I get in the Camaro and drive slowly home, checking all the side streets to see if I can spot Katya.

  But I don’t see her. It’s not like her place is far, so I’m not exactly panicked about that. And I was outside for like twenty minutes talking to the guys. So I can’t really blame her for taking off. I’m sure Ariel was just delightful company.

  I don’t bother going home to change before work, just park my car behind the building and climb the stairs to the fourth floor. I head straight to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Katya in the apartment that might be hers before I have to sit down and deal with real life.

  But no such luck. She’s not there.

  Why am I surprised?

  When is the last time luck showed up in my life?

  Chapter Twenty-Two - KATYA

  The crisp, cold air is a welcome relief as I make my way back to my apartment. But instead of ducking my head into the wind like I usually do, I look around. Nervous. Everything is happening too quickly right now. Oliver, the phone call, the sisters, the meeting tomorrow. Do I really know what I’m doing?

  No, I conclude. Some of what’s happening seems controllable but other parts are so out of my realm of expertise, I have to fight off a panic attack. What if I do it all wrong? What if people get hurt? What if, what it, what if…

  I turn into the alley to avoid a group of college kids ahead and bump right into a tall redhead. It takes me less than a second to realize who she is and why she’s here.

  “Ellen,” I say, a slight tone of disgust in my voice. “Something I can help you with?”

  Ellen Abraham is a washed-up old bat who has nothing better to do than fuck with people’s lives. “Just letting you know we’re here. We’re watching you, Katya. And if you think you’re going to change sides now, you’re mistaken. What were you doing at that house?”

  “It’s called Phase Two, Ellen.” I practically sneer it. I hate this woman. Ever since she showed up in my life last year I’ve hated her. She’s so… gross. “Everything I just did was in the plan. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  She squints at me, making the creases around her eyes all that more prominent. She has so much make-up on, it practically creates crevasses. “We don’t trust you.”

  “I don’t really care what you think. Or your boss.” She is nothing but an aging whore. Not even disgusting Lucio Gori would have her.

  “He’s your boss too.” Her smirk is ugly. Her wrinkled red lips so pathetic. Please, I pray to God. If I live as long as this woman, please don’t let me age this badly.

  “No,” I say, sounding a lot surer than I feel. “He’s not. We made a deal. I give him what he wants, he helps me with what I want. Nowhere in that deal do you even enter the picture. So you better stay the fuck away from me, Ellen. Or I swear, I’ll tell everyone what you’re doing.”

  Ellen is silent for a few moments as she considers my threat. It’s almost a ruse. Almost. She’s working both sides just like me. I could tell people what she’s up to. Of course, I’d give myself away as well, so I wouldn’t do that unless I felt I had no other choice. Still… she needs her secrets just as much as I need mine.

  “You know what he wants and you better deliver,” she finally says.

  “I always do,” I reply.

  “Has she been in contact?” Ellen asks.

  She. That’s all they care about. Her. “No.” I shake my head.

  “You’re sure?” Ellen asks. “Because I have it on good authority that someone saw you buying a disposable phone the other day.”

  Who the fuck saw me? I was so careful. Lily and I were at the Super Target. I slipped into the electronics section while she was looking at pajamas. I didn’t see anyone. Do they have access to that security footage or something? “Yeah,” I snarl. “The one I used to talk to Gori, you stupid bitch.” I spit at her, but my insult falls short.

  She laughs. “Do you really think Lucio Gori is going to let you go once this over? Really? Come on, Katya. You have to know you’re in it for life. Didn’t your parents teach you anything?”

  “First of all,” I say, refusing to let her words bother me. “I’m not in anything for life. What they have with me is a contract, and all contracts have an expiration date.”

  “You’re property,” Ellen says, clearly enjoying her opportunity to remind me of things I already know. “The Russians sold you.”

  She has a smug look on her face, like she thinks this hurts me. But it doesn’t. I let go of the Russian part of me a long time ago. I’m no one’s property and maybe the Russians did get something in return for handing me over to Lucio Gori, but it wasn’t with my consent. And that’s the only part that matters.

  “Yup,” I say, letting that go. “I am. But not for long. I have done everything asked of me. I have not fucked up once. And next week this will all be in the past. A bad dream and nothing else.”

  “You keep telling yourself that, Katya. You probably need to believe that more than anyone I’ve ever met.” And then she pats me on the head like a dog and walks off, calling over her shoulder, “You better get that information from Weston Conrad, Katya Kalashova. Or your sister’s name will be added to your contract, just like you were added to your parent’s.”

  I rush forward and grab her throat, pushing her up against the brick wall of the building so fast, she doesn’t even have time to scream before I’m pressing on her neck. Her hands claw at mine, but I just squeeze harder. God, I hate her. I hate them all. I want to end her life—

  Ellen gets a knee up and delivers a blow to my ribs so hard, I stumble back. She has both hands on her throat as she gasps for air. I can’t help myself. I laugh. I laugh loud. So loud, Ellen gets nervous and glances at the street to see of anyone is watching this little altercation. Bitch isn’t smug anymore.

  A group of college girls walks by the alley. We watch them pass. Ellen, still gasping for air. Me, stifling a laugh.

  And then I look at Ellen and point my finger right at her face. “I don’t report to you, Ellen. You can tell him I said that. You can tell him if he’s got a complaint he can come here and take
it up with me himself.”

  Ellen is still pawing her throat. “I’ll pass it along, Katya,” she croaks. “But one wrong move and you know what happens.” She makes a slicing motion across his throat. “Only this time it won’t be you who gets cut. It will be her.”

  Ellen doesn’t wait for me to answer. Just turns and walks towards the busy street and crowds of people beginning their day. I don’t have a comeback anyway. Every time they threaten my little sister like that I just freeze. It sends a panic through my whole body.

  I lean against a brick building and take deep breaths until I stop shaking. And then I force myself to walk the opposite direction. Get as far away from the past coming back to haunt me as I can.

  They will not get my sister like they did me. I will do anything to keep that from happening.

  But they do scare me. My legs are trembling with the adrenaline rush from the confrontation. And there’s a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that everything is about to go very, very wrong.

  I’m almost feeling normal when I get to my building. The doorman has the elevator for me, but I wave him off. “I’m gonna to take the stairs,” I say with the most cheerful voice I can manage. “I need the exercise.”

  “Sure thing, Miss Kalashova,” he calls back.

  I open the door to the stairs, but instead of going up, I go down to the garage level. Then one more, to the storage unit level. Everyone gets one closet-sized storage unit to keep things like Christmas trees and boxes out of the way during the year.

  I have one. But that’s not the one I go to now. I’d have to be a fool to think they wouldn't check my storage unit.

  Instead I go to the one for the unit next door. It’s got a lock on it, but I have the combination.

  I quickly find the right numbers on the dial and it pops open with a click. One last look behind me, and I slip inside.

  The disposable phone they caught me buying the other day is right where I left it and when I flip it open I have a message.

  We’re on track. Do your job, stick to the plan, and I’ll see you in two days.