Laura, the girl who’d done my makeup for Cosmo, was standing in the doorway with a garment bag and a small black duffle bag. “Hey. I’m here to get you ready for Cosmo’s party this evening.”
She was still swollen, but she was alive. And I was grateful for that. She didn’t seem angry with me, and that was good as well. Or maybe she was a better actress than I was. I nodded at the guard like I had a choice of who came into my cage. He locked the door behind Laura.
“What’s tonight?” I was still reeling from the change of my entire world.
“Uh, I have here that you’re going to dinner with Mr. Feybi and Cosmo. Isn’t that correct?” She pulled out her phone and seemed to check something on it.
“I’m sure it’s right. They’re not really telling me anything.” I shrugged when she made eye contact. She was noncommittal and gestured to the table, holding up her bags.
I moved the flower centerpiece to the counter and she took that as permission. Her simple duffle bag was a marvel, unzipped to reveal a portable makeup workstation.
“While I set up, do you want to shower? We’re required to make sure you’re smooth...everywhere. Do you need help with that?”
I shook my head so that my hair fell in front of my eyes. Prepping me like a meal for Cosmo. I felt my stomach turn. Laura handed me two bottles, one for shampoo, the other for conditioner. She’d thought of everything.
As I disrobed for my shower, I tried to mentally prepare myself for whatever was coming my way. I had to cry some more. Because there were no tracks for this roller coaster ride. No safety harnesses either. As I stood beneath the hot water, I longed for my childhood. The person I was before I saw a man die. Nix’s anger at me moving away made so much sense now. And I didn’t even know my true fate yet. I could only guess. I was really afraid that I wasn’t nearly as creatively evil as the people who held me now.
When I turned the knob off, halting the water, I made sure I’d done everything that was expected. I never wanted to be the reason Laura was beaten again. I wrapped myself in the robe that was helping the bathroom imitate a five-star hotel and stepped into the kitchen. Laura had been busy in my absence. The colors and implements she had laid out seemed to match my skin tone.
She patted the back of the chair near the table and I sat. She asked a few small talk-type questions, but I stayed quiet. I didn’t want to say anything that people who might be listening would misconstrue.
She worked on me without a mirror, so I had no sense of what she was actually doing.
I never would’ve thought I needed three hours in a makeup chair, but when I had to request a bathroom break, I knew a chunk of time had elapsed. When I spied the clock on the wall that had been behind me, it was inching near lunchtime.
While I washed my hands, I inspected my face. Flawless. So flawless that it was unnerving. Ann had complained that they hadn’t had enough time before, and now I saw why. The eyebrows that I was particular about appeared like they were painted on by an artist, or maybe even computer generated. The whites of my eyes looked brighter. The pout of my lips just a hair fuller. There was gentle contouring that was making everything right about my face pop.
The blush was blended in such a way… I knew enough about makeup to know what I was seeing now was the result of years of training.
When I returned to the table, I thanked Laura. She murmured, but it wasn’t an acceptance. We locked eyes and I saw that she regretted what she was doing for me. This wasn’t a spa. I was prey being offered to a hunter. I was a thing, and not a person. A pawn in a chess game I had no idea how to play.
The door was unlocked again and the guard walked in with a tray. We had some turkey, cheese, and grapes. No carbs, which I was figuring was on purpose. I was being kept to look a certain way. A different guard presented Laura with more garment bags. She hung them from a curtain rod before we snacked for a few minutes.
We were quiet as she did my hair. The only time she spoke was to tell me this current dye job wasn’t permanent. It wouldn’t last more than a wash or two. And they would take out the rainbow in my hair on a different day. The dress was next; she was torn between the brown and the black one.
They were plain and seemed identical. She went with the brown, not asking for my opinion. After I slipped it on with a tight pair of Spanx that I’d never needed to wear before these people were in my life, Laura actually sewed me into the dress. When she was all done, we went in search of a full-length mirror. She had me spin. The entire effect was gorgeous. I realized then the difference money made when getting made up. The fabric of the dress was exquisite. The makeup on my face was so smooth it was like a photoshopped and filtered version of my face. My hair was a shade darker and straight as a pin. I wet my lips and nodded.
She’d done what she’d set out to do. She risked a comment then, near to my ear, “The better you look, the longer you’ll live.”
I knew she was trying to reassure me, but a chill rolled down my spine. Death was clearly an option. It was on the table.
Laura patted my shoulder and turned to clean up the area that had been the center of the attention.
“I’ll put the black one in your closet. Tonight, wear the brown heels and the jewelry I’ve set out on your vanity. There is perfume as well. Just a touch.” She stopped and fussed with my hair one more time. “There’ll be a guard by in about an hour. Please try not to move too much.”
I didn’t want her to leave, but eventually, she gave me a wave and knocked on my door to be let out.
Chapter 37
Lock
THE MORE TIME I spent with these assholes, the more apparent it became that I was going to die a very, very stupid death. Skinny had trouble staying in his lane and kept looking at his phone while driving. I glanced at Felon a few times. He seemed chill. Like nothing could bother him.
I also began to realize they had a lot in common with the Cokes, despite the fancy suits. Lots of bullshit and appearances. But everyone only actually knew so much.
I watched the route we took, trying to memorize it. I had no doubt that these guys would lead me to the slaughter or leave me behind. I was somewhere between being their enemy and their prisoner. We rolled up to a squat brick building. Behind it was a large, flat yard, and behind that abutted the docks. If the Vapors wanted to watch for shipments, this was prime real estate.
Volt cleared his throat, then gave us directions. “Right now, we need to just intimidate this gang. Pull the circle, no eye contact. I do the talking. New kid? Don’t fuck up.”
With that, the van door slid open and we all tumbled out. I knew dick potato about this shit, but seeing a fuck-ton of jackoffs falling out of a minivan seemed like the least intimidating thing I could dream up.
I waited until Felon got out. As we walked forward, I mumbled to him, “Damn. I woulda come up in here in a fleet of cars. We’re as scary as a poodle in a tutu.”
Felon lifted his sunglasses and gave me a look that clearly told me he could hear just fine and that he thought I was right.
I shrugged and followed the group as two men emerged from the brick building. I had no weapon, and I looked like a nineteen-year-old kid in a suit. I looked like an inexperienced, dumbass nineteen year old in a borrowed suit.
But I stood shoulder to shoulder with these guys as they formed a circle around the men.
Olin’s men grew tense. But the guys we were surrounding? They were as cool as cucumbers. I felt a gentle tug on my suit jacket. When I turned my head, I saw that Felon was right behind me. He tugged on me again. He motioned with his head that he was leaving. That gut instinct. It kicked in. Whatever he wanted from me, I needed to follow him. Volt was starting up the “talks.”
I stepped backwards and toward Felon. As simple as that, he started walking away. I trailed behind. Everyone was far too involved in Volt’s conversation to pay attention to us. The house next door to the brick one had clearly been abandoned.
Felon headed straight for it. I glanced over my
shoulder. The docks had a beautiful breeze coming off of them, smelling of salt and sand. Armed men were slowly surrounding the Feybi guys, though they didn’t notice. The Vapors came prepared.
I followed Felon into the house. It looked ramshackle, but he pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He said nothing as he stepped inside. I followed anyway. He acted as if I wasn’t there. But he was showing me a secret he had cultivated. On the top floor, he had a bedroom with another lock. After he let me come in behind him, he locked the door from the inside.
We could see the confrontation between the Vapors and the Feybis easily from the window. Felon had prepped this room before today; a suitcase was already waiting there for him. Felon meticulously unpacked and set up his sniper rifle. I did my best to pretend like I felt calm. I didn’t. I didn’t know which side he was on. I was following my gut and my love for my sister and mom.
Felon took out a handful of Tootsie Rolls and unwrapped them. He set them, naked on the sill. He stretched his neck and cracked his knuckles, then he ate one roll.
After he swallowed, Felon lined up the site and squeezed the trigger. I ducked low and peeked out a window. One of the Vapors went down. I couldn’t tell if he was dead, but he wasn’t moving.
The crowd of men, all of whom were already on edge, reacted. Some dropped to the ground; others whipped out their pistols. Felon finished chewing another Tootsie Roll, and then he went back to the rifle. Another Vapor went down.
Chaos reigned below us. It became a close range fight. Our small group of guys was far outnumbered, especially with Felon and me hiding up here. Felon took three more Tootsie Rolls and then somehow was able to focus in on the men below, only tagging Vapors with a bullet.
He was making his one gun seem like an army, and he was making time to eat candy. Volt grabbed Skinny, who was limping, and they dragged themselves toward the van.
“All our guys gone?”
I was so shocked to hear Felon speak that I didn’t answer him for a minute. When he pointed in the direction of the scene, I snapped myself out of my stupor to look for him.
“Yeah. They all just got in the van.” I could see the vehicle from my angle.
Felon nodded. He started zipping up the tools of his trade as the van peeled out of the neighborhood.
I didn’t bring up that we were now stranded in the enemy’s territory with no wheels. Felon didn’t seem like he was in a rush. I went from window to window as discreetly as I could, keeping watch.
This was it. Vapors were going to firebomb this old place and roast Felon and me like marshmallows.
Felon didn’t seem concerned. Once he was packed up, he offered me the last Tootsie Roll. I hesitated. It seemed like each candy corresponded with a death, and I didn’t want it to be mine.
His smile lifted up on one side. “It’s okay. You’re not an asshole. That’s rare.”
I took the treat because it was weird not to. And he had a gun that he was clearly good with. And all I had was my loud mouth. While I chewed, an army of black SUVs swarmed the area. Any Vapors that were still alive scrambled to run.
I followed Felon out of the house and he secured the lock. One of the many SUVs swerved in front of us. Felon jumped into the back and I crawled into the passenger seat. We were on a roll out of the area in a hot minute. Felon was back to not talking. It wasn’t lost on me that the scenario I had recommended was playing out for us now.
While we were carted back to the Feybi compound, I got the feeling that in this giant nightmare, I’d made the right decision. Like Dice had said before he was murdered, trying to be on the right side of wrong.
When I was dropped off at the warehouse, I expected some shit for disappearing with Felon. Volt and Skinny for sure would want to beat the life out of me. Instead, I was met with silence. And then some distance. I walked to my cot with squinted eyes. It didn’t seem like this was the time for cooled jets. And I was the fresh meat, so…
“Good work out there, new kid.” Skinny offered up his fist for tapping, face unreadable. I knew I was staring at his hand like I had no idea what to do with it. I’d abandoned the crew to go with Felon. The whole vibe of the van was not what I was getting now. I tapped his fist with my knuckles.
Volt offered, “Grab a quick nap, then the boss wants you on the garden shed watch.” I studied him. He was saying one thing, but his anger was just under his skin. I watched as his hand closed, knuckles white. He was angry with me. And he was hiding it. Or so he thought. I didn’t like it. I’d rather they punch me than plot against me.
Maybe Felon had more pull than these guys realized. All I knew was when I set my head down on my pillow, I wasn’t entirely sure I would be alive to pick it up again.
When I woke up, Skinny told me it was time to do watch duty. He wasn’t trying to kill me. I was getting treated… well, I don’t know how to explain it. Like I was a lit fuse or something.
I grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water from the fridge, and then Skinny and I took the golf cart down to the shed to swap guard duty.
The guys on duty there had no part in this new, careful treating of me. So whatever was happening, it was localized. They started razzing me and complaining as soon as they saw I was the “new kid.”
Chapter 38
Animal
WE SECURED A PLACE in Valston. T and Nix were on Ember. Trying to find her. I was keeping the face of our particular business up and running. The people who needed to know who was in charge were taught. I kept up the money laundering and Internet gambling rings. We’d slowed down on our newest business venture—wind energy conversion—until we got this Ember situation sorted out. We didn’t need to show weakness now. Ember’s disappearance was essentially taking Nix out of the picture. He would be on the Ember hunt until she was found. T was doing her best to run two entire situations: staying on top of my needs and helping Nix. With his skeleton tats, sometimes he needed a person he could trust that could slip in and out of places easily in broad daylight.
The Feybis were making moves. That was for sure. After I spoke to Merck, he checked in with his old police station. I found out that entire gangs were being wiped out. The Cokes were mentioned. Ember disappearance wasn’t. And it didn’t take a genius to put Ember and one of her two boyfriends, the one from the Cokes, together in my head. T couldn’t find Lock in his neighborhood. His mother and sister were still in residence at the address we had on him. Now wasn’t the time to alert Merck about the Ember situation. He would come in barrels blazing if he knew. This needed a delicate touch.
I was hoping he’d gotten through to Ember and the two were holed up somewhere being young, dumb, and in love. But it was seeming less likely with every hour. I had meetings all day with the Kaleotos, the Feybi family’s old enemy.
They pledged help and assistance if the Feybis were stepping out of bounds. I didn’t want to toe that line yet. With the deaths of the Kaleotos lately, they were raring to go.
Nix had no new news. But I could bet he was getting all up in the Feybis’ digital trails. As I sat at the desk, I blew out an exasperated breath. He’d been right. We should’ve never let Ember out of town.
Chapter 39
Ember
THE LONELINESS CRASHED OVER me. My heart wanted the window to blow open. Wanted Nix, Animal, and T to come swooping in to save me. But there was only silence. Which meant I was still protecting them. The hammering of my pulse and the noise of the nervous gulps I was taking were all I could hear. I sat, ramrod straight, on the couch in the cottage. I regretted eating. I felt nauseous as it was.
There was a slight commotion at the front door, a changing of the guard, clearly. From the sound of it, there were two men in place of the one that had been there. I listened to a faint argument. I couldn’t make out exact words, so I stood from the couch, trying my best not to mess with the makeup that Laura had put on me.
“You’re too new. You fuck. Where the hell is Lucid?”
I heard a voice. And it made my he
art start to pound. It sounded like…
“I don’t know, dude. Seriously. I’ve only been here a few days. I go where I’m told.”
Lock.
My Lock.
Here.
When the door swung open, I had to take a step back. I held my breath.
It was one thing to try to be strong. Remember the things I’d been telling myself over and over. To stand up straight. To be overly nice. To accept what was offered to me.
But to see his familiar face. Feel the butterflies in my stomach and the accompanying zing to my heart—and then remember to not react. Be confused and not react. We were both in a viper pit. Still, the floor seemed to be moving.
I felt his arms come around me. His scent and warmth were enough to break me. I was going to melt into a puddle. The strength to push him away surely came from my mom. That’s the only way I could explain it. Because my spirit was falling right into him.
“You’ll mess up my makeup.”
He still had to steady me as I tried to stand.
“Ember?” His voice slammed into the part of me that I was desperate to get back to. I had to not fall apart. If I showed even a moment of weakness, the Feybis would hurt everyone I loved and I’d go to prison.
Lock’s presence was disorientating.
“You know her?” The guy with Lock was suspicious.
He covered quickly. “Nah. She has an Instagram I follow. Haven’t you seen it?” It was a quick lie. A decent one. I wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
“Send me the link. I wanna see it.” The guy moved next to Lock.
“I had to delete my Instagram. Now that I’m with Cosmo.”
“See, Skinny. She had to delete it.”
I could feel Lock staring at me. I’d tried to tip him off that things had changed drastically. Because he’d seemed as shocked to see me as I was him.
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