The Arrangement 13

by H. M. Ward

  Tears fill my eyes but don’t fall. It feels like something is crushing me and I can’t breathe. Gasping, I try to make sense of what happened, of what I’ve done. My grip on the weapon is so tight that I’m shaking, which makes it difficult to hold. Slick palms don’t help either and as I squeeze the hilt hard, it slips from my hands and falls to the floor. My jaw drops and I don’t know if I’m trying to gulp air or going to vomit. My knees give out as soon as the gun slips from my fingers and I crash onto the floor. The room tips sideways as it spins. Sean calls my name, but he sounds as if he’s a million miles away. The edges of my vision flicker before everything fades to black.

  CHAPTER 4

  I wake to the sound of Sean’s voice. It’s low and urgent. “I don’t give a fuck where he is. I’m flying into MacArthur Airport and I need him there. It’s not optional.” Sean’s back is to me and he’s breathing hard. I’m lying on the bed, covered in a mound of blankets. It’s still night, so it surprises me when I glance toward the opening where the window had been and see a few men hoisting a new pane of glass into place.

  “You’re up.” Sean is standing over the bed and looks down at me with such sorrow in his eyes that I can’t hold his gaze.

  I glance at the crew and back at Sean. “Yeah, I’m up.” For a second, I tense and glance around, looking for the body, but it’s gone.

  Sean sits next to me and places a hand on my shoulder. The gentle touch makes me jump. “It’s all right. Everything is all right. I made arrangements to get your arm looked at, but we need to get out of here.”

  I want to ask where the body went and a thousand other questions that are racing through my mind, but I just nod. Sean speaks to the crew again, and they assure him that the house will be restored to its original condition and that no one will know anything ever happened.

  The crew leader is wearing dark jeans, a jacket, and a baseball cap. He’s an older guy. He grins and says, “There won’t be a single shard of glass anywhere when we’re done.”

  Sean doesn’t smile. He simply nods and looks the man in the eye. “Silence is worth its weight in gold. There are bonuses for those who finish early and keep things to themselves.”

  The guy smiles broadly. “Those are excellent terms, Mr. Ferro. I’m happy to do anything you need. Have a safe flight.” The conversation ends and the crew works faster.

  Sean takes my hand and we head toward the field. He’s silent until we’re in the hangar and boarding the plane. “Where’s the pilot?” I glance around for him, but he’s not here, and since Sean is climbing into the cockpit, I doubt he’s coming.

  Sean responds as he flips switches. “You saw him earlier tonight.”

  My throat tightens as the memories come rushing back. I’m standing, staring down at Sean. “Is he…?” Is he dead? He has to be, but I still have to ask. My stomach twists uneasily even though I already know the answer. I know what I’ve done.

  “I’m sorry, Avery. I’m so goddamn sorry that you have no idea. That man worked for me forever.”

  I sit in the seat next to him as he does more stuff. The hangar doors part and the night sky fills my field of view. I was so excited on the way here, but now this place is filled with nightmares like the rest of my life. “I thought it was Henry.” I blurt it out without thinking. It was just a gut feeling. Miss Black kicked his ass for messing with me and the guy has a key to my room. Add in the fact that I felt like someone has been in there and the mirror writing, and Henry is the only one that makes sense.

  Sean doesn’t respond. His dark brows are pinched together as we taxi down the short runway and lift into the air. He speaks into his headphones while I stare blankly out the window, watching the ground below grow further and further away. I had no idea he could fly a plane. I want to ask when he learned but part of me wonders if he actually has a license or if he’s winging it. Sean doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that would do things half way, but still.

  “Henry Thomas hates me.” Sean’s face is stern and his voice gives no indication as to what happened between them. It feels like a button I shouldn’t press, but some lunatic tried to kill me. This isn’t the time to be shy.

  “Why? What’d you ever do to him?”

  Sean’s jaw shifts from side to side. The tension across his face is the only reason I know he’s upset. He’s reverting to the robot version, hiding within himself. I don’t think I can bear to watch that happen to him. I nearly laugh to myself, but swallow it. When we first met, I wanted to be like Sean—emotionally barren and immune to any feeling at all.

  Now it sounds like Hell.

  When Sean speaks, his voice is tense and low. “I took something from him that he wanted very much.”

  I’m watching the side of his face and the way his jaw tightens and shifts under the dark stubble lining his cheeks. Call it a gut feeling, but I think I know what Sean took. I look away and things start to snap into place. While glancing at the lights below, I say her name, knowing that I’m conjuring her ghost. “Amanda.”

  Sean doesn’t respond. He doesn’t have to. I know I’m right and that’s the bad blood between them. Henry must have been in love with Amanda and then finding out that I was involved with Sean probably made him a little nuts. Okay, it made him very nuts. Damn.

  Sean surprises me and speaks. “When I met Amanda she was with Henry Thomas. He was about to put a ring on her finger, but I stole her away before he had the chance. Since then, he’s pretty much hated me. But when she died, he lost it. I think he still loved her.” Sean’s voice fades until silence fills the air. The unsaid words are thick and press down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Henry thinks Sean killed Amanda. He has no idea what really happened, which is gut wrenching. Sean’s a good man, but no one sees it.

  I’m biting my lip, thinking, feeling the sting on my arm, but sleep is pawing at me. Actually it’s battering me with lion-sized bitchslaps. I feel so insane and sleepy, but there’s a surge of energy still coursing through me. “Do you think Henry hired your pilot to kill me? Why would he want to kill me? I thought he liked me?” I flex my fingers and stare at my palms, not understanding. Something’s not quite right, but I don’t know what.

  Sean glances at me. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s trying to inflict the same pain upon me that he suffered. Or maybe it has nothing to do with him.” It seems like Sean is going to say something else, but his mouth snaps shut.

  We fly on in silence. When he lands the plane, I’m ready to fall over. As we walk across the tarmac, the ground dips and sways beneath my feet. Sean’s arm is around me and ushers me into a limo that’s waiting for us. When I slip inside, I’m surprised to see someone.

  Apparently, so is Sean because after he sits down and looks up, he angrily blurts out, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  CHAPTER 5

  Bryan Ferro is slouched back against the opposite seat with one arm draped over the back. His dark hair obscures his green eyes. A brown leather jacket over a white shirt makes them look like gemstones in the darkness. There’s a smirk on his lips, as if he knows how pissed off his presence will make Sean.

  When I got into the car, I didn’t see Bryan and nearly sat on him. When I try to move to the opposite seat, I can’t. I’m too weak. I reach for the opposite bench—for the spot next to Sean—but my arm won’t support me, so I fall forward.

  Bryan jerks upright and reaches for me before I do a face plant into the other seat. “Whoa. What the hell happened?”

  Sean leans forward and takes me from his cousin before pulling me into his arms. “None of your fucking business. Where’s Logan? He said he’d be here.”

  Bryan’s smirk is gone and doesn’t return. His gaze shifts to the window. “Logan can’t take her in through the hospital without everyone knowing. He sent me instead.”

  “And what the fuck are you supposed to do?” I lean into Sean’s body and don’t realize that I’m clutching my arm until I feel the sticky warm blood on my fingers. It’s soaked through the
bandage.

  “I have connections.” Bryan and Sean stare each other down, and a lifetime of unspoken words pass between them.

  I’m too out of it to be polite. “Who’s Logan?”

  “My brother,” Bryan replies. His tone softens when he speaks to me. His gaze shifts between Sean and me, finally settling on my face as if he’s decided I’m the one to talk to. “Logan is working in the emergency room tonight. If you go in there, everyone will see you two. He’s been practicing longer, but if it’s just a few stitches, I know someone who will keep her mouth shut and fix you both up.”

  “I don’t need anything,” Sean snarls, “and I’m going to rip Logan’s fucking head off the next time I see him.”

  Bryan smirks. “Yeah, we know. They talked about sending Joslyn so you’d be nice, but I volunteered because I knew you’d be a dumb fuck and not realize that you needed to be looked at too.”

  “Asshole.”

  Bryan’s smirk doesn’t fade. “Your head is bleeding, and as much as I love your company, I think your hooker friend could use some pain killers and a bed—assuming you won’t tie her to it.”

  The muscles in Sean’s arms feel like they’re ready to pop. I understand what Bryan’s saying. If I see Logan, what happened tonight can’t remain hidden. The press will see us, and I know enough to realize what that will lead to—the dead body. I touch Sean’s arm lightly and meet Bryan’s green gaze. “Take me to the other doctor. I don’t want anyone to know.”

  Bryan nods and knocks on the window, indicating that the driver can go before slipping back into his seat and tucking his hands behind his head. He watches as I slump against Sean’s side and hold onto my arm as tightly as I can. “Try not to do that. If you have glass in there, you’ll make it worse.”

  I nod slightly. “Who’s Joslyn?”

  “His sister.” Sean responds for him, his voice terse.

  Bryan’s eyes catch my ring and his grin broadens, but he says nothing. I wonder what his story is, and how he can be so perpetually happy. Every time I’ve seen the guy, he’s had a smile on his face. It’s like it was painted there and nearly nothing takes it away. “Twin sister, actually.”

  “Is that who we’re going to see?” He’d said it was a woman, so I took a guess.

  “Nah, someone else I know. She’s doing her residency and we’re actually crashing at her house. It’s someone good, I promise. But we don’t mention this to Jonathan—like ever. Okay? I had this number in case of apocalyptical disasters and shit like that. I’m pretty sure that this doesn’t qualify, especially since it was given to Jon and I sort of took it.”

  Sean’s eyes narrow. “What?” He’s so annoyed that if he didn’t have his arms wrapped around my shoulders, I’m pretty sure he would have strangled Bryan by now.

  The ever-present grin lights up as Bryan’s hands move, shooing us like it’s no big deal. “Logan said Avery needed medical care and not to draw attention. This was the best way to do it. Why would you care if it pisses off Jon?”

  Sean’s jaw locks and I can tell he’s biting back words. The world may think Sean is devoid of emotion, but I know otherwise. “Jon may not like me anymore, but I wouldn’t intentionally betray his trust. Who is this person? What’s the connection to Jonny?”

  “The less you know, the better. You can blame the whole thing on me.”

  “No.” Sean says firmly. “This is my mess, not yours. If Jon’s pissed, it should be with me, not you.”

  Bryan laughs as he examines his nails. “How noble.”

  “It’s reasonable.” Sean’s request is plain and rational, but Bryan doesn’t cave in.

  “Possibly, but I still can’t tell you. You don’t need to know and I don’t need you taking hits for me. I can handle it, but thanks all the same.” Bryan sits up and looks out the window. We crawl to a stop on a residential street. It’s very early in the morning and the road is still shrouded in silence. “Wait here.”

  Bryan pushes the door open and slips out, closing it behind him, before dashing up the walkway to the front door. It’s a grand house—not a mansion like the Ferro’s—but much nicer than the home where I grew up. The house is two stories with a manicured front lawn, complete with sidewalks, on a picture perfect street.

  Before Bryan can ring the bell, the door opens. A woman is standing there and looks past him to the car. She says something and retreats inside quickly, closing the door behind her. Bryan hurries back to the car and yanks the door open. “Come on.”

  Sean helps me up the walk and we follow Bryan around to a back door. My arm is causing me so much pain that there are tears in my eyes. I can’t stop gritting my teeth even though I try. Every muscle in my body is corded tight, trying to deal with the agony.

  When Sean ushers us inside, Bryan makes introductions. “Sean Ferro and Hooker Girl, meet Dr. Jennings.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Why does Sean always take his bait? Before he can kill his cousin, I say, “Thank you so much for agreeing to look at me.”

  She nods, making her dark head of curls sway. Dr. Jennings isn’t much older than I am. Actually, she looks too young to be a doctor. “Please, call me Mari. I’m not a doctor yet and don’t thank me until we’re done.”

  “You’re not a doctor?” Sean asks bluntly.

  Mari shakes her head, unfazed by his rudeness. “Not yet. Do you need a resume or do you want me to look you guys over?” Sean doesn’t answer. Mari continues, “Okay then, let’s see what you guys need. I don’t even know if I’m able to help you here. Bryan called and said it was urgent.” She holds out her hand and offers me a chair. Bryan and Sean stand behind me.

  “Thank you. A window shattered and the glass cut my arm.” As I’m talking, I offer Mari my arm. She unwraps the bloody bandages after pulling on plastic gloves. Her eyes sweep over the cut as she gently turns my wrist examining it closer.

  “A window did this?”

  I begin to explain, but Sean cuts her off. “Yes, and that’s all you need to know.”

  Mari eyes him suspiciously and then smiles softly. She knows there’s more story there, but it’s almost like she doesn’t believe the gash on my arm is from a pane of glass. “You need stitches, Mr. Ferro. Sit before you pass out.”

  Sean glances at Bryan, who seems like he wants to laugh. “Better do what she says. I’m not picking you up when you fall over. You’re chunking up in your old age.” Bryan gestures towards Sean’s narrow waist with a flick of his hand before folding his arms over his chest.

  “Prick.”

  “Dick.”

  “Wick,” I add and giggle. All three of them look at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What? I thought we were rhyming.” I laugh lightly and instantly regret it when pain shoots up my body and cracks my head in half.

  I make a face and try to grab the wound, but Mari scolds me. “Don’t. You two, out. Bryan, make sure he doesn’t pass out. Go sit on the couch until I call you. Go on.” When they don’t move, she lifts a dark brow at them and adds sternly, “Now.”

  It surprises me, but they both vacate the kitchen, leaving us alone. Mari has a bag of stuff. She asks me a few medical questions before she gets to work on my arm, removing the bits of glass. It stings horribly, so she gives me a shot. “That should help, but it’s going to make you feel sleepy. We can wait a few minutes. Most of the glass is out, but I want to make sure before we close it up.”

  The kitchen table is next to me. I’m leaning heavily on it with my good arm and pretty much staring at Mari. Her face seems familiar, but I’m certain I’ve never met her before. “So, how does Bryan know you?”

  Her dark eyes dart away before she speaks. She tries to hide it, but her body tenses as if this isn’t something she’d like to discuss. “A common acquaintance.” It’s not someone she wants to mention. I can tell from the way her eyes avoid mine and how she presses her lips into a thin line.

  I don’t know what her connection is to the Ferros, but I’m grateful for avoiding the hospital. “W
ell, thank you. I know it’s weird, not wanting to go to the hospital.” I glance up at her as she works silently.

  After a few moments, she pauses and smiles softly. “It’s all right. I understand.” She tucks a curl behind her ear and looks up at me. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me?”

  My eyebrows lift slightly. “Such as?” I glance around her kitchen. It’s so pretty, with every surface gleaming like it’s brand new.

  “I don’t know. It seems like a strange injury from a piece of broken glass. It looks like you were thrown through the window or something—as if someone did it on purpose. Avery, did he hurt you?” Her big brown eyes are filled with concern. She’s a little thing, a waif of a person and it looks like she’d go kick Sean’s ass right here and now if I said yes.

  I smile. I can’t help it. Everything about this woman is amazing. She took a stranger into her house in the middle of the night, and showed me more kindness than a friend would offer, and I don’t even know her. Never mind that she overlooked the fact that I’m a hooker. She won major points for that. She didn’t cringe when she patched me and has enough guts to ask if Sean is beating me.

  “No,” I say looking up at her, “he didn’t do this. A stray bullet hit the window when I was standing by it. Sean covered me with his body as the thing splintered and came crashing down. He wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Mari nods slowly. “Ah, that explains some things.”

  After the medicine starts to work, I can barely sit up. My mind goes foggy as she patches me and then helps Sean. We both have stitches that will dissolve, but Mari tells me to see a plastic surgeon because of the length of my wound.

  Miss Black would have never hired me if I had a huge ass scar on my arm. I wonder if Gabe figured out that I stuffed my bracelet in the seat yet. He’s going to be pissed. My mind swirls around that thought, over and over again. What is Black going to do when she finds me? The thought makes me shiver. I rub the goose bumps away and hear hushed tones passing between Mari and Sean.