Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“And in exchange for this, you’re going to pay me two hundred grand, and owe me a favor that I can collect at any time. No questions asked.”
I gritted my teeth, hesitating. This shit was working for Steven Ellis no matter what he said. This favor would hurt us—fatally. But so would going down for murder and Jack Sharpe ending up in the ground.
But is it worth it? Survive one threat just long enough to get taken down by the other.
“Hello?” Adriel sang. “I said to cough when I’m close, and I nailed that. This doesn’t happen without my money and my favor. So, let’s hear it, St. James.”
Ivy was right. Sometimes the only allies you had were enemies.
I coughed.
Chapter Six
Ivy
I spun the club in my grip, leaning against the wall as I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Quinn stirred. A soft groan escaped her mouth—the only part of her not bound. I secured her arms, legs, shoulders, and even her head to the chair. I wasn’t taking any chances. She was a slippery bitch.
Squinting, Quinn grimaced at the glare coming through the broken window. She lifted her hand and found she couldn’t. “Wha...? What’s going on?”
I dropped the club on the wood, snapping her eyes up. “Take a wild guess.”
“De Souza? What is this? What am I doing here?” She strained against the ropes. “Let— Let me out! Untie these right now.”
“Uh, no,” I drew out. “I don’t think I will.”
“You will, you crazy bitch! Right now while you still have a chance of me telling everyone this was all just a prank.”
I drifted over her head, gazing out that broken window. My farmland swept out before me, holding all the memories of my childhood like mirages flitting out of the corner of my eye. “Do you remember the last time you were here, Cunningham?”
“The last time? I’ve never been to this shit heap.” Quinn tugged, flinging her body back and lifting the front chair legs barely an inch. If she was hoping to tip back, break the chair, and get away, she’d have to think of something else. I used a few old tools in the barn to weigh them down. “Get these off.”
“It was the night you killed my sister,” I continued like she never interrupted. “You, Zoe, and four of your closest psychopathic friends came here to teach me a lesson, but it was Rainey who paid the price.”
“What? You’re talking about yourself in the third person now?” She raised her voice. “You’re not making any sense, bitch. Untie these and go back on your meds.”
I laughed. “You know, now that I think about it, I should’ve been suspicious of you from the beginning. When I returned to Bedlam U thinking I was Rainey, no one had a clue who I was. Everyone—Paris, her friends, Cairo—all assumed I was from out of state. I had to correct them all and say I was homeschooled. But you...” I pointed the club. “You called me farm trash from the start. How did you know I lived on a farm when no one else did?”
If I expected Quinn to break down and say, aha, you caught me, I was disappointed.
“This isn’t funny anymore. Let me g-go,” she said, thrashing. “My sisters saw me leave with you. You should’ve thought this through.”
“I did think it through. They saw you leave with me willingly after I told Amy you were going to help me get the Bedlam Boys out of jail. They stopped thinking about you the minute you walked out the door.”
“What do you want from me?!”
“I’ll spell it out for you. You’re one of the Black Letter Crew—the name we gave the monsters sending us black letters who were once the acolytes of Scott Cavendish. Two years ago, you killed my little sister and broke my mind.”
I knew as I said the words, they were true. I didn’t see her face that night, and I didn’t remember her voice, but I did remember her figure. She dressed for the occasion then too. Cute in a tight sweater dress, jeans, and leather boots. I remembered she laughed when Rainey’s blood got on them.
“Good thing it’s leather. It’ll wash right off.”
I repeated her horrid comment, searching for a reaction.
Nothing.
“You really are insane.”
I heaved a sigh. “As much fun as this back and forth is, I don’t have time for it. You’re going to tell me where Dante is holding Jack Sharpe, and you’re going to tell me now.”
“How in the hell would I know?” Amazing that someone tied to a chair in a falling-down farmhouse could possess so much attitude. She looked like all this was an irritating waste of a Friday. “Jack Sharpe has nothing to do with me. Forgot he existed after your boyfriends stopped fucking me. Oh, is that what this is about?” Quinn smirked. “You’re coming after me because I was the Bedlam Boys’ favorite ride.