28
STELLA
MY PHONE CHIMED WITH A notification, which meant it had to be either Blake or one of my parents, since I’d set it to do not disturb.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, leaning back from my client, a short, full-figured Latine woman with pink streaks in her hair and a pin-up girl aesthetic. “I have to check that.”
“Oh, thank fuck,” she said. “I was about to ask for a break.”
“Shading is always the worst part.”
She threw an arm over her eyes. “And I can endure two hours straight of it before I need to tap out, but can I tell the hot morgue assistant who works in my hospital that I have a crush on him? No.”
“You’re a catch, Vern,” I said, pulling off my gloves. “He’d be an idiot to
turn you down.”
“I know that. But what if he doesn’t?”
“Then he’s clearly not good enough for you,” I told her, rolling my chair toward my desk.
I scooped my phone up, unlocked the screen, and froze. It was a text from my brother that read Put on a nice cocktail dress. I’m taking you out.
Um … at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday? I’m working? I responded. And you haven’t really spoken to me in over a month? Hi, hello?
I’ve been busy, he texted back. But not as busy as your boyfriend. Trust me, you’re gonna want to come to this party.
“Family emergency?” Vern asked, sounding hopeful.
I glanced her way. “Kinda.” What the fuck was Blake talking about?
Vern’s expression shifted to open relief. “We can be done if you need to
be.”
“Do you need to be?”
She winced. “Yeah. I don’t think I have much more left in the tank tonight.”
I eyed her thigh and the portrait of her abuela that was slowly coming to life. “Okay, but do you think you can last through me finishing this section?”
She glanced down at where I’d paused. “How much longer?”
“Five minutes, I promise.”
She laid back, looking resigned. “I can do it.”
I rolled over, pulling on a fresh set of gloves. “What a brave woman.
Next up, asking out a man who knows his way around a dead body.”
She waggled her brows. “Hopefully he knows his way around live ones,
too.”
I laughed and got back to work.
Vern was, luckily, my last appointment of the evening, and once I was finished checking her out, I tried to call Blake.
He sent me to voicemail and texted me a location instead. Meet me in thirty.
Not until you tell me what this is about.
I can’t explain it over the phone. Just please. I’m asking you to trust me.
Normally, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but between the whole gambling- away-his-entire-inheritance thing and how moody and aloof he’d acted since (no matter how much I apologized), I wasn’t sure I knew my brother as well as I’d once believed. And him not telling me where we were going
felt like a giant red flag.
Was it even him?
Where did we hide Cordy’s pug statue?
In the suit of armor by the front entrance of her townhouse. Why?
Just checking.
It’s ME. Blake. The little brother you’ll thank by the end of tonight because I’m fixing the problem I created.
Unease twisted my stomach. Uh … what the fuck was he talking about?
There’s nothing left to “fix,” I texted back. I’m free.
No. You’re not. None of us are. And I’m about to prove it to you. Half an hour, Stella. Be there.
I tried texting him back several times, but he’d gone radio silent.
Shit. What the hell was he up to? I had just gotten clear of Theo’s blackmail, had finally gotten onto his good—scratch that—less bad side. If Blake did something to mess with him, I worried we’d wind up right back where we started. Or worse.
I rushed to Derrick’s booth. He was closing tonight because I’d decided to actually start taking care of myself by limiting my hours to a more manageable work schedule.
“Heyyy,” I said, hanging off his doorframe. Thankfully, he was in between clients.
“Yes?” he drawled, raising one bushy white eyebrow.
“I have to head out for a bit, but I can be available if anything pops up.”
“It won’t,” he said, and from his tone, I had a feeling that even if
something did, he’d handle it himself.
I raced upstairs.
“Treaaat?” Amos called.
“You’ve had enough today,” I told him, rushing straight to my closet.
He let out a sad little whistle, tugging at my heartstrings, but I needed to start putting my foot down. I’d been guilt-feeding him extra treats for weeks because of my absences, and that was worse than giving him none at all. I wanted him to live to out the full promise of his long lifespan, and overfeeding him was counterproductive.
I threw open my closet door. Black as far as the eye could see.
“Like your soul,” Theo had joked, but my monochromatic wardrobe was more practical. Black went with everything. Ink stains were hard to see on it. It cut down on decision fatigue when it came to outfit selection. Plus, it just plain looked good on me.
Hiding near the back was a short, corseted tulle cocktail dress that made me feel like the Black Swan whenever I wore it. I pulled it out and quickly changed into it before running to my bathroom. The location pin Blake sent me was twenty minutes away without traffic, which meant I needed to get my ass in gear if I was going to meet him on time.
A glimpse in my bathroom mirror revealed that my makeup had held up pretty well throughout the day. All I needed to do was blot my face, reapply my blush and lip stain, and then add another layer of setting powder and
finishing spray.
There. Good enough.
I ordered an Uber, locked the apartment behind me, and headed outside.
One apprehensive car ride later, I was back in the balmy night air, standing on a corner near a jewelry store and a hair salon. This was a busier part of the city, filled with hotels and bars, and there were people everywhere. I scanned the sidewalks for my brother but didn’t see him.
I’m here, I texted.
Where? I don’t see you.
I searched for him again, then peeked my head around the corner of the building, and there he was, walking toward me in a tuxedo, looking dapper.
He’d done something to his sandy brown hair, slicking it back, and the sullen look I’d seen on his face lately was gone, replaced with
determination.
“Are you ready?” he said.
“Hi, yes, hello. It’s nice to see you, too. I’m glad we’re speaking again.
Do you finally understand why I did what I did?”
“No, you self-sacrificing idiot. Now come on.” He wove his arm through mine and led me down the street.
“You couldn’t pay it,” I said, my eyes clocking a few other well-dressed
people heading in the same direction.
“You could?” Blake asked.
“We came to an agreement.”
He shook his head. “And you trusted him to stick to it? That he didn’t have ulterior motives?”
“Don’t give me that look,” I said. “I’m not actually an idiot. I have never, nor will ever, trust that man. And yes, I was worried about ulterior motives, but I was more focused on getting us clear of him.”
“That’s where you went wrong. While you spent the last month flirting with him, I was paying closer attention.”
“I was not flirting.” At least, not the whole time.
Blake shot me a look full of censure. “Yes, you were.”
Anger swept through me. I hadn’t thought less of him for losing three million dollars, and yet here he was judging me for what I’d done to get that money back.
“What are we even doing here?” I asked, my voice flat. I wanted to get this over with, then go back to my apartment and calm down. I also planned to take some more time away from Blake. Because it was clear that my
relationship with my brother was on rockier ground than I’d thought, and I wasn’t in the right headspace to try to fix it.
“I told you,” he said. “We’re going to a party. A very exclusive party.”
Exactly as I’d feared. “How’d you even get another invite?”
“I stole Henry’s.”
“And you think Theo’s just going to let us waltz in together?”
Blake snorted. “Theo won’t have any idea we’re there until it’s too late.
These parties make our society functions look like cute little get-togethers.”
“What do you mean, too late?” I said, reaching out to pat his chest. “You don’t have a bomb on you or something, do you?”
He slapped my hand away. “No, and you’ll see soon enough.”
“If you do something stupid, he’ll find a way to get back at us.”
“Not if he’s in jail,” Blake said, his tone dark.
My pulse skyrocketed, thoughts circling to those big scary men Theo had mentioned, who wouldn’t be in jail, but still free to hurt people. And yeah, Theo tried to avoid that, but I was willing to bet he’d make an exception for those responsible for putting him behind bars.
I grabbed my brother’s arm, trying to slow us down. “What did you do?”
I had to find some way to stop whatever was about to happen.
He pulled free from me and kept walking. “You’re about to find out.
We’re here.”
I wrenched my gaze away from him, our surroundings coming back into focus. Here? Here, where? This street looked like any other congested part of the city. Traffic, pedestrians, storefronts, construction barriers.
My eyes homed in on the one thing that was different: two large men wearing city uniforms and safety vests, guarding the entrance to the work site. Late at night.
A woman in a trench coat stopped in front of them. The three had a brief exchange, and then she passed between the pair into the darkness beyond.
Blake pulled away from me, and I hurried to catch up with him, my heartbeat pounding so hard I felt like I might choke on it. I didn’t want any part of what was about to happen, but it was clear Blake was determined, and I had no idea how to stop him without resorting to hitting him over the head and dragging his unconscious body out of here.
Maybe I could find some way to change his mind once we were inside?
Threaten to go to Mom and Dad? Remind him that Theo was a scary, evil
mastermind with untold minions ready to do his dark bidding?
“Password,” said the beefy guy standing on the right, his head on a swivel as his gaze swept the rest of the street.
“Rhoticity,” Blake replied.
I blinked. No fucking way.
The guy on the left motioned us past.
Blake and I entered the narrow mouth of an alleyway. Overhead, someone had strung café lights, their warm glow providing just enough light to see by. The pavement beneath our feet had been cleared of trash and swept clean, and there was even a light lemony scent in the air, like someone had taken the time to mop.
“Here, put this on,” Blake told me, handing me a plain masquerade
mask.
“What, why?” I said.
“Just do it.” He tied his in place. “No one shows their faces.”
I grumbled about ruined makeup, but begrudgingly put it on as we approached another big guard, this one in a suit, standing at the far end of the passage. My gaze scanned the walls around us. I didn’t see any doors or windows, and it made me worry we were walking straight into some sort of trap.
I tugged Blake’s sleeve, my voice low with warning. “I don’t like this.”
He shushed me and kept walking, and as we got closer to the guard, I realized the dark spot on the ground next to him was an open manhole.
Oh, Jesus.
The guard motioned us forward. Blake stepped up to him, and the man started waving a foot-long wand over him, slowly, from top to bottom. “No
phones or recording devices?”
“No,” Blake said.
“Um … I have a phone in my clutch,” I confessed.
“Take it out and turn it off,” the guard barked, and I quickly complied.
He motioned toward a basket and told me I could pick it up on my way out. Then he gave me the same head-to-toe wand treatment while Blake approached the tunnel.
“Follow the lights when you reach the bottom,” the guard said.
And, no. Nope. Nuh-uh. There was absolutely no fucking way I was willingly climbing down a dark-ass hole in the ground in these heels and
this dress. We were clearly being lured to our deaths. Blake was an idiot for not seeing it. He was blinded by hatred, still reeling from his breakup. He was—turning and climbing straight into the hole.
Goddamn it.
He didn’t even look at me as he passed out of sight, too focused on whatever vengeance fantasy was playing out in his head.
The guard motioned me forward, impatient for me to follow my brother.
New voices entered the alley, low and excited. Fuck, I couldn’t just stand here.
With a deep breath and an ominous rumble of my stomach, I trudged after Blake, carefully placing the toe of my heel on the top ladder rung. My limbs shook as I edged down, and my regret was both instant and absolute.
Because while the manhole opening was wide, the tunnel was much narrower. Brick lined the circular walls, which, like, was that okay?
Shouldn’t they have been made of something stronger, like cement?
Something that wouldn’t degrade so quickly and potentially lead to bowing or a cave-in or—oh, god, I was going to give myself a panic attack.
“Hey, you gonna move?” someone called from above.
I realized I was frozen in place, my ragged breaths loud in the closed space. “Yeah, sorry,” I yelled up to them, forcing myself back into motion.
A small eternity later, my feet hit the tunnel floor. It, at least, was made of cement, and dry, thank god. These heels wouldn’t hold up against mud or raw sewage (gag).
Overhead, more café lights were strung on a line leading away from the manhole, and I spotted Blake’s back disappearing around a bend farther down the tunnel. I had just enough dignity to keep from shrieking Wait! as I scurried after him, trying not to think of what else might be scurrying down here. The walls were wider than the hole I’d just climbed down, but still too close for comfort, and I was acutely aware that if something happened to the lights, we’d be dropped into complete darkness.
“Please listen to reason,” I begged when I caught up to Blake. “Theo has people who work for him. Who’s to stop them from coming after us if he’s in jail?”
Blake snorted, an arrogant look on his face. “They wouldn’t dare.”
“Okay, rich boy,” I said, grabbing his arm, my sudden spike of anger lending me the strength needed to yank him to a stop. “First of all, yes, they
would. Secondly, how fucking dare you act so casual about putting your family’s safety at risk?”
“Mom and Dad don’t go anywhere without people all around them, their house has better security than most banks, and their driver is ex–French
Foreign Legion.”
“What about me, dipshit?”
“Please,” he spat. “You think I don’t know you’ve been working with Theo? That you’ve been sleeping with him? Everyone at AJ’s saw the three of you leave the party plastered together. Why would he hurt the person helping him take down our family?”
My face burned with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. God, this must have looked so bad from Blake’s perspective. I should have known people would gossip, but I’d been so focused on one-upping Theo that the thought hadn’t even entered my head.
“I wasn’t helping him hurt our family,” I said. “I was fixing the mess you created.”
“No! You were making it worse!” he yelled, his voice echoing over the tunnel.
“Sorry, excuse us,” someone said, and my face burned even hotter as I stepped back to let a trio of people pass.
Blake shot me a disgusted look and followed in their wake, and I was so stunned and confused that I just let him go. This behavior wasn’t like him. I knew Blake. He didn’t have a malicious bone in his body. He’d never treated me like this before, even when I was at my worst.
Yeah, but was it your worst? a small voice wondered.
The thought made me deeply uncomfortable. Because more than once over the last few weeks, I’d wondered if I was regressing into my past self, undoing all my hard work. Had I been so consumed by my hatred of the world I’d grown up in that I’d let it blind me to what was really going on?
I thought by joining forces with Theo and helping him take down the worst people I knew, he’d spare the innocent, but what if I was wrong?
What if Blake was right, and my nagging suspicions about Theo’s ulterior motives were warranted? My brother sure seemed to think so, and if he was so convinced that coming to this party would prove that, then maybe I needed to stop underestimating him.
I started walking again, pursuing the other partygoers through a labyrinth of tunnels toward an ever-increasing wall of noise. Laughter, cheering, the frenetic sounds of a jazz band.
I rounded a final corner and stopped dead in my tracks. Because wow.
The wide-open room in front of me looked like a movie set. Glittering chandeliers hung from overhead, a tower of champagne glasses rose from a white-clothed table. Women in flapper dresses danced with men in three- piece suits. People stood clustered around tables stacked with food or games, laughing, drinking, looking like they were having the time of their lives. Movement drew my gaze to the left, and I saw a bank of white curtains hanging from the ceiling, made to look like they were strung over windows, or doors that might lead to a terrace.
Theo did all this?
No wonder people were so desperate to attend his parties.
Someone tapped my shoulder. “Excuse me.”
I turned to let them pass, and froze. The man was tall and thin, with white-blond hair and a scar on his chin from a bad fall when he was a kid.
“Keith?”
He smiled and tipped his mask up. “Stella? I thought I might see you here.”
My stomach dropped, because never in a million years did I think I’d see him here.
