“Sure thing, boss.” Andre nods at Hayley. “Miss Bell.”
“Wait, thirty minutes? I need more than that,” she says.
“Forty,” I tell her.
“An hour,” she counters.
I hold her glare for a moment. Then I wave a dismissive hand. “Fine. Andre, one hour, but you’re not to leave her house, and you’re going inside with them.”
Chapter Five
An hour. Pack to go live with a stranger and be a fake girlfriend in an hour. I almost laugh. It’s that hysterical.
“Hayley, I’m sorry.” Riley is standing at my bedroom door. I haven’t spoken to him since we left Pulse. I’m devastated that he had to go and ruin my trip.
I know it’s not fair. He didn’t purposely ruin it for me. But he still ruined it. Which is why I haven’t said a single word to him. I don’t want to say something I can’t take back. He is my only living family. It’s just me and him. We have to stick together, no matter what.
“Hayley, just yell at me,” Riley says.
“What the hell were you thinking? What amIthinking?” I set the lacey black bra back in my drawer and pull out some sports bras. I’m not going to try to look good for him.
“Why are you packing?” Riley asks.
“Because I have to go and live with that asshole for two weeks. I have to be his fake girlfriend to get you out of the trouble you got yourself into.”
My brother’s face pales. “No.” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to do that. I’d rather he just take two of my fingers like he said he would.”
“What?” I drop everything I have in my hands onto the bed.
“He said I had to pay him ten grand or he’d remove two of my fingers,” Riley clarifies.
“Yeah, well, I guess he doesn’t want your fingersorthe ten grand now. He wants me.” I stab at my chest.
“Hayley, stop. We can run. We can go to the cops. I’m not letting you sleep with him to get me out of trouble,” Riley says.
My face scrunches up. “I am not sleeping with him. He just wants a fake girlfriend to attend some events on his arm or something.”
“Oh, well, that’s not that bad. Just go to some parties for two weeks.” Riley nods, like it’s not a big deal.
“Argh! Riley Bell, you’re going to go and stay with Jade. You are going to do everything she tells you to do. And I meaneverything. If she wants you to rub her swollen feet, you better well rub them.” I point at my brother. “You got it.”
“Yes.” He nods again.
Once I finish packing what I think I’ll need for the two weeks, I call Jade.
“Hello? You have cell service on a plane?” she asks me.
“I didn’t get on the flight,” I say, plopping onto my bed.
“Why?”
“Riley.” I sigh. “He got caught selling aspirin at a nightclub. I had to go and bail him out.”
“Selling aspirin?” She laughs.
“He was passing it off as drugs,” I explain. “Have you heard of August Wade? The guy who owns Pulse?”
“You mean the guy who ownsMiami? Who hasn’t heard of him?”
