“To the hospital?”
He shakes his head and signs off the computer. “No, just…we need to leave here.”
We make it to the door, but he stops and turns to face me before opening it.
“Sally, I need to search you.”
“Search me?”
He nods. “I don’t even know who you are. I have to make sure you aren’t taking anything from my office.”
I give him an indignant glare. “I was on the floor with you the whole time.”
“Just hold still.”
He feels me up from head to toe, spending more time squeezing my breasts than necessary. He takes the tiny purse I brought and dumps in on the desk, examining the tube of lipstick and cell phone inside. He even goes so far as to remove the phone’s battery and search for hidden compartments.
“Well?” I demand.
“I’m sorry. You just have to understand—”
Fake tears well in my eyes as I shove my items back into the purse. “You don’t trust me. It’s fine. I just want to go, Tom.”
With a heavy sigh, he walks me back past security and out the front door. When we’re on the sidewalk, he grabs my wrist and tries to turn me to face him.
“Sally, can I—”
“No.”
I stomp down the sidewalk, euphoric with the completion of my first operation. Tom doesn’t follow.
As soon as I’m out of his sight, I dump the purse into a trash can. I left my actual purse in a locker at a nearby bus station, and I head that way.
I did it. I fucking ran my first op alone, and I killed it. All I can think of for the rest of the night is how proud my uncle Jeff would be of me right now.
6
Phoenix
“I’m here!”Coco’s voice echoes through the penthouse, waking me from a perfect dream. “It’s Monday, Nix. You know what that means?”
I roll over, push myself up, and swing my legs over the bed. I’d hoped that over the weekend she’d realize that becoming more involved with my business was too dangerous and drop it. But as with most things with Coco, she’s drawn to living on the edge and outside the fringe. I tried to give her everything a normal kid her age had, and I did, pushing her toward college, but she wanted nothing to do with it.
This isn’t the life I wanted for her. This isn’t the way I thought shit would go down when I plucked her from the streets and gave her a roof over her head. I never thought I’d have anyone else involved in my business—especially Coco.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” I scrub my hands down my face to clear my head. When I finally climb to my feet, I catch a glimpse of the clock and it’s only noon. Last night I stayed up until five a.m. completing a task for a buddy who had called in a last-minute favor.
After washing my face and pulling on a pair of sweat pants, I finally make my way to the kitchen. Coco is sitting at the island, her feet swinging back and forth as she waits on a stool. “Took you long enough,” she says as I walk in. “Coffee’s done.” She smiles cheerfully.
“Thanks.” I’m trying not to be grumpy, but I’m still tired and I know she’s going to start right in on me about starting to “work” for me today. I imagine this is a tiny sliver of what it’s like to be a parent—being half asleep when you’re ambushed with chatter. I pour a cup of coffee and feel her eyes on me. “Have a good weekend?”
“It was amazing. I went to…”
Following my advice, she truly lived this weekend, visiting places and experiencing them as if it were her last time. Maybe she was here to tell me she’d changed her mind. I’m leaning against the counter across from her, sipping my coffee, and trying to focus on her words, but she’s talking so fast and full of so much excitement that I can’t.
“Slow down, Coco. I haven’t even had an entire cup yet.”
She snaps her mouth shut and nods. “Sorry,” she whispers. “I forget you’re not a morning person.”
