Ellie laughs softly. “I make money when you make money. My fee is a percentage, and it only kicks in once your earnings double. I’ll put it all in writing, no surprises. Please give me afew days to review everything, and I’ll draft a plan. We can talk it through, and if you’re not feeling it, no hard feelings.”
“That sounds good,” I say with relief.
“We’ll get you sorted out, Liam. I promise.”
Somehow, I actually believe her. After we shake hands and I walk out into the afternoon, I feel surprisingly hopeful about my life.
About my contract and career.
About my finances.
Even, sort of, about the mess with the Brownings.
If I can help Nik with his... whatever business, then maybe it keeps them off my back for a while. Perhaps it leaves me some space to breathe.
Emma was always my rock when I was younger. She was the practical one, a problem solver.
I was a mess, always bloodied and angry and messy, and I had no life skills. She helped me think through every single problem in my life. But I don’t want to put that on her anymore.
I’m a grown man. It’s my job to sort my shit out.
If I can get my finances in order, land a better contract, and get out from under all this mafia fuck, maybe then I can really let Emma back in.
Maybe I can show her I’m not the mess I used to be.
When I get home,I’m dead tired and really looking forward to crashing on the couch, but there’s a manila envelope stuffed under my welcome mat.
I grab it, head inside, toss it on the kitchen table, then head for a shower.
Much later, I finally remember the envelope.
What’s inside makes my blood run cold.
Photos of Emma’s face in a dozen angles.
My mother’s, half-asleep and half-terrified.
Tucked under them, a single sheet of paper:You may be under protection, but they are not. The number is now three and a half million. You have two weeks, or we’ll pick one to kill.You choose.
My heart pounds so hard I can barely breathe.
The room spins.
I sit down, staring at the note and the photos until everything blurs.
My phone is right there on the table.
My hands shake so bad I almost drop it as I unlock the screen and scroll to Nik’s number.
Somehow, I manage to hit the call button.
24
EMMA
“So,I have to tell you something,” Talia says, talking with a mouthful of salad.
“Can it wait until you finish chewing?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
