Ray
Ray parked her car outside the beautiful big mansion, then got out and double checked the address in the text message on her cellphone. The woman she’d spoken to earlier that day had told her she was redecorating her entire house and required her services. Ray had been working as an interior designer since leaving college four years ago. She’d spent a ton of money to advertise her business and it had grown by leaps and bounds. Now, a lot of her clients came from word-of-mouth referrals from previous clients who had been pleased with the results she’d produced for them.
The woman she was meeting with that day was showing her around the house so that Ray could see how much work needed to be done and give her a quote for it. But looking at the size of the house from the outside, if she wanted every room done it would cost her close on a hundred thousand dollars, if not more.
She strode up to the front door, iPad in hand so that she could show the woman her portfolio, pressed the doorbell and waited. A few moments later the door opened, and the expectant smile slid instantly from her face when Jack grinned back at her, gun in hand.
She let out a gasp of surprise and took an involuntary step back.
“Hey, Ray,” he said, his grin broadening. “I’ve been expecting you.”
Ray stared at the gun, then at Jack. “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to keep the quiver from her voice. Calm. She had to stay calm.
“Come in,” he said, standing aside. “Let’s have a little chat.”
She stared at the gun, then slowly walked inside, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Jack? Please, put the gun down. What are you doing?”
He closed the front door behind her, then motioned with the gun for her to go into the living room.
“You fucked everything,” he said bitterly. “And I told you you’d regret it. I’ve been working on you for an entire month and for what? No fucking payout.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“My con,” he said. “A long con. I was going to get you to fall for me then bleed you dry but you fucking ruined everything.”
“Con?”
“Yes!” he waved the gun around making Ray gasp, her eyes riveted to it.
“It’s what I do,” he went on. “You were just a job, sweetheart, though certainly one of the easier ones so it wasn’t exactly a hardship, but you fucked me over before I could get any money out of you. That’s gonna change, now.”
She stared at him, her brow creased. “Why would you need to con anyone if you live in a house like this? You obviously have money.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “This place isn’t mine, but the woman that lives here thinks I’m madly in love with her, stupid bitch. She’s well past sixty and wasn’t exactly a looker in her day. Some women are so desperate for someone to love them that they’ll believe just about anything a man says to them so long as he’s being nice to them.”
He stared at her pointedly, and she flushed with embarrassment. How could she have fallen for something like this? Why didn’t she spot the lies? She’d never thought that she was gullible, but she supposed she had to be. Jack had seemed so charming when she’d first met him at the charity gala, she should have known something was up with him. She couldn’t believe he’d been playing her all along. And like she’d said to Sloane, there had been guys before who’d tried to use her to get to her father’s money. Sheknewhow to see the signs. How had she been so taken in by his nice guy act?
Calm. Stay calm.
She eyed the gun again. “Where is she now, the woman who owns this house?”
Jack shrugged. “Out of town. She won’t be back for at least a couple of weeks, so we’ve got the place all to ourselves.”
“Then why would she call me to ask me to meet her here?”
“That wasn’t her, you stupid bitch,” Jack said with a sneer. “I paid someone to call you earlier.”
“And, you live here?” Ray asked, confused.
Jack shrugged. “It’s got its perks. She’s so fucking rich and got so much shit here that she doesn’t miss things when I take them.”
Ray sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re stealing from her?”
He frowned. “What the fuck else do you think I’d be doing here with a sixty-year-old woman? She’s got diamonds like you wouldn’t believe, antiques, gold. Even her fucking designer clothes are worth a mint. I got five grand just from selling a watch. But there’s not much left I can take without even her noticing.”
This was all too much to process. He was beyond vile. He was a disgusting predator who clearly had no regard for anyone besides himself. She shuddered as Jack got closer to her.
“So now,” he said. “I’m gonna get what I can out of you. Then I’m gonna teach you that you made a big fucking mistake the day you let me into your life—and a bigger one the day you kicked me out of it.”
