Sarah
The rain felt like punishment,each drop hitting my skin hard enough to remind me I was still alive even though I didn’t particularly want to be. My clothes were soaked through within minutes of leaving Hector’s building, and I didn’t bother looking for shelter. What was the point? Everything was already ruined.
You’re fired.
The words kept replaying in my head, mixing with the sound of rain and traffic and my own ragged breathing. I’d lost jobs before, plenty of them, but this one hurt differently.
A car horn blared somewhere close, and I jumped back just as headlights swept across the spot where I’d been standing. The driver yelled something I couldn’t hear through his closed window, probably cursing me for walking into traffic like an idiot.
I pressed my hand against my chest and felt my heart trying to break through my ribs. That was close, too close, and I needed to pay attention before I ended up as another statistic in this city’s endless collection of preventable tragedies.
But my brain wouldn’t cooperate because all it wanted to do was replay Hector’s face when he’d fired me. The cold certainty in his voice, the way he’d looked at those ballet shoes like they were a curse instead of gifts.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably Delia calling to check in, but I couldn’t face talking to anyone right now. Couldn’t face explaining how spectacularly I’d destroyed the one good thing in my disaster of a life.
The street looked familiar now, and I realized I was only two blocks from my apartment.
Except when I turned the corner onto my street, I saw them.
Two figures stood under the broken streetlight, and even through the rain I recognized their shapes. The taller one who always smiled with too many teeth, and the shorter one who never smiled at all. My stomach dropped somewhere around my knees.
I considered turning around, running in the opposite direction, but they’d already seen me. The tall one stepped forward and waved like we were old friends meeting by chance.
“Sarah Tinsley.” His voice carried over the rain, friendly in a way that made my skin crawl. “Funny running into you here.”
“The deadline isn’t up yet.” My voice came out stronger than I felt. “I still have time.”
“Oh, we know. We’re not here to collect.” He moved closer, and I forced myself not to back away. “We’re here to have a conversation about your employment situation.”
My blood went cold. “What?”
“See, we’ve been keeping an eye on you. Making sure our investment is secure.” The shorter one spoke now. “And we noticed something interesting. You work for Hector Valdez. The restaurant guy. The one with all that money.”
They’d been watching me. Following me. Knew where I worked and who employed me. The violation of it made my hands shake, but I curled them into fists and held my ground.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Actually, it’s exactly our business.” The tall one’s smile grew wider, and I could see his yellowed teeth even in the dim light. “Because if you’re working for someone that rich, you should have no problem getting our money. In fact, we’re thinking maybe we undercharged your daddy. Maybe his debt was bigger than we thought.”
“Don’t.” I hissed the word. “He’s not my personal bank. I can’t just ask him for money.”
“Why not? You seemed pretty friendly when we watched you go into his building.” The shorter one pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. Me and Lily leaving the penthouse, both of us attending the ballet building. “Cute kid. What’s her name?”
Everything inside me went very still—and very cold. “Don’t you dare.”
“Dare what?” The tall one’s smile turned ugly. “We’re just making conversation. Commenting on how sweet that little girl is, how tragic it would be if something happened to her.”
“Touch her and I’ll kill you myself.” The words came out before I could stop them, and I didn’t care. The fear was still there, coiled tight in my chest, but underneath it burned something hotter. Something that would burn the whole world down if it meant keeping Lily safe. “I swear to God, if you go anywhere near that child?—”
“What? What will you do?” He laughed, and the sound made my skin crawl. “You can barely protect yourself, let alone some rich man’s daughter. But hey, maybe you don’t have to worry about it. Maybe you just ask your boss for a little advance on your salary. A hundred thousand doesn’t mean much to someone like him. He probably spends that on shoes.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to find other ways to motivate you.” His hand moved fast—too fast—and I didn’t have time to block before his palm connected with my face. The impact sent me stumbling sideways, and pain exploded across my cheek. My vision blurred, and I tasted copper.
“That’s just a preview.” His voice came from somewhere above me, and I realized I’d fallen to my knees on the wet pavement. “Next time we won’t be so gentle. And if you still can’t pay, well, maybe we’ll have to focus on your little girl, she’s much closer to hurt than your pathetic brother.”
He grabbed the front of my jacket, hauling me up, and his fist pulled back for another hit. I flinched. My eyes shut close, bracing myself for the impact.
