I leap back as the white tiger slams her body against the cage, baring her teeth at me. I know enough about big cats to know that’s not normal. Her ribs stick out from her body. She’s starving.
I think about the lion in the arena at the Colosseum tearing that man apart. I’ve watched enough David Attenborough documentaries to know a lion would normally run away or cower in an environment like that. Being kept like this in a permanent state of starvation…these animals are being trained to be killers.
We reach the end of the basement. I brace myself against the wall as Livvie unlocks another door. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“The smell takes some getting used to.” Livvie waves her hand inside the other room. “This is the clinic. It’s where we treat sick animals, and it doubles as storage. I’ve got you a keycard that’ll open this.”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
“Even a pretty boy like you knows how to use a keycard. Swipe card, type in code, wait for click, door opens.” She pulls the heavy steel door open and grins at me. “Easy.”
My knees wobble. “These animals… this is cruel. I can’t be a part of this.”
Livvie’s crimson lips set in a firm line as she studies my face. She glances over her shoulder, then grabs my arm and yanks me inside the clinic, slamming the door shut behind her.
She’s not wrong about this place being used for storage. Boxes and filing cabinets line the walls. I notice a computer desk in the corner, nearly completely buried in stacks of boxes. A long veterinary table has been shoved into the center of the room, hemmed in on three sides with more boxes and medical equipment. From somewhere deeper in the space, I hear the buzz of a freezer, but it’s invisible beneath all the crap.
Livvie leans her back against the door. “Okay, Eli. Now we can talk.”
I’m aware she’s standing between me and what appears to be the only way out of this room. I curse myself for not bringing a weapon. “Weren’t we talking before?”
Livvie rolls her eyes, like she’s had enough of me. “This whole building is bugged. Nero likes to know everything that goes on in his clubs, especially what staff talk about when he’s not around. What you just said… you don’t say itout thereunless you want your pretty head separated from your shoulders. Got it?”
I tap the wall behind my head. Solid metal. “But in here is safe?”
“This used to be a freezer for the restaurant next to the bank. The basement stretches underneath all the buildings in this block. The security equipment doesn’t transmit from in here. If you want to talk, or scream, this is where we do it, okay?”
I stare at her, trying to work her out. Is this a trick? Is she trying to get me to admit something so she can report it to Nero?
Livvie leans against the door and pulls a cigarette from her pocket. I want to tell her it would be stupid to light up in this enclosed space, but she doesn’t bring the smoke to her lips. Instead, she flips it in her fingers, staring at it intently like it’s going to tell her what to do with me. “When Nero said you were coming to work here, I read up on you,” she says. “It wasn’t difficult. Your name is all over the papers. Your father made a lot of enemies with his little body brokerage business. I saw footage of you at his trial with your hair neatly combed and your hand on your mother’s knee, looking like butter won’t melt in your mouth. Student council vice president, track star, honor roll student, volunteer at the animal shelter. Not exactly the next Bugsy Siegel. The Golden Boy of Stonehurst Prep, I’ve heard. So I can’t help but wonder why Nero is so interested in you.”
“He’s engaged to my mother.”
“I know. That doesn’t mean shit. He’s been married three times before, and he’s never taken this much interest in his stepchildren. Or even his own children. He’s got plans for you, Elias Hart, and it has something to do with these animals.”
“I told him I wanted to work with animals, maybe go to college for veterinary science. He promised me some work experience.”
Livvie smiles, but it’s sad. “That might be the sweetest thing Nero’s ever done for someone, in his fucked-up way. Well, Golden Boy, I’m going out on a limb here because I love these animals and it breaks my fucking heart to see them like this, and I’m hoping you weren’t faking your reaction just now to get me in trouble. I’m hoping you’re not so blinded by Nero’s promises to consider helping me.”
“Helping you with what?”
“Help me free these animals. I’ve sent anonymous tipoffs to animal rights organizations, to the state senators, but no one is willing to touch Nero. Beyond feeding Nero to his own tiger, which I’d do in a heartbeat if I were strong enough to move him, I’m out of ideas. Nero has spent tens of thousands of dollars on these animals. It’s an ego thing, you know? Possessing something so wild and dangerous, man’s dominion over nature, blah, blah, blah. But he won’t spend a cent to get them proper food, decent enclosures, make sure they’re stimulated and happy, make sure we’re safe when we handle them. The vets and trainers he’s got… they don’t see these animals as living creatures – they’re just assets to be moved around a chessboard for maximum profit.” Her eyes flash with determination. “I can relate.”
“What do you expect me to do?”
“We’ll think of something, Golden Boy. Are you in?”
“This is where I say yes and you report me to Nero, and he chops my dick off and feeds it to a lion?”
She grins. “I guess you’ll have to take the chance.”
“I really like my dick.” I stare at the metal table, the rows of unfriendly-looking instruments, the straps and muzzles used to control the animals. My stomach churns. These animals shouldn’t be controlled. They should be running free, far away from humans.
They remind me of Claudia – caged in that house by herself for so many years, trapped by her father’s legacy. She’s fighting with everything she has to be free, and she’ll win or die trying because she’s that fucking clever. She doesn’t need me to fight for her, but these animals do.
I sigh. “You already knew I’d say yes. That’s why you dragged me down here the moment I stepped through the door.”
“Damn right.” Livvie slides the cigarette back into her pocket. “I’m an excellent judge of character.”
