“Oh, you are not blaming me for this!”
Vesper let out a sharp laugh. “But it is your fault. I was getting really close when Bel ruined our assignment becausesomeoneblackmailed her.”
“Bullshit,” Cedar hissed, her eyes narrowed. “How close? What did you find?”
“I’m not gonna tell you. I still don’t fucking trust you.”
“But you did find something?” Cypress tugged on Vesper’s shirt, interrupting the hostility. Her voice was thick, and she looked up at Vesper like she was about to give her the world.
Vesper sighed again, darting a quick glance at Cedar. Vesper had never been good at denying the kid what she wanted.
“Yeah, but you’re not gonna like it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Bellamy
Bellamy stalked out of the room. Her emotions were tumultuous. Vesper had the fucking gall to keep this secret from her for so long and then get mad about Bellamy’s shit?! She huffed. Fine—what she’d done might have been a bit worse. But still.
At first, she hadn’t even believed it. Vesper had been tapping away on her bracelet the whole ride back, and Bellamy had convinced herself that they were leading Cedar into a trap. A way to clear their names and get the target off their head. Get back in their employer’s good graces. But of fucking course Vesper would have communication set up with Mazz. Why wouldn’t she?
Vesper trusted the whores more than she trusted Bellamy, after all. It would have made more sense if this stuff with Cypress had happenedafterBellamy fucked up, but it didn’t. Vesper’s lies were before—well before—Bellamy did anything wrong. That hurt worse. Bellamy’s already fragile heart was just being stomped on.
Bellamy squeezed her eyes shut and leaned against the wall outside the sister’s room, fighting back the sting of tears threatening to ruin her eyeliner. She listened as Cypress tried to force Vesper in the middle of their horrible family reunion. WhenVesper uttered those reassuring words, which she still hadn’t said to Bellamy, she couldn’t take it anymore.
Vessie. Bellamy gagged.
Vesper said she’d never touched the girl, and Bellamy believed her, but that didn’t mean this girl wasn’t fucking obsessed. Disgustingly head over heels for Vesper. Bellamy was positive Cedar saw it too, but it didn’t seem like Vesper noticed. That might have been a comfort if Vesper wasn’t also letting this girl pull her around. Only Bellamy should have that kind of power over Vesper.
Bellamy was done listening to this shit. She knew she couldn’t leave—Vesper had trapped them all here until they could figure out what the fuck they were going to do. Bellamy would kill anyone who tried to lay a finger on Vesper. Including her fucking sister.
Bellamy stalked through the halls, glaring at any girl who looked at her. The place was starting to get busy; they must be opening soon. She hated everything about this situation. The whores all looked at her with distrust, suspicion, and maybe even some pity.
She wanted to rip their fucking eyes out.
They knew Vesper in ways that only Bellamy should. They’d had her in ways Bellamy couldn’t for the last six years. Yeah, being stuck here was a fucking nightmare. A constant reminder of every single way Bellamy had fucked up. And could they stop fucking looking at her like that?
Bellamy stopped when she saw the closed door to the back room. She hadn’t even meant to come here. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, nails digging into her skin. The pain grounded her.
The whores were getting under her skin, and they weren’t even doing anything. Just reporting for work like they would any other day. Logically, she knew they weren’t to blame for Vesper’s choices. It wasn’t their fault Bellamy fucked up. But sometimes it was easier to blame everyone else.
“Need something?” A light voice asked from behind her. Bellamy jumped, whirling around and finding herself staring into Mazz’s wide, brown eyes.
“No,” Bellamy snapped on instinct, trying to ignore the wary expression Mazz always seemed to wear around her. She deserved that look too, what with having tried to kill her and all.
“Then can you move?” Mazz asked. The delicate tone of her voice was in stark contrast to Bellamy’s hostility. “I need to get into my office,” Mazz continued, nodding to the door Bellamy was blocking.
Heat rose to Bellamy’s cheeks, and she stepped out of the way, embarrassed at having been caught just glaring at the door.
Mazz continued watching her with narrowed eyes as she stepped slowly to her office. Her light blue slip flowed out around her legs with each step. Bellamy couldn’t stop herself from wondering how different Vesper would be with Mazz, how much more gentle she’d have carded her fingers through those tight curls, running her hands over Mazz’s smooth brown skin.
Bellamy should turn back. She should return to the room and sit there uselessly while the two sisters argued about their bullshit. She should stop thinking about how Vesper might fuck the whores. But most of all, she needed to stop staring at Mazz like she wanted to kill her.
Wiping the look from her face, Bellamy silently followed Mazz into her office. A few girls were inside already, loitering, waiting for the night to start. Bellamy ignored them as she carefully perched in the plush chair Vesper had so casually occupied just a few days prior. She scowled remembering that Vesper hadn’t been alone in the chair.Fucking Ari.
“She’s not here. Not today,” Mazz said, easily reading Bellamy and derailing her building anger. Bellamy was feeling spiteful, though. Actually, she wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Abandoned. A little numb, maybe?
“Good.”
