“You shouldn’t have fucked with me,” I whisper.
But she did.
So now?
Now I escalate.
Now I end this.
I reach for my phone.
“Dom, you still on the line?”
“Yes, boss.”
“Tank their reputation. Anonymous leaks. Fake scandals. Use the press like a weapon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Dom?”
“Yes?”
“Make them bleed.”
I hang up.
Then sit back in my chair, staring at the grainy photo again.
The girl who once read to me in an abandoned boathouse. The girl who once kissed me like I was her whole world. The girl who left without a trace.
My voice comes out low.
Certain.
“I’m coming, Little Bird.”
I tap the picture, right over her face with one finger.
“And when the smoke clears . . .” My eyes narrow. “You’ll come back to me.”
A dark smile curls across my lips. “One way or another.”
26
Victoria
I’m sittingat my kitchen island, spoon halfway to my mouth, leftover pasta going cold on the counter because I’ve been staring at nothing for ten minutes, when my phone lights up with my mother’s name.
She never calls me unless she needs something, and usually that something isn’t good. Usually, a dress code is involved, which is something I really don’t want to deal with right now.
I swipe to answer. “Mom?”
“Victoria, you need to come home.” Her voice cracks.
I shift in my seat. “What happened?”
“Not over the phone.” She doesn’t sound right. Something is off. “Just come. Right away.”
