"Nice doing business with you, Marcus."
He walked away without looking back.
I stood there for a moment, watching him disappear into the dusk. Then I pulled out my newly purchased phone and opened the Uber app.
My thumb hovered over the confirm button.
If I did this, there was no going back.
I pressed confirm.
The ride to the beach house was thirty-six minutes. Twenty-six minutes in, , I texted Cartier from the back of the Uber.
I'm at the St. Pete Pier.
Cartier was a good man. He was loyal to Killian. He wouldn't hesitate to come get me. I needed him away from that house.
He called, but I didn't answer. I didn't think I could pull off a lie if I talked to him.
He texted back:
Stay there. Get into a crowded area. Find a security guard or stay near a group of people. I'm in Clearwater. I can be there in twenty-five minutes if I push it.
I didn't respond.
Chapter 45: Chloe
I made sure my hand was placed over the peephole before I knocked.
Footsteps approached not too long after. Heavy and slow. I knew it was Arthur.
The door swung open. Arthur appeared, his mouth already opening to ask who the hell was knocking at this hour. He never got the chance.
I swung the gun.
The butt of it connected with his temple in a solid, sickening crack that sent him stumbling backward, one hand flying to his head, the other grabbing the wall for balance.
I smiled.
"WHAT THE—"
I stepped inside. Closed the door behind me. The gun was heavy in my hand. I'd bought it from a pawn shop in Tampa. He said I'd have to wait three days, but five thousand dollars for a six-hundred-dollar gun ended that discussion. The bullets were free.
Ava's scream cut through the room first. Then Olivia's. They were standing in front of the couch, both of them frozen in place like deer caught in headlights. A movie was playing on the screen—looked likeImitation of Life. The irony.
"Chloe—" Ava started, as if she could talk me down.
"SIT DOWN."
My voice didn't sound like mine. Ava sat. Olivia didn't move. I stepped closer and pointed the gun at her chest.
"I said sit the fuck down."
She sat.
Arthur was on the floor, blood seeping between his fingers where he was holding his head. He was groaning, trying to push himself up.
"You," I said. "On your knees."
