An expect the unexpected energy took hold of my psyche at precisely the right moment.
“Is that…” Melody’s voice trailed off.
“That’s my car,” I confirmed. “Or pieces of it.”
My PT cruiser had been sitting in the garage with the same flat tire it had gotten the night all this started. It had been towed to Remmington Hill and shut away. My uncle wouldn’t allow such a cheap car to sit out in the open. His words not mine–I loved my little humbug. Or I did. Now it was in Mateo’s driveway dismantled to the point of being nothing other than a plum frame.
“Elena–––.”
“Stay in the car,” I demanded, grabbing the folder and stepping out, going straight to the front door.
Without knocking, I pushed it right open, not bothering to shut it.
I headed towards Mateo’s office where voices were coming from. They all ceased when the sound of my heels reached their ears.
“Give me a moment, please.” I heard Mateo say just as I reached the threshold.
They came out as I went in, two younger men in suits.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded to know, skipping all casualties.
“Ah, my twisted angel. Shut the door,” he lazily replied, raising his brows when I kicked it closed with my heel.
“My father was shot and robbed, left to die ass naked on his bedroom floor. He’s alive, though his pride is a bit disintegrated. No man wants to admit a whore bested him.”
I waited for him to go on, not seeing what any of that had to do with me.
“Do you know what my father almost died for?” He circled to behind his desk, unzipped a small duffel bag, and dumped it out.
Blood tinged bundles of cash hit the wooden surface. “And this.” He picked up a black leather book, holding it high for me to see. “Do you know how many people died because ofthis?”
Keeping hold of the book he circled back in front of his desk. “I hired a man to find it. After some…negotiating the other night, he didn’t stop until he had an interesting easter egg not so easily handed over to him.”
His golden eyes me rooted in place. I was clueless and felt severely disadvantaged because of it.
“I don’t even know what that is. What the hell does that have to do with your name on my father’s estate and my car being torn apart?”
“Well, it was found in your car. Under the passenger seat, ironically enough.”
“I’ve never seen that before. I’ve never even met your dad. I–––.”
“Don’t you think I already know all of that?Give me some credit.The problem, Elena, is that someone close to you wants to get to me and you’re their pawn. I’ve known from the beginning something was off about this whole situation we were in. Though I have to admit that this, was a bit…unexpected.”
My brain told me to shut the fuck up and think carefully before I responded but my mouth was already moving.
“I was going to use you. You were my in to find Eva. I-I needed someone with connections and power and you were right there. I thought you would eventually trust me enough to help. I didn’t have anything to do with whatever that book is.”
Too late to take back a word of my confession I waited with bated breath for his reaction. I knew none of that sounded good, but it was the truth. I’d never seen his book or that money until now.
“You were going to use me?” He asked quietly. “That’s very ambitious of you, but no one uses me Elena.”
He moved again, returning behind his desk. He pulled open a drawer and removed a white box with a blue ribbon on top of it. “This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. The book has nothing to do with the game, but seeing as we’re here already we might as well get the ball rolling,” he began, “Trust takes years to build, you never had mine.”
I stood awkwardly, clutching the manila folder, unsure what to do with the clusterfuck in front of me. “What game?” I finally asked.
“You want to be my enemy, and that isn’t a place anyone with a brain wants to be. I have a better idea. I’m going to make you my whore––exclusively. You’re going to take my last name. Then we’re going to play a game.”
“You want to play a game?”
