Now that I thought about it, she could likely pawn that little collection—which she kept in a lighted jewelry display case—and get more than enough money to pay Rule the three million she owed him.
Monica was one of a kind, that was for sure.
“Congratulations,” I said dutifully.
“Oh, honey. Thank you. That means so much to me.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Saturday.”
“ThisSaturday?”
“Yes. It’s going to be a small affair.”
By small, she meant there would likely be a couple hundred people surprised at the last minute by an invitation they felt they had no right to decline.
“I want you to be there.”
“I can’t,” I said before I could think about it.
Monica was silent, but I could practically hear her seething through the phone. She was expecting me to be doing cartwheels and showering her with love and admiration. She wasn’t going to get that from me.
Her tone went from gleeful flutter to harsh scold in a breath. “What do you mean you can’t?”
“I mean, I can’t be there. I’ve got … plans.”
“What couldpossiblybe more important than your mother’s wedding day?”
I choked on a laugh. “Are you serious right now?”
She spoke as though I hadn’t. “If you know what’s good for you, Laikyn, you’ll be there. You can tell Rule I said that.Exactlythat.”
I frowned. “Rule has nothing to do with this.”
“He has more to do with it than you know.” Monica cleared her throat, and her chipper tone returned. “Oh, honey, look at the time. I really must run. I’ve got a date at the spa. Devon is taking me to lunch today.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you at the fundraiser on Friday night.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement. “Yes.”
“Good. We can talk more about the wedding then. Ta-ta.”
When the call disconnected, I lowered the phone to my lap and realized I was still staring at the blank television screen.
What the fuck just happened?
* * *
Jinx
I was sitting in my office, staringat the screen and watching the computer code drift by rapidly. I was running a program I designed that would pull Laikyn’s name out of various databases I’d developed a back door into. Most of what I was doing was illegal, but the risk of getting caught was low, provided the program ran without hiccups, erasing all digital footprints after the fact.
I’d been running it for a few years without issue, so I wasn’t worried. In the beginning, it was to learn whatever I could about her and relay that information to Rule. These days, it was to keep apprised of what was being said about her. I’d gone one step further and included Monica Quinn’s name this time around simply because I wanted to know what we were walking into by going to this fundraiser.
My computer beeped, and another box opened, revealing the details of a marriage license that had recently been filed. I leaned in, positive I was reading it wrong.
