I considered the text again and nodded. “Do it. See what happens. We can always improvise depending on how he responds.”
Diem hit send on the text, and the three of us stood motionless, staring at the device like it was a ticking time bomb. A thousand scenarios raced through my brain, and I worked out solutions for each in case Luke didn’t respond as we hoped. I was good with words, and manipulating people was one of my fortes. Plus, I could think on my feet.
What we didn’t expect was Luke dismissing the text option altogether and calling Darcy’s phone.
The instant it rang, Diem swore.
19
Diem
“Oh, fuck no. No, no, no.” Darcy retreated, stumbling over his flapping running shoe, eyes blown wide. “Why is he phoning?”
I caught the front of Darcy’s jacket so he couldn’t get away and darted my attention from the ringing phone to Tallus. That was a very good fucking question. Lukecallingwas not part of the plan, and letting Darcy talk to the guy could be disastrous. We had not planned for this contingency.
Tallus, who had always had an uncanny ability to read my mind, grimaced. “You don’t have a choice, D.”
“We didn’t plan for this.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“No I won’t.” Darcy tried to wrench free from my hold, but I wouldn’t let go. “I don’t know what to say. I’ll mess it up.”
I handed the phone to Tallus and took Darcy by the shoulders, giving him a light shake so he’d pay attention. I peered into his wildblue eyes. “Relax, kid. You can do this. No big deal. Stick to the story we talked about. You have money and don’t know what to do with it. Simple as that. You appreciate the work he gives you, so you wanted to do the honest thing. I’ll be right here.”
My pep talk seemed to calm him a fraction, so I kept hold of Darcy, grounding him in the moment, as I spoke to Tallus. “Connect it and put it on speaker.”
The ringing stopped, and Tallus held the phone closer to Darcy. I didn’t break eye contact, giving the kid as much support as possible as he stammered, “H-hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Gingrick. I wasn’t sure you were going to answer.”
“I… I’m not used to you calling.”
“Well, your text was quite unusual. I wanted to follow up.”
“C-cool. Yeah, um. Yeah. So, like, Gabr… I mean, G, g-gave me a ton of cash in an envelope to, like, take to the b-bank for her. I was gonna keep it until I saw how much it was. I’m sorry I peeked. I know that was wrong, but… That’s why I texted. Should I d-deposit it like she said? I didn’t think you’d want me to. Not with what we’re, like, doing. You’ve been good to me. Giving me jobs and such. Helping me out. I… I just thought… Well, that’s why I asked.”
“I see.”
Sweat glistened along Darcy’s forehead and wet the fuzz on his upper lip. His frantic gaze begged me to save him. His thumb rolled along the center portion of the ring over and over. I offered a reassuring nod. When he abandoned the ring and reached out to cling to the edge of my trench coat, I let him. I’d never been someone’s rock, and it was an odd sensation, but the kid needed me.
“Am I in trouble, Mr. Luke, sir?” he asked.
Luketsked. “No, myshka. You’re not in trouble. I’m glad you reached out.”
Darcy’s trembling worsened with every passing second. I squeezed his shoulders, wanting to tell him he was doing great, but I couldn’t reveal myself.
Echo, recognizing the intensity and stress of the situation, came up beside me and chuffed a question, making those dog noises she used when checking to see if I was okay.
I released Darcy long enough to ruffle her ear and silently let her know I was fine. She sat watchfully but didn’t vocalize again.
“Is that a dog I hear?” Luke asked.
“Y-yes. Um… My roommate has a friend over. It’s their d-dog.”
Luke hummed. “How much money has our dear Gabriella entrusted you with?”
“T-two thousand?”
