Mercedes walked down the front stone steps of the mansion. While she knew Adam thought it was a risk for her to be on her own, she felt the bigger risk was running off when they were so close to finishing their plans.
But still, she’d agreed to come, and headed straight for the front driveway thinking she had a clear shot through the front gates. Dorian wasn’t expected home for hours.
Out of nowhere, she heard the sudden rumble of cars approaching.
She was only a few steps from her car, but Dorian’s limo was already pulling up to block her path. She looked down at her clothes: black lace bralette and leather pants.
“Fuck,” she said. But with no time to change, she just had to go with it. She pulled her skull and crossbones earrings from her ears and stuffed them into her bra. She wondered if that was maybe a poor choice when the metal hooks cut into her skin.
Nothing could be done about the rest of her outfit, so unfit for a First Lady, so she did her best not to tense to keep him from sensing the change in her.
Dorian was out of the limo first.
“Home early today, darling?” she said as she kissed him on the cheek.
“Take a ride with me.” Dorian smiled and held out his hand.
She was now surrounded, with Dorian’s associates flanking her from every possible angle. The only clear path was at the end of Dorian’s outstretched hand. Surely she was just being paranoid. She took his hand.
He guided her into the limo, securing the door behind her, and she noticed with no small amount of suspicion that he locked the door on the outside.
Inside the limo, T.B. was across from her, turned to his side. He relaxed against the leather with a casual grace, but the tension in his shoulders was giving him away. She put up her own guard, too, and listened as Dorian trekked behind the car and joined her from the opposite door, sliding into the spot next to her.
Nobody said anything as the car jolted to a start and began to move.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Be patient,” Dorian said. “It’s a surprise.” He didn’t look at her. He just rubbed at his chin, keeping his dead eyes locked forward.
She squinted as she took in T.B. rubbing his fingers together in his other hand. It was like he was trying to rub the sweat from them.
She knew she was in for trouble, then. What kind, though, that remained to be seen.
They drove for fifteen minutes in complete silence, with Dorian refusing to look over at her, and T.B. aching to keep still but failing miserably.
“What’s going on, honey?” she asked again, dropping her voice lower. Accusatory this time.
Dorian’s jaw tensed, stretching like he was grinding his teeth.
“You’re acting strange, my love,” Mercedes said. “Is something wrong?”
He licked his lips, as if he were wiping away words that tried to escape his mouth.
“We haven’t gone off the rails by any chance, have we?” Mercedes smiled. “You’re looking extra insane today, darling.”
T.B. looked at her with wide eyes, as if he were compelling her to shut her goddamn mouth.
To both of their surprise, judging from T.B.’s face, Dorian laughed. Starting softly at first, but growing more manic with each breath. The longer it went on, the harder he laughed and the bigger his eyes bulged with rage.
“Do it,” Dorian said.
Before she could blink, T.B. snapped into action. Taking her completely by surprise, he whipped out a set of handcuffs and locked them against her wrists.
“What the fuck?!” she yelled, falling back in her seat.
Dorian dove across her until he was breathing in her face. “You think you can go around fucking Adam Vandemilio and I wouldn’t find out about it!”
Well, shit. Trouble it was. But much bigger than she expected.
