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“What do you mean exactly by ‘throw me in the river’ and ‘terminate’? Are you saying you’re going to kill me?” This couldn’t be for real. I hadn’t even done anything to these people. I didn’t know who they were, and they were going to toss me into a river? A river I couldn’t even see anymore?
He looked at his watch again. “You have thirty more seconds. Do you wish to add anything else to your defense?”
“These trespassers are so annoying,” Cookie said from across the room, where she settled back on the couch. Her boots dropped onto the table with a thud. “It isn’t like anyone ever has a defense. Just more red tape for us.” She motioned to the muscleman. “Connor, give me that magazine.”
Connor tossed it to her and the two of them went back to what they’d been doing.
“Twenty seconds,” Dice said, staring at his watch. “Nineteen.” He cracked his neck.
My pulse was racing and it felt like there was no air in the room.
“Just toss her,” Connor said.
What if this wasn’t a dream? This didn’t feel like a dream in the slightest. If this wasn’t a dream…
“I have a reservation,” I blurted out, following Gram’s instructions.
Dice’s head jerked up. Cookie and Connor turned to me, and Cookie’s lollipop fell out of her mouth.
Connor said, “Huh?” as if he hadn’t heard me right.
“I have a reservation.” Another few seconds of silence ticked by. “A reservation?” I repeated, afraid they hadn’t heard me. If there was a chance of getting thrown in the river, I’d repeat “reservation” as many times as needed. I’d skip and sing it too, if that helped.
Cookie got off the couch and walked over, looking me up and down. “Youhave a reservation?” She scoffed, shaking her head. “No way am I buying that.”
“I do. I’m supposed to be here.” I infused as much strength and confidence in my tone as possible, as if my life depended on it, which it probably did.
Dice ran his gaze over me again, as if he were truly paying attention now. “Who put a reservation in foryou?”
The way they kept sayingyouin that tone was starting to get my hackles up, not that I was ready to make this situation worse. I had to focus on getting out of here alive first.
“Tessa Hendrick.”Gram, you got me into this. You better get me out.
“Tessa Hendrick? Never heard of her,” Dice scoffed. “Who is she?”
“My gram,” I said. “I mean, my grandmother.”
“Gram?” Cookie said, snickering. She turned to Connor, who was heading over. “Connor, you hear that? Hergramgot her a reservation.”
Dice turned to his friends. “Yeah, hergram.” They all laughed some more.
“It’s my grandmother. I call her Gram. It’s not an unusual nickname.”
They continued to snicker. I barely knew these people, but I was finding them very unlikable.
Dice stopped laughing, glancing at me before looking back at his friends. “What if she does have a reservation?” His voice was a little softer now, losing some of the arrogance.
“Gotta call the boss,” Connor said, shrugging overly large shoulders.
“Nothing else to do,” Cookie said, waving her lollipop around.
They were all staring at me.
I shrugged. “I’ve got a reservation. You have to call,” I said, as if I had a clue about anything I was saying.
Dice shook his head, sighed, and then dug a phone from his pocket, dialing who could only be the “boss.”
“We’ve got a trespasser who says she has a reservation.” Dice kept his gaze on me as he listened. “I’ll check, boss, but she doesn’t look reservation-worthy.” His nose crinkled, as if I smelled. “Okay, I’ll get back to you.”
