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“Avery, be logical,” Black speaks urgently, still trying to convince me. “Surely you can see it—”
“Enough.” I cut her off with a single word.
Black’s hand lands on my shoulder and whirls me around. She’s in my face, speaking in a hushed voice. “It’s paramount that you see it yourself. I know you’re tenacious and cunning, but—”
I meet her dark eyes and nod once. “I’m never letting Vic near this baby.”
“Then say it!”
“What do you want to hear?” I press my fingers to my chest and hurl a fury of words at her. “That I know I can’t save her? That I can’t even save myself? I die here either way, so I’m choosing how I go out. Is that clear enough for you, Black? Vic’ll never know about the baby, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to end this. Now. No second thoughts. I’ve decided.” My chest rises and falls rapidly as my pulse roars, deafeningly loud in my ears.
Black tips her chin back in approval. “You have my assistance.”
I laugh in her face. “And why would I trust you?”
“Because I got you alone and didn’t beat the shit out of you, no matter how much I’d like to bring you to your knees. I could have done whatever I wanted with you. If anything, Vic would have held me in higher regard.” She’s in my face, and her tone has a lethal quality that I admire. She makes an irritated sound in the back of her throat, backs off and glances around the room, frowning. “You’re not wounded, and I didn’t record anything, so you figure it out. Either way, I failed to make you bleed. Vic will notice that as soon as he sees you. I’m fucked.”
I nod in agreement. “Yeah, you are.”
“Well, then,” she replies, sweeping her eyes over me as if she’s reassessed everything and made a snap decision, “consider this a temporary alliance. What do you intend to do?”
This decision is a vital juncture. I either trust Black and we work together, or we both die. If she screws me over, I’m dead anyway. It’s flawed logic, but her betrayal wouldn’t change my fate tonight, while her loyalty could alter everything. I tell her what I need. “Free Mel and get Vic back inside this house. Then go and break the emergency shut off valve for the gas lines into the house.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“You’re a smart girl.” I pat Black on the top of the head. Anger flashes in her eyes. She swats me away, and I grin. “Figure it out. Tell Mel that I’ll meet her in the trees on the south lawn, at the far end of the property, and make sure she stays put.”
“Very well, but for this plan to be properly executed, you’ll need an earpiece which will be difficult to acquire. Without it, you won’t know what’s happening and will walk straight into one of Vic’s men.”
“I’m more concerned about that bear.”
Black’s expression darkens. “There is no device on the bear, no chip or collar to track it. The animal roams free as if it were a pet. If you see that beast, run. Don’t wait for him to make the first move or he will have his jaws on your neck before you can scream.” She shivers as if she’s seen it happen before.
Black and I hammer out the rest of the details. She helps refine some of the weak parts of my plan and tells me the most vulnerable part of the house. Although it’s believed to be the most secure, it’s not. Vic is blind to it, thinking his security locks will protect him.
I listen carefully. This woman is no stranger to atrocious deeds, but this makes me wonder. “Why do you know this stuff?”
Black touches her fingers to her head as if she has a headache. “Because I have examined exit strategies for my personal safety. I know every inch of this house. This proposal is much sloppier work with far fewer preparations than the things I had planned, but if you can to get to the central point of the mansion—Vic’s bed chambers—game over. You’ll need this to get inside.” She lifts the chain with the golden keys from her neck and removes the plainest one. She hands it to me before putting the jewelry back on.
“What is this?” I look at the piece of jewelry, remembering it from the nightstand in Black’s house.
“It’s the key to Vic’s master bedroom. He doesn’t trust anyone, so it’s always locked. The door is comprised of a dual lock. You’ll need that key to get in the suite. The second lock requires a code.”
As I turn over the golden ornament in my fingers, I ask, “Do you know Vic’s code?”
Black shakes her head. “No, he changes it too frequently. I had an alternate code added by the security company as a master override. He doesn’t know I have it and I’ve not used it yet. It was a backup plan if everything else failed.” Black fills me in on everything about that room, leaving nothing out. Every piece of the plan to destroy Vic Campone Jr. snaps firmly into place.
Eventually, the plan is fleshed out with enough latitude that one mistake won’t mean failure. Contingencies are in place should Mel not be freed, Black gets taken out, and to deal with the security cameras. The only roaming unknown is that white bear. I’ll be able to hear his claws clicking on the hardwood, but not on the carpets. It’s a massive white animal on dark carpet. I should be able to see him coming.
There’s only one thing left to say. Black folds her slender arms over her chest and spits it out with no candy coating. She’s direct and to the point. “You die tonight, Avery. There’s no way out once this plan is in motion. The person lighting the fire doesn’t escape. Are you certain you can do this? If not, we’re all caught and—”
I cut her off with a forward tip of my head, meeting her gaze head on. “We’re doing this. I know the ramifications. I won’t fail.”
“You’re not the woman I thought you were.”
I snort and turn away, glancing at the door. Vic will show up at any time. He left the lawn and entered the house a few moments ago.
I click my tongue and point both i
ndex fingers at her. “Neither are you, you crazy bitch.”
Black smiles in appreciation. “Takes one to know one. Avery…” She waits until I turn back and extends her hand toward me. She rarely uses my first name the way she has tonight. I focus on her fully. “Saying I appreciate your sacrifice is a massive understatement. I made a mistake of pinning you as naïve when we first met. No one will think that of you after this evening. They’ll remember the fierce woman who went down fighting, the only one who was capable of killing Vic Campone Jr.”
I don’t require her respect to go through with this, but hearing her say those words makes me more determined. I grip her hand as a farewell gesture. Black shakes for a second before she pulls me in for a hug.
When she steps back, the emotion on her face fades swiftly. She clears her throat and says, “When Mel is in motion, I’ll say a code word that you cannot mistake as anything else.”
“Which will be?”
“Sparkly.”
I smirk. “I’ve never heard you say that before.”
“And you never will again.” Black’s eyes dip to my waist and then back to my face before giving one curt nod. “See you in hell, Miss Stanz.”
“I’m already there, Miss Black.”
Black laughs once, and there’s a bit of joy in it. The corner of her mouth rises. “Indubitably. So let’s do this.”
I throw the first punch.
CHAPTER 9
By the time Vic’s man shows up, Black has scratched my face open and struck my cheek in exactly the right place to send ribbons of black and blue up to my eye. She has bruises on her neck and scratches on her arms. While we did all this to make it look convincing, it may have been real to some extent.
A thug pries her off of me and slams her down into the couch. “Stay,” he grunts to Black and then looks down at me.
I’m gasping for breath the way Black told me to. The bruising on my side should make them think she broke a rib and it’s pierced my lung. When no gurgling begins, they’ll know it’s not that serious. Until then, they’ll think I’m dying which will knock my jackass brother off balance.
