Page 58 of Mine to Hold

I brushed my hair slowly, working out all the tangles unhurriedly. It was close to eleven now. I wasn’t quite sure what time Jon would go to bed, but he always called around midnight, that was if he didn’t show up at my door.

My phone pinged again, and I picked it up.

I want you to go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow, we’re going to finalize our plans to steal back the Montagna diamonds.

I pouted toward the camera. I almost laughed. Even I had to admit I was being a little over the top.

I can come there and put you to bed with a bright red and very sore bottom if I need to, baby girl.

I squirmed, humoring the thought for a moment before realizing that I’d likely be too exhausted to go through with my plan if he came here. Undoubtedly, he’d sense something and punish me until I gave in and told him everything.

I couldn’t have that.

I’ll go to bed.

I watched the phone for a second. He was typing something.

That’s my good girl.

I couldn’t help but shiver with glee at his praise. No matter how many times he said it, it still made me heart swell just as much as it did the first time.

Honestly, I was truly falling for this man. I shouldn’t. I knew I shouldn’t, but nothing seemed to be strong enough to stop it. He was a criminal. But I didn’t really care because I was one too, just a different kind. He did dangerous and violent things, but with me he was gentle and kind and so caring with me that it turned me into a puddle of goo every time he touched me.

I never wanted it to end.

A part of me was going to steal back the diamonds out of pride, but there was another piece of me that just wanted to set things right, to show him that I was a force to be reckoned with and to show the rest of his men that I was a woman worthy of their kingpin.

The lights dimmed and I slid under the covers, tossing the towel on the floor beside the bed. The phone rang and I picked it up.

“Sleep well tonight, little girl. It’s been a long day so I’m going to head to bed soon myself. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”

“I hope you sleep well too,” I replied softly.

“Goodnight, my baby girl.”

“Goodnight, my sir.”

I hadn’t called him mine before. I hadn’t really thought about it until I’d already said it.

I hung up the phone and placed it down on the charger on the nightstand. The screen lit up and I snuggled into bed. I closed my eyes, napping for a one hour, then two. When the digital clock hit one in the morning, I very quietly snuck out of bed. I slipped into the bathroom and then the attached closet. Jon had provided me with a bunch of new clothes when I’d arrived, all perfectly tailored so that they fit me like they were made only for me. I combed through all of the options, dressing in black yoga pants and a long-sleeved black sweatshirt. I braided my hair and curled it into a bun at the back of my head so that it would stay out of the way for what was to come.

I pressed my feet into a pair of black slippers. They had a sole and would have to do at least until I got to the bag that Ricky had left behind for me.

Once I was fully dressed, I kept close to the wall, sliding along it and trying to keep out of the path of the cameras. I knew I couldn’t avoid them entirely. When I moved safely past the bedroom, I quickly strode through the sitting room and peered through the front door. There was no one waiting outside, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I slipped out of the suite, moving to the right toward the stairs rather than the elevator. I didn’t want to alert any staff that might be watching the monitors for movement on my floor. The stairway was down a side hallway and from what I could tell, there was only one camera. I moved quickly. If anyone was watching, hopefully they were asleep too.

I took the stairs two at a time, racing down floor after floor as hastily as I could. I kept track of how many floors in my head, knowing that I was somewhere between twenty-three and twenty-five floors high. It took a long time, but I eventually reached the ground floor. My heart was pounding, but I had always kept myself active, so it didn’t take me that long to recover. I gulped in as much air as I could until my heart returned to a more normal pace.

With one final deep breath, I slipped out of the hotel into the darkness. I used the cover of the shadows as I made my way around the building into the service alley behind it. It wasn’t particularly well lit, and it was easy to stay hidden amongst all of the garbage and debris stored along the walls. The sound of traffic was still pretty loud at this time of night, so I took my time and waited behind a pile of wooden pallets until I was certain that the coast was clear. When I was sure that no one was around, I continued on. I could see the line of dumpsters now, and I tiptoed to the one all the way at the end.

The bag was waiting exactly where he said it would be along with my favorite pair of boots. I pulled them over my socks and packed the flats inside the bag. Jon had picked them out, so they were probably expensive, and I liked them enough to want to not lose them. I took a quick inventory of the rest of the bag and I shrugged it onto my back.

I’d left the phone behind, not wanting Jon to be able to track me through it before I was able to complete the job. My plan was to get in, get out with the diamonds, and slip back into my hotel suite with no one being the wiser.

Quietly, I stole out of the back of the alley. I quickly sprinted to the closest subway entrance and darted down the stairs.

I caught the next train to the Bronx.

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