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Delilah shook her head and Isador stood up and moved off towards her sister. I watched her go, surprised. Delilah’s next words rooted me to the spot. “She committed suicide.” I felt like my chest had been punched in. I stared down at the shining floor and half expected my organs to be scattered at my feet. They weren’t. I struggled to breathe, not just because I was shocked, but because ideas were starting to form in myhead.
“I’m sorry,” I said, standing. “Will you excuse me.” Delilah nodded. She seemed surprised, but also… not by my reaction. I didn’t stop to think about it because I was already heading for the hallway. I slipped through the doors, looked both ways, and quickly pulled my phone from mypocket.
Marv answered on the first ring. “Are youokay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, striding down the hall. “Hold on, let me get outside.” I held the phone to my chest and when I came to the end of the grand hall, I looked around once more, before opening the front door and stepping outside. There were gardeners snipping the bushes on the far side of the property. They were far enough away that I knew they wouldn’t be able to hear me. I put the phone back to myear.
“–she’s moving,” I heard. “No, give me a moment with her. You can talk to herafter.”
“Marv?” I descended the front steps and made my way around the villa, watching thewindows.
“I’m here,” he said. “What’swrong?”
“Nothing – well, it’s…” Suicide wasn’t nothing, but it wasn’t.... God, how did I explain to them? “What about Mr. Wallace?” I asked, just jumping into the deep end and hoping Marv wouldunderstand.
“The PA?” heasked.
“He’s not just a personal assistant,” I said. “He has his own etiquette courses or camp thing. Did you knowthat?”
Marv hummed for a moment before saying something I couldn’t make out to someone in the background. “Yea,” he answered. “Why? What have youlearned?”
“His daughter – her name was Kayla – she used to come to Ms. Enders’ camp.” I quickly relayed everything Delilah and Isador hadrevealed.
Marv was quiet for several moments and I heard typing in the background, and then not in the background, as if it was right next to my ear. Had Marv put me on speaker phone? That was answered with a definite yes in the next moment when Texasspoke.
“He hasn’t had any unusual spikes in his accounts,” Texas said, “but he is hurting for money. At least, he is for a business owner. You said his camp takes place in the Fall andSpring?”
“Yea.”
More typingensued.
“That correlates,” Texasreplied.
“So, what?” Iasked.
“The accounts could be off shore,” I heard Marv murmur. “I want to call Knix and Bell and let themknow.”
“Where are they?” I asked as I found a stone bench under a large tree along the side of the villa. When I sat, I could see both the back and front lawns at an angle. I would see if anyoneapproached.
I frowned when Marv didn't answer right away. "They're...out rightnow."
"Out where?" Ipressed.
Texas stopped typing and answered this time, his voice clear over the line. "We can't tell you, Princess. I'msorry."
"Why not?" I snapped. "I'm part of the team, aren't I? Why can't you tellme?"
"It's not about you being a part of the team or not," he said, keeping his tone even. "It's just...we have to follow ourorders."
"Knix told you not to tell me," I realized. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me. That's fine." It was so anything but fine. "I have togo."
"Wait, Harlow," Marv called. "Don't be mad. We'resorry."
"I'm not mad." I took a breath and tried to mean it. I knew I was being irrational, but I was here in this stupid camp because we were working a job. I was just as much a part of the team as they were, and they knew where Knix and Bellamy were. It wasn't fair. I wasn't just mad. I was furious. "Listen," I said through clenched teeth, "I have to go. They're gonna notice that I've been gone for awhile."
"Wait,Har–"
The moment I ended the call my eyes began to water. I sniffed hard and rubbed my wrists against my cheeks. They didn't want to tell me anything they were doing, that was fine. I didn't care. Or at least, I tried to tell myself that I didn't as I made my way back into the building. I tucked my phone away as I rejoined Delilah, Isador, and Natalia in theballroom.
