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I didn’t take Marlow to the roundup. I know he is siding with Ty. Someone tipped off the blondie about Droga. I don’t give a shit. We all play games.
“We took Kai and Callie to one of the bungalows,” Marlow says.
His tone is careful.
Good.
Should be.
I wipe my eyes. One eye is swollen so badly I can barely see.
“You need a checkup,” he says.
“Make me a drink, please.”
“Archer, just—”
“I’m fine!” I rasp, then close my eyes wearily and wait until he goes to the bar and comes back with a glass.
Cognac burns my split lip. Feels good. Pain is always better than nothing. “Did anyone do a check up on Droga?”
“Yeah. He is fine. Heavy bruises, cuts. But nothing major. His girl said she’ll take care of it.”
I smirk. Of course, she will.
Something drops next to me on the couch.
“Your phone,” Marlow says.
I squint to check the screen.
There is a missed call from Dad. He needs something. Fuck him. And the rest of them.
“You need a doctor,” Marlow says.
“Leave,” I whisper, because I don’t have the strength for this bullshit.
I have escorts coming for a party tomorrow. Back in the days, Droga would’ve partied too. But his arrogant attitude is not stitching up nicely.
When Marlow leaves, I walk, dragging my feet, to the bar to make another drink, then to the desk. The scanner flashes red when I press my bloodied fingertip to it. Cursing, I go down on my knees, hissing from the pain, to find the back-up keycard under the bottom of the desk—you can never trust the computer technology. That’s sad, considering we think it’s top tier.
Finally, when the desk is smudged with my blood after a struggle with the lock, the magic bottle is in my hands.
Pills always save in the worst moments, so I pop two into my mouth.
There you go. That’ll make it easy for a while. At least I’ll sleep.
It’s too hot, despite the temperature control. I need ice. But I don’t have the strength to walk. Or the desire.
Fuck it.
I crawl to the couch on all fours, then collapse onto the floor and lie on my back against the cool stone.
Better.
I fish an ice cube out of my glass and set it on my swollen eye. Shit hurts.
In a while, the pill starts working. Breathing gets easier. I am swimming.
