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“I’m sorry,” he says, surprising the hell out of me. “I’m not trying to control or isolate you, Allegra.” He reaches out, brushing his fingertips across my temple and cheek, urging me to look up at him. His multi-colored eyes reach deep into my soul, begging me to believe him. “I’ll explain everything when I get back, okay? All I want is your safety and happiness.”
I nod, letting Armando press his lips to my forehead. He tells me he’ll be back soon, and I smile, but inside, I’m numb. Armando says he’ll leave his card on the counter next to his iPad and I can order anything I need. Then he promises to bring back lunch. I can barely hear him over the alarm bells ringing in my ears.
My emotions are tied up in a massive knot in my belly, but I ignore them, choosing survival once more. I refuse to be taken advantage of again.
Once he’s out of the bedroom, I spring into action, throwing on my old clothes and putting my hair up into a messy bun. Armando thinks I went back to sleep, but I sneak down the stairs and listen while he calls his driver and gives him the address he needs to be dropped off at.
Bingo.
Ten minutes later, I’m in the back of a cab hurtling toward the South Bronx on my first ever recon mission. I’m sure Armando didn’t intend for me to order a taxi with his card and iPad, but I had to use the tools available.
I want to believe Armando. A less jaded version of me probably would. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to trap myself in another helpless situation like I was with my uncle. If Armando won’t tell me what his day job is, I’ll have to find out for myself.
“You sure this is the right address, miss?” the cab driver shouts. He’s nearly a hundred and fifty years old if I had to guess, and as far as I can tell, he can only hear out of one ear and see out of one eye.
“Yes,” I reply, though my stomach churns as he comes to a stop in front of a seedy strip mall with most of the storefronts abandoned.
The old man shrugs, apparently not overly concerned about fighting me on the matter. Fair enough. I don’t know what I’d tell him, anyway.
Stepping out of the car, I quietly close the door and take stock of my surroundings. It looks like the only two businesses still open in this decrepit structure are a pizza place and a car repair shop, neither of which seems like an ideal meeting spot.
What the hell is your job, Armando?
“Easy now, we don’t want any trouble,” someone says from inside the repair shop.
“No trouble? Then why did you bring the muscle?” another man replies, his voice higher pitched and weaselly. It sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.
“In case you decided to run your mouth again,” Armando growls.
I stop dead in my tracks a few feet from the entrance to the shop.Armando is the muscle? He said he was in security…
A few other voices overlap, and I creep forward, peering through the glass door to see where the commotion is coming from. No one is in the front lobby, and I look around the door, trying to see if there is a bell or alarm that would trigger if I opened it. I don’t see anything, so I take a chance and slip inside, closing the door behind me.
I take a calming breath, willing myself to stop shaking. I need to see who Armando is talking to and why they sound so familiar. The front desk is abandoned, but behind the reception area is a small hallway with a light at the end. The voices get louder the further down the hallway I venture, and I know I’m close.
“...any other customers lately?” the first man asks.
“What are you guys getting at?” the familiar voice whines.Where have I heard it before?
I slide along the wall until I reach the office at the end with the bright light on. Gathering up every scrap of courage, I peek through the crack in the door, and the air drains from my lungs when I finally see who’s inside.
Aaron Charmicael.
My uncle’s business partner.
I can’t breathe, can’t blink, can’t feel my heart thumping in my chest as I absorb what this means. Has Armando known this whole time? Did he strike a deal with my uncle and Aaron? Oh, God, does he work for my uncle? Does he…
“Hey!” Aaron shouts, his brown eyes cutting across the room and landing on mine. “Who is that?”
I stumble backward, falling on my ass and banging my head against the narrow hallway wall. Jumping to my feet, I sway slightly at the sudden movement, then gasp when the office door is wrenched open.
Aaron is standing in front of me, a look of confusion plastered on his ugly mug. “Allegra?”
“Allegra!” Armando shouts at the same time.
“Who the fuck is Allegra?” the other man grumbles.
This can’t be happening. It’s worse than anything I could have imagined. Why am I so stupid? He said all the right things, and I fell right into his trap.
