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“What did you do to her?” Tatum’s voice is thick and unclear. She’s beside me. My back is up against a wall, it feels like. Everybody’s voices echo—it’s a vast space wherever we are.
“Shut up,” a man grunts. “You’re nothing but extra weight.”
“Fuck you,” she sneers.
“Don’t,” I whisper, lifting my head and trying to see through the cheap cotton hood. There’s a lamp overhead, even though it doesn’t cast enough light for me to make any details out.
That gruff voice rings out directly in front of us, so close he must be standing over where we’re sitting. “You didn’t bind their wrists? Are you an amateur here? What the fuck do I pay you for?”
Tatum scrambles next to me—she’s trying to get up. I don’t have time to reach for her before she grunts. The sound of her body hitting the floor fills my ears. “You asshole!” she screams. “I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Oh, I know who this little spitfire is,” the man observes with a cruel laugh. Suddenly a pair of hands grip my wrists, binding them with rough twine. “Tatum Torrio.”
“That’s right, fuckface,” she snarls. “Which means you’re either seriously fucking stupid or have a death wish.”
“Shut up,” the man sighs. “There’s a time to shut up and a time to talk, and it’s clear your daddy never taught you that. I could snap your neck like a twig and not even give a shit. Hell, you could fetch me a higher price, although I could also kill you to prove to your father how far I’m willing to go. If he wants the opportunity to meet his other kid, he’s going to fall in line.”
Bile fills my mouth before I catch hold of it. I can’t throw up in this pillowcase. I can’t let myself lose control. His confession is a bucket of ice raining down on me. This is all about the baby. They want to use the baby. Our baby.
Tatum’s laughter is high-pitched, unhinged. “Oh, you think you’ll get him to do what you want? You have no idea who you’re screwing with. He’ll tear your beating heart from your chest and toss it at your feet.”
“I’m petrified.”
“Tatum, stop,” I whisper, inching closer to her. “You’re going to get yourself hurt.”
“Listen to your friend,” he advises with a snicker. “She’s a lot smarter than you, even if she did get herself involved with a stupid piece of shit.”
“Keep talking, asshole,” she snaps. “I can’t wait to watch you die for this.”
“Wait!”
My head snaps up at the sound of a woman’s voice. Rapid footsteps fill the air—she’s in heels, whoever she is. “What the hell is this? No. Not her! She wasn’t supposed to be here.”
“It’s a little late for that. She’s here now, so we’ll make it work.”
The woman comes to a stop in front of us. “No. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. She’s not a part of this.”
That voice. Even though she tries to whisper so we can’t hear, I know that voice. It’s too late. I’ve already heard her clearly—and that’s not counting all the times I’ve listened to her taunts in my head.
Tatum realizes it too. “Mom? Is that you?” Suddenly she’s a little girl, miles away from the cursing, snarling wildcat she was seconds ago.
“Tatum…” Amanda whispers.
“What is this?” she demands, her voice cracking. “What are you doing? Who are these people?” I can’t find my voice, even if I would like to know the answers as well.
Amanda’s shadowy figure shoves the man she’s standing next to out of the way. “This wasn’t part of the plan. You’re not taking her. We only need this one.”
“Amanda, you’re exhausting,” the man sighs. “And you seem to forget who you’re talking to. This is my operation, not yours. You provided the information I needed. I’m grateful for that. Nonetheless, don’t you dare get the idea that you’re the one calling the shots.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying I do what I want, and I’m tired of your kid.”
All hell breaks loose a split-second later. There’s a sickening noise, like a punch but much worse. Tatum falls against me, limp and heavy like she was before. “No! Tatum?” I moan, nudging her. Her body moves helplessly, landing across my legs. “Tatum! Wake up!! What did you do to her?”
Amanda lets out a horrendous shriek. “You fucking bastard! This is over. I’m telling him everything, you son of a bitch.”
The man laughs. “Funny, how fast someone can outlive their usefulness.”
An instant passes before an ear-splitting crack makes me jump, yelping in surprise and fear. There’s a heavy thud nearby, followed by the smell of sulfur as gunpowder fills my nostrils.
He shot her. Dead. Amanda. She’s dead.
Tatum might be dead, too. She’s not moving. I don’t even know if she’s breathing.
The air in my lungs stills. Panic grips me by the throat, suffocating the life inside of me. Something hard and warm presses against my temple. The world slows down, and every muscle in my body locks up.
