Page 5 of Bells
I twisted around, the fake bones in my spine rubbing together and clanking with the movement. That sound was better than a good nut sometimes. “Why? You coming?”
Bugs glanced up at me before returning to whatever weird code shit he was looking at on his computer. “No.”
“Yeah, didn’t think so.” I grinned, shaking my head as I slipped out into the hallway. Fucker needed to get out more. Or likeever.
The pharmacy door caught my eye and my grin widened. So wide my face would hurt if I could feel it. I couldn’t. Just a slight stretch of muscle, more like the little nerve endings knew the shit was supposed to burn but didn’t know how to replicate it.
I used the card I swiped a few years back against the panel—I mean, it might as well have had candy shop written across the door—and pushed my way inside the room. Where I scooped up a couple bottles of pills, a handful of glass vials, and some syringes. I liked having options, depending on where the night brought me. And then I was skipping down the stairs of Briarwood and over to one of the spare cars we kept in the back lot. Some of 'em were stolen, some belonged to former patients, and some just appeared and never left.
The Merc would do today. It was Lambo’s favorite. I clicked it open with his spare fob, slid behind the wheel, and adjusted the seat. Which was way back too far, likely because of the extra weight he was starting to carry on him. A quick rev of the engine and I was speeding down the driveway. Off to find my entertainment for the evening.
CHAPTER FOUR
BELLATRIX
Vee was sitting at the head of the table. Her dark eyes, brown skin, and gray hair complemented by the burgundy suit and white dress shirt she was wearing. Her nails and makeup perfectly painted on. A few gold rings on her fingers, never too many, and her matching gold earrings catching the light. The image of refinement and control that she and Gabby both shared.
I was three chairs down, my boots propped up in front of me and my palms clamped behind my head. The chaos to their order.
Vee’s expression was neutral but I could read it a mile away. Something was bothering her. Probably the same something that was bothering me. We were going through a dry spell. Our phones hadn’t rung in weeks and all our inboxes were empty. And the tip lines? Crickets.
Wives just didn’t want their husbands offed like they used to. To some, that might be a good thing. To us, it was fiscal suicide.
I’dsuggested we branch out, take on some male clients. That idea was nixed faster than my favorite piece of metal traveledthrough a hot barrel. We were a certified girls club. I understood the reasoning, didn’t make it easy to stand by when it was hurting our pockets. And, right now, our pockets were full of cobwebs instead of couture.
Wah, wah, wah. I know. I get it. First world problems.
We couldn’t help it if we had expensive tastes. I liked my gadgets and Gabby liked her shoes and fancy green juices. No cash meant we were both on a shopping cleanse. It also meant we were grumpy. And bored.
I flicked the folded-up, faded photo across the conference room table, waiting for it to land in front of Vee. I knew her well enough to know it was better if I kept it on me for a rainy day.
“What about him?” I jutted my chin towards the photo.
“Whatabouthim?” She shoved it back in my direction. But I saw the flicker of irritation on her face. Her eye twitching slightly and her jaw clenching as she sucked on the back of her teeth.
I shrugged a single shoulder. “Rossi was willing to pay.”
“Rossi doesn’t meet the criteria,” Vee countered.
“Last I checked, she had a pair of tits.”
“Rossi isn’t desperate.”
“But we are, and we have tits too.”
I could feel Gabby watching us, her eyes bouncing back and forth. She knew the target was Vee’s kid. By birth. She just didn’t understand what that meant. Neither did I, honestly. Blood didn’t make you family. But spilling it together sure did. Which meant we were closer than family.
“Leave it alone, Bellatrix,” Vee hissed.
Ouch, she just full-named me. Mommy was mad.
“We need the work,Veera.”
She narrowed her glare. I narrowed mine right back. See? We fought like family too. Though usually it was me and Gabby teaming up together. She was suspiciously quiet at the moment. A sure-fire sign that she was just as curious as I was.
“You’re just gonna let them keep that poor girl locked up against her will. Let them do who knows what to her and her baby.” I didn’t know if any of that was true. Honestly, I didn’t care. But I knew it would hit Vee where it hurts. She had a thing when it came to new mothers. Likely because of the shit she went through when she was young.
Vee was the first to look away, her eyes softer than they’d usually be. God only knew what the woman saw when she looked at me. My guess? It was the girl with pigtails thicker than the rest of her. I’d filled out over the years. Not much. That wasn’t in the cards for me. But I was definitely better off than when she took me in. Vee made certain I had the meds I needed to combat the muscle weakness, balance my glucose levels, and keep me from crashing out forehead-first on the table. The rest was on me. No drugs, no drinking, maintaining a healthy workout routine.
