Page 53 of Ruthless Contract
“No. I’m still working with Michelle on that. She needed security clearance to make it past a door in the science lab, where she’s searching for intel for our client. I got her the credentials she needed. I’m waiting for the software to verify that no one in the lab is currently using those credentials. But that’s not why I’m looking for you. Tina the Demon just entered the shop. She said she needs you right now.”
My eyes widened.Ms. Tina!This could only mean one thing.Shit.
“Come on. Let’s get back inside,” I told Ivy, then followed her into the shop.
In the back area, I placed my basket of flowers in the storage cooler to keep them from wilting. Then I removed my gloves and tossed them into the red wash bin we used for gloves that had come in contact with poisonous flowers. While I washed my hands, Ivy paced behind me.
“Do you think she’s here about the... incident?” Ivy asked.
“We’ll know in a second.”
“It can’t be about that. Right?” Ivy questioned. “I mean, it’s been so long since it went down.”
“We’ll find out in just a second,” I told her, rinsing my hands clean.
“You took care of it, didn’t you?” Ivy asked. Before I could reply, she continued. “Yeah, you did. And I double-checked and made sure no digital trail led back to us. Kelly never used names. She followed protocol in that regard. Nothing should fall back on us.”
We’d all done our part to cover Kelly’s tracks. At this point, there wasn’t much else we could do. My gaze rose to the mirror above the sink. I had a dirt smudge on my pink shirt and a few smudges on my floral apron.
My gaze drifted to my face. I looked tired. And stressed. With no makeup on, I could see the dark circles starting to form under my eyes. I really needed a few days of rest and no stress. I’d thought today would be a stress-free day. I’d thought wrong.
“If Tina comes bearing bad news, what should we do?” Ivy asked.
I started to speak again as I dried my hands, but Ivy continued before I could get a word in.
“You know what? If someone has found out it was us, I’ll just kill them. If I need to go on a killing spree to protect all of us, I will. Who should I kill first?”
I faced her. “Let’s save murder as a final resort. Come on. Let’s go see what Tina has to say.”
Together, Ivy and I headed to the front of the shop to find Ms. Tina leaning against the counter, dressed in a black business suit and silver high heels.
“It took you two long enough,” she said, pushing away from the counter. “Hurry up and get over here. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Ivy moved to stand behind the register as I walked past Ms. Tina to look out the door, making sure no customers were in the parking lot. I turned the store sign toCLOSEDand locked the door before facing Ms. Tina.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Tina rested her hip against the counter and folded her arms over her chest.
“Are you sure you covered your tracks well after Kelly’s incident?” Ms. Tina asked.
“It’s not Kelly’s incident,” I corrected her. “It involves me too.”
“Me too,” Ivy chimed in. “When one of us messes up, we all bear the blame.”
Ms. Tina waved off our statements.
“Yeah, I get it. All for one and one for all. You can sing Kumbaya after I leave. Just answer my question. You covered your tracks well, didn’t you?” she asked again.
I nodded, a cold chill of dread creeping over me.
“So, there’s nothing that can lead back to you, Kelly, or this shop, right?” she asked.
“Yes,” I insisted. “Tell me what’s going on before you make me have a nervous breakdown.”
“I ask because Tatianna told me that Bryce went to the airport a couple of days ago to pick up his cousin.”
“And?” I asked, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach.
