Page 23 of The Duplicity of Thieves

“Why are you here?” She stands in the kitchen with her arms crossed and the fridge wide open. Bella sits at the table next to me, avoiding my gaze. I guess they talked about this before they came in.

“I live here?” I know what she means.

“Something is up with you, Jo. You’re in this place sulking around. I used to go at least three days a week without seeing you. You’ve been here for weeks. What’s going on?”

Her lips are pursed, and her eyes squint at me. It’s the first time I’ve felt like a little kid in years. For a second, I wonder if she ever knew about the book, but she was never interested in such things. Kate’s eccentric values seemed to bother her, and she tried to stay away from them as much as possible. Her mother thought it was blasphemy, and even though she never said so, I think she did, too.

“I’m taking a vacation from work,” I lie.

She slams the door and comes to sit at the kitchen table. “Vacation my ass. What’s going on between you and Staff?”

My body instinctively goes rigid, and she catches the movement instantly.

“We aren’t speaking to each other right now.” A half-truth to fill the void of the lie she’s caught me in.

She looks like she’s had an epiphany. “You two are fighting?”

“We’re not a thing, Viv. Just needed a break from work.” I shrug.

“Good.” She relaxes. “I was starting to think you might work yourself to death in my absence. Clearly, I was wrong. How long of a break are we talking?”

“To be determined,” I say crisply and change the subject. “Where are you headed to?” They’re dressed up for more than delivering groceries.

“We’re going to a club with one of my coworkers tonight. You know David?”

“The one with four cats?”

“Apparently, he’s finally willing to introduce us to his boyfriend,” she gossips.

“He has a boyfriend?” I’m bewildered, honestly. Who wants to date anyone with four cats? Those things live with you longer than children.

“You know what?” Vivian starts wiggling in her chair like an excited little kid. “Come with us!”

I stare at her trying to figure out what excuse will get me out of this, and I can’t find one that she won’t refute. I really don’t have anything better to do. I’m bored and cooped up.

“Fine.”

“Wait…really? You’re not going to come up with an excuse?”

“I’m reinventing myself.” What a stupid thing to say.

But maybe I am. I’ve spent so much time still living under Kate’s rules, and if what Staff says is true, it’s possible that I could be kidnapped or killed. I haven’t had ‘fun’ for the hell of it in a really long time. I’ve used work as an excuse, and even when I wasn’t at work, I thought about work. I’ve managed to keep it together while I’ve been alone, so far, but I can’t stay here any longer or I’ll spiral.

“No fighting,” she warns.

I hold up three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

Vivian chatters at me from outside the bathroom door while I get ready, telling me gossip or random work stories that she thinks are hilarious. When I step out of the shower, she’s already thrusting a handful of clothes at me through the door. I pull on fishnets, torn black jean shorts, and a long sleeve mesh crop top that manages to cancel out my scars over a black bralette, finished off with a leather harness and combat boots. She sits me down on the toilet seat and puts dark makeup on me like a doll.

When I look in the mirror, I hardly recognize myself. I look like a deeper version of the girl I used to be. Vivian waits with bated breath for my approval.

“You should have been a makeup artist,” I grin.

She giggles and takes a bow. “I wear many hats.”

We perform my three shot ritual and head to Vivian’s friend’s house. When we walk in, we’re greeted by all four of his cats. I’ve met David in passing. The only knowledge I’ve ever retained is that he has cats, and he thinks they’re his children. To each his own, I guess.

David wears a brown choker with a matching leather vest and no shirt. He’s ripped, which I guess you have to be because…cats. Vivian is dressed in an orange crop. The center of the shirt is basically non-existent. A few chains are hanging across, holding it together. Bella is in a dark colored suit with a netted top underneath.

---