Page 89 of Vicious

“That’s what they all say.” Jake hangs up on me, but the phone buzzes with a text a few seconds later.

“Are you actually going to pay a ransom?” Hunter asks with obvious disdain. “People like that don’t deserve to get paid.”

“And using my name? Not cool,” Drake grumbles. “Besides, even if you pay, there’s no guarantee you’ll get her back.”

“That’s why we’re not paying,” I tell them. “Look, just get your guy to track the number I just called. He’s with May. We’ll head to their location before the drop-off time. And…”

“And what?” Hunter asks. “Forget perjuring myself, I’m not going to die for your girl, Chase. You need a more solid plan than going in unarmed against those thugs.”

“Yeah, let’s learn from Hunter and not do the same old shit,” Drake drawls. “Look, you have those contacts with the mob, right? I’m sure you could pay them to help out.” He looks me in the eye. “Depending on how much you want her back. Is it worth owing Pavone or Cresci a favor and some cash?” He pauses, then adds, “I’ve been wanting to talk to Pavone about a girl of my own. I guess we could try to barter this service in too.”

“Really, Drake?” I ask, incredulously. “May’s life is on the line and you’re thinking about shopping for a chick?”

“Hey,” Drake says defensively. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I thought it might help you out if Pavone has even more to gain from helping us. But if you don’t want to use every advantage and bargaining tool you have, I can wait a few weeks.” He stares at me. “But then you might need a new girl, too. I’m taking this seriously, Chase. I’m not fucking stupid. I know how you feel about her. I think you’re an idiot, but you’re still my friend, and I’m not a coward like Hunter here.”

“I’m not a coward,” Hunter interjects. “I’m just not an idiot.” He motions toward our cars. “Now, stop fighting so we can work out a real plan. One that doesn’t involve any of us getting killed by thugs with names like Jake the Lender.”

He’s right, of course. Getting killed won’t be helping May at all. I take a deep breath and follow Hunter to the cars, where we start brainstorming a real plan.

CHAPTER 25

May

There’s an operating table in the middle of the room. My eyes keep getting drawn to it, to the sterile metal bed and the harsh lights and the rolling tables around it.

Baba and I are both chained to a pole on the other end of the room, our hands cuffed behind our backs. “Jake the Lender” had left the room in the middle of his strange phone call, so now it’s just me and Baba, waiting for somebody to show up and cut us open.

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, but I can still see the table in my mind’s eye. It won’t go away. No matter what I do, no matter what I try to think about, the image still hovers there in my vision.

“Well,” I say after a long moment of silence. “I guess we can hope he just doesn’t come back.” I let out a laugh, low and hollow.

I want to ask Baba so many things—like if he really thought he could keep gambling away whatever meager funds we came up with forever.

And how the divorce had actually played out.

“I’m sorry,” Baba mumbles. “I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this.”

“Yeah?” I can’t keep the bitterness out of my voice. “And how did you mean for it to turn out, Baba? What did you really think was going to happen?”

“I just wanted him to stop trashing the house!” Baba explains. “He was destroying our home, May May.”

I shake my head in disbelief, nearly choking on a half-laugh, half-sob. “Things can be replaced. We can’t. I told you we were in danger. I told you over and over that we needed to just leave. Men like that aren’t going to just pat you on the head and tell you it’s okay that you owe them ten grand!”

“You didn’t explain anything,” Baba says plaintively. “You’ve been acting so weird since you got back, May. And I’ve been trying to earn the cash I needed for everything, including taking care of you?—”

“Taking care of me?” I interrupt him in blatant disbelief. I open my eyes, craning my head as I try to look at him. “How were you taking care of me?” I can’t help but demand even though I know that fighting isn’t going to make the situation any better. “I was working three jobs to keep us in a house, Baba!” My voice gets higher and higher, more and more anguished, and I have to fight back the urge to laugh, or sob again, or something. I don’t even know how I should be reacting.

“I was going to win big soon!” Baba counters. “I won a thousand dollars the other day!”

“And how much did you have to spend to win that? How much did you waste trying to score something?” I demand.

“That’s beside the point!” Baba’s face gets red, and I can see the sweat trickle down his forehead.

None of this stress can be good for him, but I don’t care.

“We’ll figure a way out of this,” Baba says, rattling his chains. “We just have to talk to Jake and explain things.

“Explain things?” I sputter. “Baba, he’s going to cut us open and sell us for parts! He knows you’re not going to come up with the money. He knows you can’t come up with ten grand, and he can probably get that much per organ. He’s already laughing his way to the bank because you were stupid enough to tell him where we were!”

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