Page 61 of Holy Sinner

Her hands clench into fists and for a second I think she’s going to take a swing at me, those fucking metal rings acting like brass knuckles. I wait for the swing but it doesn’t come. Disappointing.

“You don’t know the first thing about me,” Jasmine spits the words at me.

“And you know fuck all about Kit.”

Jasmine’s eyes flash with triumph when I say that and she crosses her arms. “She threatened me. Did you know that? Your precious fucking woman isn’t perfect. She’s insane and I know that she did something to Jane, because she did it to me.”

I scoff and turn back to look out at the set. The wall is to our backs now, so no fuckwit extra under Jasmine’s thrall is going to creep up on us. “Bullshit.”

“Really?” Jasmine presses a finger to her neck. “If it’s bullshit then what the fuck is this?” She points at a cut that looks like it’s fresh. There’s not even a scab there, just a pink angry mark that makeup has done their best to cover but I can see it. That means the cut is deep.

Good for Kit.

“What’s what?”

“Kit did this to me.”

“When?”

“The day before we left for this place. You know what I think?” she asks but she doesn’t pause long enough for me to answer her. “I think that she meant to kill me and when she didn’t pull it off she went after poor Jane. Kit’s a fucking murderer and we both know it. Soon, they’re all going to know it, too.” Jasmine sweeps her arm out at the room and the look she gives me is pure victory and venom. She thinks she has me right where she wants me. That she has Kit where she wants her. “You know what else I think?”

It’s almost too easy to push Jasmine off the ledge she’s on now.

She jabs a manicured fingernail into my shoulder. “I said, do you know what else I think?”

I don’t respond. I just take another sip of my water and look out at the room she’s talking to. It’s filled with a bunch of nobodies. All of them are just fodder. Bodies. I’m fine to get caught in the crossfire if it means keeping Kit safe. Jasmine is just another body that I’m willing to throw in the line of fire to keep the woman I love safe.

Jasmine pokes my shoulder again and I hear her inhale. She’s about to unleash a stupid monologue on me but I don’t let her get a word out.

“I don’t give a fuck what you think, Jasmine. Nobody does. That's the truth of it. You’re a lying bitch. If you think I’m going to let you try and ruin my woman’s life, you just proved that you don’t know anything about me, either.” I look at her then and give her a pitying look. “I know what you’re trying to do here, Jasmine. Tell anyone what you think happened and I’ll make sure that every single one of them gets a copy of your debut performance.”

Jasmine gasps. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I fucking would. You think I’m going to let you use this movie to launch your career and shit on Kit?” I chuckle and shake my head. The water bottle is still in my hand. Jasmine tracks the movement and I can see her next play in my head.

Perfect.

“I’ll ruin you. By the time I’m done, no one will give a fuck what you have to say because you’ll just be another jealous whore. I bet when he pitched it to you, he told you it was an art film, didn’t he?” I chuckle. “Most of the girls they trick into that have to be high as a kite to go through with it but not you. You did it willingly. You wanted to do it.”

“He loved me.”

“Did he tell you that before or after he finished with you?”

Jasmine brings her hand back and swings. Her palm hits the water bottle and sends it sailing across the room. I’ve only taken a sip or two from it so it’s pretty full and I’ll give it to Jasmine, she’s got a decent arm on her. The bottle hits the refreshment table and sends a bowl of fruit crashing to the ground. The crash brings everyone’s attention to us.

“You’re a fucking liar. You don’t know what I had to do! It’s what everyone has to do, asshole!” The room is silent, the only sound is the clatter of the fruit bowl rolling on its side. “That video doesn’t exist!”

I almost smile because Jasmine is giving me exactly what I need. More than I need, really. She’s making it too easy. I barely even had to say anything before she went off the deep end.

I raise my hands and keep my face impassive. “I think we have a misunderstanding, Jasmine. I don’t know what video you’re talking about.”

“You aren’t going to ruin me. I won’t let you. You think I’m going to let you and that stupid bitch take what I worked for? Fuck that! I’ll kill you before I let that happen.”

And that is what we call the money shot.

A woman gasps and that snaps Jasmine out of her tirade. She falls back a step and blinks like she’s just waking up from a long sleep. She looks so much like Kit that for once I feel what would be remorse, at least if I was a normal fucking person. I’m not, so I move past it and let Jasmine freefall into the mess, the chaos, she’s created.

She’s not Kit. I’m not going to save her.

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