Page 37 of Queen Of Dark Money

Butit was just a theory.

Eitherway, she was about to be their problem, not mine.Iwas done with her, and these two would be just liquored up enough to miss the womanIwas sneaking into the club and up into their little suite.

Bythe time they walked up and realized she was there,I’dbe far, far away, and they’d be stuck, just likeIhad been when those fuckfaces dropped her on my couch and waltzed out.

Thewhole ride over, she fiddled with the edge of her dress, sudden nerves filling the car as her mind ran silently, a million miles a minute.

Icouldn't take it.Itwas like watching an analog clock, hearing the slowtik tik tikof the second hand and nothing more, waiting for the time to pass but feeling like it never would.

Iwanted this to be over, and the car ride solidified the vibe.

Soon, she’d be someone else’s problem.Icould stop feeling bad for holding her against her will, could stop pitying her for having a shit father who’d rather slip out of a ransom scandal than rescue his daughter.Ofcourse,Ihad no idea what theKingswere asking for, so maybe he felt his daughter was a sacrifice worth of the cost.

I’dnever do the same in his shoes, but perhaps that’s what made him such a killerDistrictAttorney.Likea dog with a bone, he held firm to the last, refusing to bow to anyone other than his own reflection.

Iadmired his dedication and staunch, unbending spine.Hehad a lot of backbone to go up against the biggest group of criminals this side of the river.

TheKingswere nothing to sneeze at.Iwould know;Ilaundered a shit ton of their money.

Somethingstill nagged at me, though.Shewasn’t at all like whatIexpected her to be, but there couldn’t be any truth to her claims, could there?Surelywe’d have known in advance if there was a secondSinclairsister.She’dhave been in public scrutiny sooner.

Nobodycould hide a second child, not evenSinclair.

Ishook off the confusing thickness that hung heavy in the air and turned the car off, glancing over atMissSinclairone last time.Aftertonight, she would no longer be my problem.

Sowhy wouldn’t my hand let go of the keys hanging from my ignition?I’donly had her with me for a week, and in that week,she’d been my own personal tormentor, pulling all manner of stupid pranks to piss me off.Iwanted nothing more than to return to my calm, peaceful life.

Ididn’t want someone as chaotic and troublemaking as her around, hanging on my leg, acting like a dog, barking whenIhad phone calls from prospective and current clients.Ididn’t need to wake up and wonder if there was something more than toothpaste in my toothpaste tube.Ididn’t want to buy all new silk shirts again after finding them all dyed an impromptu pink.

Thefact that she’d used her panties to do that still impressed me, though.

Shewas nothing if not innovative.

Iexited the car and went around to her side, helping her from her seat like a gentleman.She’dbeen warned ahead of time not to interact with anyone, not to draw attention to us, orI’dbring her right back out to the car and take her back to my penthouse.Ithink she was afraidI’dmake good on the threat.Shedidn’t need to know thatIhad no intention of leaving here with her for any reason.

Whatshe didn’t know didn’t hurt her.

Orme.

Iwalked her straight up to the side entrance the boys andIused for meetings, slipping in with a cursory nod to the doorman.Onthe other side of the door, the noise from outside was beyond audible.Itwas damn near deafening.

Shelagged behind asIgrabbed her wrist and led her down a hallway lined with doors on either side–all closed, thankGod.Hereyes were everywhere, trying to take it all in as we passed room after room.Iheld my breath, praying there was no noise coming from any of these rooms, butIshouldn’t have worried.Iknew damn wellBlakesoundproofed all his private rooms for his more exclusive clientele.Itwas one of the things that made his club so in-demand.

Blakedidn’t know it, butIknew where he hid that little spare key to his studio apartment in the club.IcaughtWeatherstonputting it back one night after a bender and slipped out of sight in time to avoid being caught spying.Itpleased me immensely whenIbent over, found it exactly whereIexpected to, and pulled it from the crack in the wall.

Securitywas lax around here.Itwould drive me crazy, if it directly affected me.

Notmy circus, not my monkeys.

Ishoved her into the small apartment, cringing at the way these stupid walls made me feel almost claustrophobic.Icouldn’t stand small, enclosed spaces.Theyfelt like a perpetual trap.

Theair was thicker in here all of a sudden, andIgroaned, almost in pain asIgrabbed for a nearby notepad and scribbled a quick message to the assholeIwas dumping her on tonight.He’dknow who it was, and this did nothing to delay or prevent the inevitable phone call later, but it would suffice.

Iripped the top note off and stuck it to her forehead, making quick work of tying her to a chair in the middle of the room.Itwas almost as if they’d conveniently left it here for me to use.Justwaiting for her.

Sheprotested her detainment, butIwasn’t in an argumentative mood.Withevery second that passed, the terrible aesthetic of this place, combined with the enclosed floor plan, got to me in a way nothing else could.Iwanted out, so with a last glance back at her pleading face and snarky brow quirk,Inodded to myself and slipped out the door.

Ilocked the door behind me, replaced the spare key becauseIwasn’t a savage, and slipped out the wayI’dcome in, slipping into my car and sneaking away in the night with no one the wiser to my brief presence atDownUnderthat night.

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