Page 10 of Queen Of Dark Money

Andthe fact that we hadn’t seen it coming was concern enough that we were slipping, becoming complacent in our situation.Andthat just wouldn’t do.

Stoneclapped his hands together and cast his lazy gaze around the room, focusing on each of us in turn. “Well, gentlemen, it’s been a great run, but this is where we separate the men from the boys.Idon’t plan to take the fall for these fuckwads.SoIguess that meansI’min.”

Rafecleared his throat, standing with his now-empty glass in hand. “I’malso in, thoughIknowI’lllive to regret this.”Heglanced over atDominic, his lips pursed. “Howabout it, old man?”

Dominic’slips curled in a snarl. “Whatother choice doIhave?”

Andnow they were all staring at me.Ofcourse.

Therewas only one option.Likehe’d said, they had us over the fire.

“Letit be known going in,I’mnot a huge fan of this plan.AndI’mnottaking the first shift with her.”

Rafechuckled, dusting off the legs of his pants with a sigh. “IguessI’llmake that call, then.”

CHAPTER FOUR

KENZIE

Weekthree of dead-end jobs by day, whoreish cam girl acts by night, andIwas still barely scraping by.Betweenmy mom’s medical bills and my own cost of living, even spreading my legs for tips wasn’t enough.Andyet,Istill kept at it, because even if we lost our home, even ifIlost the car or had to sleep on a park bench,Ididn’t care–as long as she got the chance to live.Aslong as she got the operation she needed.Thatwas the important part.

Isat in the waiting room once again as the doctors drew blood and ran tests to make sure she was healthy enough once more for the surgery she needed to give her a fighting chance.Icouldn’t bring myself to stand in the corner while they poked and prodded her endlessly.I’djust be in the way, after all.Sowhen they came in with their tools and those looks on their faces that meant one thing,Imade myself scarce with a half-assed apology to my mom and posted up here until one of the floor nurses came to get me.

Fifteenminutes passed, and still no sign of a nurse, soIstood up, dusted off my ass, and marched over to the nurse’s station.Thepoor girl stuck on night shift tonight looked new, so young and innocent with her pretty smile and those big doe eyes;Ialmost felt bad for her.Somepatients and their families were hard to deal with.Nodoubt she’d face a world of abuse before the end of her shift.

“Hey,Margie,”Isaid, trying for cheerful but missing the buck, “I’mgonna sneak out to the cafe for a hotAmericanoor something.Ifmy mom asks for me beforeI’mback, let her knowIdidn’t go far, okay?”

Margie’smegawatt smile lit up the room and cut through the gloominess that threatened to take over this ward. “Surething, miss, uh, miss–”

“Kenzie.Mymom’s in room 505.”

Shesnapped two manicured fingers together, her mouth forming an‘oh’shape. “Right!You’reKenzie.Gotit.”

Iturned around and headed for the elevator bays, tapping my foot impatiently as the numbers indicating the floor the damn thing was on continued upward.Three, then a pause.Four.Finally, it hit floor five, whereIwaited patiently for it.Thefucking car was empty, whichIconsidered a great boon becauseIhad neither the desire nor the capacity to talk to anyone right now.Mylife was falling apart, the world was heavy on my shoulders, andIhad nobody to turn to for help.

Theride down to the main floor was a long and lonely one, leaving me with several minutes to mull over the toxic thoughts running through my brain.CouldIkeep this up, and for how long beforeIinevitably crashed?Wouldthere ever be a light at the end of the tunnel for me?WouldIever see the sun rise again on a day whenIcould breathe without anxiety or fear thatIwasn’t doing enough?

Mymother would tell me to stop and take a breath, but every breathItook was suffocating and made my chest tight.Itfelt like poison in my lungs, eating away at me from the inside out.

AndIcouldn’t do a thing to stop it.

Thedoors on the elevator opened with a monotonedingand yanked me from my melancholy thoughts as a host of people began to bum-rush the car beforeIcould exit.Panichit me in a fresh wave asItried and failed to suck in enough air to breathe, the walls closing in on me asIfearedIwouldn’t get out of there before they blocked me in.Afew muttered apologies and a shocked gasp of surprise later,Iworked my way out of the damn thing before it could take off upward with me still in it.Thelobby was quiet for this time of day, not thatIwould have noticed, as focused asIwas on simply getting out the doors at the other side, soIcontinued out into the cool night air, gasping for breath, suffocating by the timeI’dreached my car.

Thestars and darkness surrounded me, yet what should have felt freeing and open only served to make me feel like the entire universe was pressing in on me now.Icould practically sense their prying eyes, their knowing looks, asIleaned my back against the side of my beat-up old junker and slid to the ground, silent tears mingling on my cheeks as they worked their way down my face.Airwas hard to come by, though it was abundant outside.Icould feel myself shutting down but was powerless to do anything about it.Ionly prayed that someone wouldn’t walk past me and involve themselves at this inopportune point in time.Thelast thingIwanted was someone’s pity asIbroke down for the first time in a long while.

Whatseemed like hours but could have only been mere minutes passed asIsat there against my car, my ass slowly absorbing the dampness from this morning’s rainstorm that still permeated the concrete, tears flowing but no sound coming out.Ihad finally learned to breathe again, no small miracle, and as my hand swiped away the tracks of moisture that marked me as a broken woman.Thecold air chilled me to the bone, butIcouldn’t feel it as acutely asIshould, because all my mentalcapacity was focused on remembering how to breathe, calming the anxious, racing thoughts in my head.

Thesound of my ringtone echoed faintly around me, andIsnapped back to myself, managing to clear my mind and snatch the phone from my pocket before it stopped ringing.Thecool metal case shocked my fingers, the first sensationIfelt since coming out here.Witha long-suffering sigh,Ishoved my breakdown to the back of my mind, forcing my breaths in and out asIflicked the answer icon and brought it to my ear.

“H-hello?”Myvoice was calmer thanI’dhoped for, andIjust prayed that whoever was on the other end didn’t notice the tiny quiver in it.

“Ihave a proposition for you.”

Nononsense, no preamble.Howvery like him.Theremaining waver in my voice calmed as a mask of indifference settled over my soul. “I’mlistening.”

“Yoursister needs to step away from the center stage for a while.Thingshave been rough on her, and she’s a delicate flower.Notlike you–you’re hardier than a cactus in the desert.”Ididn’t appreciate the comparison, but it was the closest he’d ever get to a compliment, soIlet it slide. “Ican’t have people asking questions while she recovers, soIneed you to stand in for her–appear beside me at public events, smile, bat your eyelashes, and sip champagne whileIshake hands and network.”

Iblinked stupidly, not believing my ears. “Andwhat doIget in return?”

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