Page 11 of Grit & Glamour

“Maybe,” I answer. “Their lines were super catchy.”

“Why did you pick us?” One asks.

“I could only get hold of so much money without drawing suspicion, and you were the cheaper option,” I answer honestly, before taking a long gulp of my now lukewarm coffee. How long have I been up already? Time feels so out of focus in here...

“Does he know you were using it for a hit?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” I respond hesitantly, looking away from One as I answer him, my coffee cup suddenly becoming much more interesting.

“Does he know?” he asks again.

“Maybe he suspects. I don’t know. There are a million things people want to do that’s untraceable on the internet, right? He was the only person I knew that I could ask for help. I couldn’t exactly Google it and have it forever stained on my freaking search history, could I?” I exclaim, defending my decision to involve Theo in a small part of my plan. All he’d done was help me get a laptop with everything installed that I needed to get into the darker corners of the internet untraced. “Who knows what he thinks I’m doing?”

“Well, he knows you’re not buying drugs. And I don’t peg you as the type looking for some of the more disgusting stuff out there, and I doubt your Theo would either if he’s spent any time at all with you. So killing someone is a pretty good guess. And who else would a pretty little rich girl like you want to kill? Another dumb rich girl at school? Too far for petty things. No, it would be something personal. What did you think he would do when your mother dropped dead?”

“Nothing. He’d have done nothing,” I declare with conviction. I know that even if he knew, he wouldn’t have done shit. He’s so tangled up in crime himself, he’s not about to report someone else’s. We’re friendly enough in our close moments that I’d trust him not to blackmail me either. Maybe that’s naïve, but I guess if it had come to that, I’d would have had access to my dead mother’s money to pay him off.

“Ridiculous,” he mutters, before adding in a louder, more commanding tone, “We need to pay this Theo a visit.”

“Not until I see my brother,” I insist, and he laughs.

“You’re not coming.”

“The hell I’m not!” I argue. “You’re not getting anywhere near Theo without me there. I won’t tell you his last name or where to find him, so you might as well take me along for the ride.” I wasn’t going to send three killers to my friend’s doorstep. Somehow I’ll find a way to fix this mess, but I have to be there in order to do that.

“You really think we need either of those things to find him with all the information you just shared with us?” he asks in an amused tone.

“I think that you’ll want to go there as soon as possible, because you’re worried someone is trying to fuck with you other than me, or because of any mistake I’ve made. You have to check this out, cross it off your list of possibilities,” I throw the theory out there, letting it just sit in the air for a moment when he doesn’t respond. “It will take time find out who he is and where he lives. Longer than it will take to just let me see my brother and clean myself up a little. You know that I’m right.”

“You have an hour to do both, or you’re telling us the address, and we’re leaving without you.” After I nod in agreement, he continues, “Two snuck into your house last night and grabbed some of you and your brother’s stuff. He found two backpacks already packed and ready to go hidden away in your wardrobe, do you know anything about that?” One asks, seeming genuine in his curiosity.

“Our go-bags,” I mutter, my jaw dropping a little as I realise I’d completely forgotten about them. I kept escape bags ready for both me and Caleb. One set in the wardrobe, one set in the boot of my car, and one set in my locker at sixth-form. “It can never hurt to be prepared.” I shrug, wishing they’d both stop staring at me like I’m insane. Even through the ski masks I can feel their disbelief.

“Smart thinking,” One admits quietly, taking me by surprise. “Your brother is down the hall, to the left, the last door you see. It locks on the outside, so you can let yourself in. Your stuff is in there, and there’s a toilet and sink in a room off from his. Don’t try anything stupid, Scarlett. There’s no way out of here if we don’t want you to leave yet.”

I nod my head in acceptance and dart off in the direction he indicated, eager to leave their intense stares behind me. As I walk down the hallway I feel as if they’re watching every step I take, despite nobody following me out of the room, a thought occurs to me. It may prove quite difficult for us to go to Theo’s together without me seeing their faces. I internalize a groan as I slide open the only lock engaged of the six that adorn the big door.

What the hell have I gotten myself into now?

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