Page 161 of Lush

“What are you talking about? What did I do?”

Her eyes hardened as she took another step closer. “You killed Conrad. That’s what you did.”

The words hit me like a punch in the gut. My breath caught in my throat, my heart racing as I processed what she said. “What? I didn’t?—”

She swung her free hand, palm colliding hard with the side of my face. My head whipped to the right and a sharp pain radiated through my temple.

“Shut the fuck up.” Nina’s eyes were wild, almost unrecognizable. “Be cool, Laurene. You don’t want this to get messy.”

I stood there, dazed, my face burning with the sting of her slap.

“You’re going to do exactly what I tell you, or I swear to God, it’ll be your funeral next.”

Her fingers tightened on the gun, and I locked my eyes on the barrel, terrified that one wrong move would be the end of me.

“Now walk.”

I walked. As I stepped out of the hospital room, I glanced toward where the security detail usually stood—but they were gone. The hallway was quiet, too quiet. No guards. No Reese. No one.

“Where are the?—”

“Getting rid of them was a nightmare,” Nina cut in, sounding weirdly happy about it. “But I managed. You’re welcome.”

Welcome?I bit my tongue.

I forced myself to walk steadily past all the nurses and doctors, who were busy with other things. A conversation about a patient’s vitals. The beep of machines in nearby rooms. A clipboard tucked under an arm. Life moved on around me like nothing was wrong, like I wasn’t walking toward something I might not survive.

The elevator doors slid open. I hesitated for half a second—long enough for Nina to push me forward.

“Inside.”

I stepped in, and she followed, close enough that I could feel the heat of her breath at my shoulder. The doors shut with a softding, sealing us in.

The metallic walls reflected us back—me, standing stiff and controlled, and Nina, standing behind me, the gun hidden from anyone who might see. But I could see it. The black shape against my back. The slight shake in her fingers.

I had only a few seconds to figure it out before we hit the ground floor. Before she got me outside.

Outside meant fewer people. Fewer distractions. Fewer chances to run.

I needed to actnow.

The numbers above the doors ticked down.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Nina shifted behind me, adjusting her grip.

Six.

Five.

I had to do something.

Four.

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