Page 60 of Bitter Arrangement

“Prick,” I mutter, but he’s absolutely right.

“Just hold tight for my signal.”

We fall into silence. I hear him typing on the other end. His breathing is steady and strangely calming. I’m nervous as hell and on edge, but he doesn’t seem bothered at all. It’s like he does this sort of thing all the time.

In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have pushed so hard.

I mean, he’s right. This plan is crazy. But I’m absolutely confident I can pull it off, even if I’m starting to have some second thoughts.

This is what happens all the time. I make an impulsive decision, stubbornly refuse to change, and regret it afterward.

I could back out. I’m sure he’d be relieved if I did. In fact, he already tried to talk me out of this a dozen times.

But I’m committed. We’re in this mess because of me. I’m going to clean up after myself, even if I do it in my own crazy way.

And besides, there’s no way I can turn back now, not when I feel so freakingalive.

For the first time since I got married, I have control over my situation. We have a plan, and it’s up to me to make it happen. Nobody else can pull this off except for me. I feel brighter, the air is sweeter, and my body is stronger than it’s ever been.

“You want to hear something?” I whisper while glancing at my watch.Two minutes.

“Tell me, baby.”

“I had this sick obsession with screwing up back when I did gymnastics.”

A short pause. “That doesn’t sound good.”

I stifle a nervous laugh. “No, I mean, the moment right after. I nevertriedto screw up, but you know, stuff happens.”

“What were you so obsessed about?”

“That feeling the second after you know you fucked up bad. Sometimes you’re flying in the air, mid-twist, and you’re absolutely positive you’re about to land hard and it’s going to hurt. Then you land hard, and it hurts like hell, and you have a choice. Give up, since your routine is boned anyway, or get up and finish. Every girl reacted differently in that situation, and it was so fascinating.”

“How did you react?”

“I got the fuck back up and did my thing. Here’s my secret: I fall on my faceall the time, but I just keep on going.”

He grunts and stops typing. “We’re in. You ready?”

I pull the Kevlar blanket off my back. “Watch this.” Then I shuffle out along the branch, moving like I’m on a balance beam, and toss it forward.

The blanket lands right on top of the barbed wire. It bends and flexes, and the branches wobble. I have to reach up and grab another branch to keep from falling over, and still one foot slips. I curse, just catching myself, and straighten up.

“You good?” he asks.

“All good,” I say and take two quick steps forward.

The branch bends precipitously. If I planned on staying, it would absolutely dump me out. But instead, I leap forward, twisting in mid-air so I can grab onto the other side of the blanket.

It goes perfectly. Exactly what I wanted. Except I didn’t really plan for when I slammed into the fence, and it hurts like hell. My face bashes up against the top of the metal, and I curse as pain flares in my mouth. I taste blood from where I bit my tongue, and my fingers barely hold onto the chain. I stay there, clinging to the side for a beat, catching my breath.

“Graceful,” Alexan says.

“Asshole.” I slowly climb down to the other side and brush myself off. “I’d love to seeyoudo that.”

“There’s a reason I’m on this side of the job.” His tone gets more serious. “You have ten minutes. I’m in their security system right now. All the cameras are set to show a loop of the last hour, but don’t take any risks.”

“Where are the guards?”

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