Page 52 of Pump Fake

My heart fell.How will I escape now?

“I’m told you’re Paul Sinclair’s daughter, here in his stead. I have good news.” A smile curved his lips but never reached his eyes. “It’s almost your turn.”

“My father said he paid you a lump sum and we didn’t need to worry.”

“Ah, so you do know something.”

I shook my head. I didn’t know if it was wise to talk to him at all or not. “I went to see him today,” or maybe it was yesterday. I had no idea how long I had been in that room. “It was the first and only time. That’s what he told me when I said someone was following me.”

“Your father lied to you.” Anger turned his brown eyes black. “He failed to tell you he skipped out on his payments, and the debt has come due.”

“It was his agreement with you. And if you do something tome, he won’t care. It won’t make a difference because he only cares about himself.”And maybe Mom.

He lifted a lock of my honey-blond hair and rubbed it between his fingers before releasing it. “I doubt that very much.”

“It’s true.” My hatred for my father grew tenfold. He had to have known what would happen. “He won’t care, so if you’re trying to punish him, this is the wrong method. The only thing that will work is going after whatever he has left to live for. And I can promise you, it’s not his family.”

He hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my face to stare into my eyes. I stripped away all the fear and let him see the truth behind my words. As his thumb caressed my cheek, I shivered with revulsion.

“Even if it’s true, it doesn’t matter. I have you now. And you’ll prove useful.”

I trembled at the thought of never seeing my sister again. And Ares. God, I’d been such a fool. I wanted so much more from him than a fake relationship.Why didn’t I tell him I’ve fallen in love with him?

Shouts bled through the walls, different from the woman I had listened to before. His hand fell away. I tensed. If I saw an opportunity, I would make a run for it. Vincent turned and strode to the door. I jumped up and followed, bending to slide under his arm.

Pain exploded along the back of my scalp, my momentum jerking to a halt. Vincent had a handful of my hair. The hard press of steel against my temple made me freeze.Is this it? Will he pull the trigger?

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ARES

Anthony wouldn’t tell us anything, but we figured it out. The hallway to what appeared to be his office had a door in the back with an elevator behind it. Kylian found zip ties and duct tape in his desk. We’d secured his arms behind him, pocketing the tape if we needed to shut him up. None of us wanted anything to do with the guns—the ones on Anthony and his guys—but they were a necessary evil for what we planned to pull off.

I had my hand locked around Anthony’s bicep and a gun pointed at his head. I glanced back at Liam, who nodded and flashed me his phone, already videoing everything. Then, at Kylian, who also confirmed he was good.

Things could go sideways, and Liam said we needed proof for Fiona. Two videos were better than one. As for me, I’d turned on the voice recorder. We weren’t taking any chances. Those assholes needed to be behind bars. Maybe they would end up in prison with Brielle’s dad. I hoped so.

I tensed as the elevator doors opened. Muffled screams filled the air, and I jerked Anthony back half a step until I realized they weren’t coming from the hallway before us. It wassurprisingly empty, but that could be because of the auction or betting event—the one that would be, or was being, raided that night.

Several closed doors lined the hall on either side.Could Brie be behind one of them?“Where’s Brielle?”

We would check every goddammed room until I found her. We inched forward, and I shouted for Brielle. Kylian tried the doors, which were locked, while Liam continued to needle Anthony.

A gurgling laugh left Anthony’s bloodied lips. “You’re too late. She’s already gone onto the floor. She’s probably bleeding out right now.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Liam snapped. “The cops are onto your organization. You’re going away for the rest of your life.”

“That won’t happen.” Anthony smirked. “We own this city.”

“Bullshit,” I snapped. “You only think you have that much power, but there’s no way the police chief or the mayor will let you get away with kidnapping and trafficking girls.”

“Of fucking course I’ll walk. And right after, I’ll have you three killed. We can arrange for that to happen right next to your dead girlfriend. Poetic justice, if you will.”

“You don’t have crooked cops to help you,” Liam pushed.

We needed names, and if we could get Anthony to trip up and give them to us, it would only help ensure he went to jail and stayed there.

Gunshots sounded. Muffled screams and shouts bled through the walls from somewhere in the building. A door opened farther down the hallway. I tensed, jerking Anthony to a stop.

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