Page 42 of Duchess
It was her mouth that stole the breath from my lungs. It was sewn shut. CA crude fishing line threaded through her lips, twisted into a mockery of a smile.
I staggered back, hand catching the wall as my knees threatened to go out. "Fuck."
"The Turks did this," Paramore growled from behind us, her voice a mix of grief and fury. "She left with them. I know it."
"They knew," I said, my voice barely more than a rasp. "They knew who she was working for."
Paramore nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "This isn’t just any hit. Whoever did this was fucking sending a message."
I turned from Jinx’s body, bile burning the back of my throat.
“That’s it!” Rhea snapped, her curls bouncing, voice cracking with rage. “This shit ends now. We leave. Tonight.”
"Rhea, wait," she pulled away from my hand and turned on me.
She pointed at Jinx, fury sharpening every word. “You want that to be one of us next? Because that’s where we’re headed. And you know it."
Everything inside me coiled tight, sharp like a blade. “I didn’t bring this down on us. He did. The Turks did. They started this.”
“No,” Rhea shot back. “You poked the fucking bear. For five years. We told you to pull back. Told you to stop. You didn’t listen.”
I straightened my spine, the heat of anger buried in my chest. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Then you’re a fucking fool,” Rhea said, stepping toe-to-toe with me. “Because I am. I’m afraid for every girl in this club. For all of us. You want to die? Fine. But don’t drag us into the grave with you.”
The alley fell into a tense silence as Demise emerged through the side door, her heels clicking against the pavement. Her face was unreadable, her voice like steel.
“We need to call it in. Now. If we don't, we'll be blamed.”
Rhea turned to me. "Enough is enough, Stephanie. Call Jameson. Take the deal and let's go."
"If I leave, he wins."
"You both have some sick shit going on between you, I get that. But this is not the way. If it was Caleb who did this, he needs to pay. And if it isn't, then whoever this is, they’re not out to play games."
I heard the sirens in the distance as I stood there, staring into Jinx's empty, judging eyes.
Chapter 14
Duchess
Isat in the main lounge of the Rouge Roulette, wrapped in a blanket, barely listening as a young detective with too much gel in his hair and not enough experience in his eyes scribbled notes and tried to get me to repeat my story for the third time.
"You said you go by Duchess, is that right?"
I nodded. "Yes, that's correct." I didn't want to give them my name, not if I didn't need to.
"You said the victim worked for you?" he asked.
I nodded, voice flat. "She was a dancer for the club.
"You have reason to believe this was a targeted killing?"
My eyes flicked to Rhea, who stood stiff against the wall like she was holding up the damn building with her spine. "You saw her mouth was sewn shut. That wasn’t random."
He scribbled something else, glanced over at his partner who was bagging evidence near the alley.
"Do you know who would want to hurt her like this?"
