Page 50 of Wicked Ends
“Go on, then.” He stepped away so I could go to the door.
I caught up with Sally in the hall.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t feel well. I think I have to get out of here, actually.”
“Oh, really? Bill is heading out, too. He could drop you off; he hasn’t been drinking.”
“Sure, um, tell him I’ll meet him in the parking lot. Happy birthday, and thanks for tonight,” I said, giving her quick a hug.
“Of course! I’m so glad you joined the school. Us young staff have to stick together. Let’s have a girls’ night soon, you, me, and Kenna.”
I gave her a smile and then my attention was snagged by the sight of Marcus sauntering down the bathroom hallway. He gave me a wink as he wandered over to his previous table and sat down.
“I’m going to go,” I told her quickly, relieved she hadn’t seemed to notice the wink.
“Yes, I’ll tell Bill to meet you in the parking lot,” Sally said and waved goodbye.
I took the chance of Marcus being distracted to slip behind the very end of the bar and through the back.
Was I just going to sit back and take this blackmail? Maybe the old Arianna, before I’d fled my hometown and put thousands of miles between me and the monster I’d grown up with. Maybe that person would have… but I wasn’t that person anymore.
I wouldn’t let myself be her again.
From the bathroom, I could see the side doors to the kitchens, and branching off them, the hallway that led to the bedroom where I’d slept with Marcus. A dark and tempting idea occurred to me.
If he wasn’t going to listen to reason, then maybe I needed some kind of leverage. He deserved to feel threatened for once, and I literally had no other way to level the playing field between us. With a quick look around, I ducked into the kitchen, checking to make sure no one was around, before heading down the hall to the padlocked room. I quickly opened the lock and pushed the door open, then activated the flashlight on my phone. I could remember that night as clearly as if it were seconds ago. I knew that Marcus had shit in this room he didn’t want touched… important stuff, unless he’d been bullshitting.
I rifled around in the bags that sat on the floor in front of the closet… nothing exciting. I moved on, my heart beating too fast and my mouth dry as a desert as I found a large athletic bag that was strangely heavy. I unzipped it.
Jackpot.
I tugged the zipper shut and grabbed the heavy shoulder strap, swinging it across my body. I’d seen a door back here. I had tohope I could open it. I hesitated a second on the threshold. Was this crossing a line?
Yeah, like him breaking into Kenna’s house and fucking me last night hadn’t been…
He’d crossed the line first; I was following his example. He wanted to play games? Let’s see how he felt about playing when it was his money and future on the line. He was so smug, so confident that there was nothing I could do to win the twisted little game he’d started between us… let’s see how he took this move.
With renewed determination, I sprinted down the hall and went for the door. It was a simple deadbolt. A stroke of luck, finally. I pulled it open and stepped out into the night.
The sweet smell of spring, the salt of the sea, and the tang of rubber filled the air. I drew in a long, steady breath and made my way to Bill’s idling car.
I got in, slamming the door quickly and glancing around the dark lot.
“Let’s go.”
Marcus
“Marcus,I just talked to Eddie. He said you picked up the bag at the away game?” Cole called to me as I headed in the direction of Ari’s friends to see where she’d gone.
I paused. There were few things I hated more than my brother roping me into MC business, and it seemed to be happening more and more. This was about that heavy-ass bag I’d picked up from the locker room in Portland.
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”
“You look inside?” Cole wondered.
I shook my head. “I don’t want anything to do with your shit,” I reminded him.
He sighed. “Yeah, well, I hope you stored the hundred grand somewhere safe. Who the hell doesn’t check inside the bag?”
