Page 64 of Dubious Match
Why do we all have to be so stubborn?
“Hollis?” Aster asks, coming over to me with a worried look on her face.
“Hi, is everything okay?” I ask.
“Someone is walking through the flowers,” she whispers, appearing horrified. “I don’t know what to do.”
“They’re what?” I ask, almost stumbling as she grabs my arm and begins to pull me along. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she hisses. “Hollis, they’re the Christmas roses! I guess whoever it is dropped something and walked through them to find it. You promised no one would traipse through the flowers.”
Fuck. I did in fact promise that when we booked the event. The paths are well marked, there’s no reason to walk through any of the beautifully planted beds of flowers and bushes.
“Well, I’ll go talk to them,” I reassure her.
As we walk by, Malcolm catches my eye and raises his brow to make sure I’m okay. I smile apologetically and nod, mouthing that I have a flower emergency. He hides a smile and turns back to speak to Brice as I leave the event and walk further down the path with Aster.
“Why would anyone come down here?” I ask. “The event is behind us. I made sure that everyone would be situated where we could monitor them.”
“You really did, didn’t you?” Aster muses. “It’s a beautiful event, but you’ve pissed off some major players.”
A shiver crawls up my spine that has nothing to do with the weather, and I glance at her. Her lips are pressed together in a hard line, and I think about how she’s holding onto the arm that has access to the slit in my dress where my knife lies. I have my hair up in a braid at the front only while the rest is loose and curled.
All of that to say that the pins holding my braid in place are more than simply decorative. They’re very sharp and long, allowing me to slide my left hand toward my hair and palm apin for defense. I’m not sure what Aster is doing yet, but I’m not feeling very safe in her presence and I always trust my gut.
I left the gun in my car due to being in a crowded venue, but I have a high powered stun gun between my breasts in lieu of my traditional knife. I’m still capable of protecting myself if needed.
Fuck. Aster seemed so nice earlier. What the fuck happened?
“You need to let go, Aster,” I say softly. “The security here isn’t as nice as I am. They’ll shoot to kill because I’m important to them.”
I’m no stranger to killing people, but I don’t want to kill her. Something doesn’t feel right about this.
“Maybe,” she whispers. “I can’t let you go though. You need to keep walking. I have a sister, Hollis. Emilia has her. I can’t help you.”
The hard barrel of a gun presses hard against my side and I immediately stiffen. I could try to disarm her, but I also might end up getting shot. Or, I’ll have to kill her, and I know that she’s not doing this because she wants to.
For now, I allow her to drag me a bit further as my mind races to make a decision.
“Aster, I know people that can help you,” I say softly. “The men guarding the property are mafia men, there’s no way they’ll allow your sister to be hurt. However, you have to let me go. I won’t be able to help you if you’re actively involved in kidnapping me.”
God, I’m trying to negotiate with someone who has a gun trained on me. What is wrong with me? The reality though is that I need her to move the gun so that I can make my move. The pin is in my hand, I won’t hesitate to use it, but I don’t want a hole in my body either if I act too soon.
Aster pulls me off balance before shoving me, and my heel catches on the lip of a paver. Unfortunately, the angle I’m pushed at isn’t kind, and I can’t keep myself from falling.Breathing hard as I hold onto the pin, I see a size thirteen boot just before it kicks me in the face.
“I’m sorry,” I hear as my world explodes in pain, but I can’t be sure if that’s the ringing in my ears.
Breathing hard, I force myself to get up, glad my skirt isn’t tight. Another foot kicks my back so I go down again, and a hand clamps onto my hair, dragging me across the ground. Fuck.
The pin won’t help me in my hand, so I shove it deep into my attacker's wrist.
“Ow, goddamn it. What the fuck is that!”
Using his shock against him, I pull away, sacrificing a few strands of hair to get to my feet. There are two men involved in this, and I can’t see Aster anymore. My face is already swelling.
Listening hard, I can tell without looking behind me that the event is further behind me than I’d like. I have to figure this out alone, because I don’t know when someone will think to look for me.
“Emilia really should learn to do her own dirty work,” I rasp, chest heaving.
