Page 68 of His Pretty Little Lies
“We might need her. First, we should figure out what the Marinos already know. I’m guessing the most they know is about Jim. They have no clue where he is, though.”
“I still think we should move. I’ve heard a lot of whispers about how good the Marinos are with intel. There are now multiple generations of them.”
“And what? Leave everything?” Gina motions to the wall where all the tables are lined up. I’m sure there are millions of dollars' worth of product on them.
“We’ve made enough to disperse at this point.” Eduardo hurries over to the tables, grabbing a box out from under one. He starts to throw things into it. I glance over to the stairs.
“Don’t think about it. We might not kill you right now, but I can bust your knees,” Gino warns. I swallow and find the will to talk.
“You should take the drugs and go. Leave us here,” I tell him. “Jax won’t stop until he finds me, and if you do anything to me—” I let that hang.
“Over pussy?” Eduardo scuffs.
“Shut up, you dumb shit. The Marinos are insane when it comes to their females.”
“They’ll slow us down. Let's pump them full of drugs and get out of here. They’ll think they OD’d.” Eduardo really is a dumb shit.
“Keep packing. I’m going to call Father and see what he thinks we should do.”
“Now you’re the dumb shit.” Gino scoffs at his brother. “You saw what happened when Lisa got out of line. Which, not to mention, was Dad’s idea, and that went right to shit.” Who the hell is Lisa? Could that be the other dead girl from the warehouse? “He killed our sister. You think he won’t kill us?”
“She was useless. Lisa knew fucking one of Dad’s men would be a death sentence to her. She was only as good as the marriage she could have gotten. Cunt was tainted.”
Blair and I both glance at each other. I’m sure my eyes are as wide as hers. These people clearly don’t play by any set of rules. Gino pulls out his phone, ignoring his brother's comment, and makes a call.
“We have to try and get out of here,” I whisper to Blair.
“I know,” she whispers back.
“We just have to make a run for it.” There isn’t much of an option. They could kill us at any second. The dad they’re calling might tell them to do just that. Clearly, I have qualms about killing anyone.
Blair is to my left and closer to the stairs. Good. My first goal is to get her out of here. I got her wrapped up in this mess. All she did was be my friend. Plus, they might keep me alive for collateral.
“When I say go, we bolt to the stairs. Okay?” Blair closes her eyes for a second but nods. I wait, watching the two men bicker. Their attention is on the phone. “Go,” I tell her. We both stand, and Blair bolts across the room. I follow after her but stop when Eduardo pulls out a gun.
I spin to face him, putting my hands up, making sure to block the line of path to Blair. I can hear her going down the creaky steps. She made it. “Don’t.” Gino grabs the gun from his brother. “We need that one. Go after the other one,” he orders Eduardo.
I move in front of the stairs to block Eduardo. I know it’s useless, but I’m trying to buy Blair every second that I can so she can get away. I’m also hoping that Jax and the rest of the Marinos have figured out where we are and are closing in on us.
“I may not shoot to kill you, but don’t get it twisted, little girl, I will still shoot you.” Gino points the gun at me. “Move and I’llspare your kneecaps.” I move over ever so slightly to allow room for Eduardo to pass.
“When I catch your little friend”—Eduardo stops in front of me—“I’m gonna teach her a lesson." He reaches down and grabs his crotch. A rage I’ve never felt before fills me, and before he knows what’s coming, I lift my knee and slam it into his balls.
He doubles over, and I try to bolt down the stairs next, but he snags me by the ankle, making me fall forward. I hit the ground, catching myself on my palms.
“Get the other girl!” Gino shouts at his brother as he grips my hair, pulling me to my feet. I let out a scream as he drags me back toward the mattress, shoving me down onto it. I roll over to my back. He stands over me, the gun trained at my knee. I close my eyes, bracing myself as I hear a pop, but I don’t feel anything.
My eyes spring open to see that Gino is now pointing his gun toward the stairs. A loud groan echoes in the stairway.
“Eduardo?” Gino calls out for his brother. It takes a beat, but he finally shouts back.
“Here, got her.” My heart drops. Does he mean he caught her or killed her? The creaking of the stairs is loud, my heart pounding in my chest. Eduardo comes into sight. I let out a gasp when I see Jax right behind him, a knife to his throat.
“Put the gun down,” Jax tells him. His voice is deep and gruff. It’s different from what I’m used to, an icy coldness to it.
“Not a fucking chance. You’ll kill me.” Gino turns the gun back on me.
“How about you put the knife down?” he counters. Jax is still moving toward us, Eduardo in front of him.
