Page 121 of Till Death Do Us Part

We all hid behind Elsa’s cherry-blossom-tree room screen.

“The lights!” I hurried and flipped them off, the lanterns coming to life with soft light.

If Elsa was really paying attention, she’d see our figures shadowed behind the screen, but I hoped she’d notice the new lanterns first.

The door opened, Elsa said, “What the he—” and we all screamed, “Surprise!” And jumped out.

When I did, two strong arms picked me up by mine and set me flush against the wall. Fredo was next to me, mimicking my position, like he was waiting for a bullet to come whizzing through.

“Better safe than sorry.” He shrugged, fixing his shirt, though it didn’t have a wrinkle.

Someone flipped the lights on, and the hugging started. Elsa was genuinely surprised, but I could tell she’d been irritated before she walked in. It took her face a few minutes to soften. I didn’t see Cassio or Adelasia, but I didn’t bring it up.

What Cassio had told me while we were dancing, about Elsa being a pain in the ass, made me wonder if they had a tremulous relationship. I could tell she truly liked the little girl, but she needed the money, and Cassio was doing it for his daughter.

Lo set two little speakers up next to Elsa’s laptop and started playing music. “True” by Spandau Ballet filled the apartment, along with the smell of amazing food and the sound of everyone talking.

Elsa set her chin on my shoulder while I made a plate of food. “Thank you,” she whispered, kissing my cheek. “You and Kerry are the best-est friends a girl could ask for.”

“My Charlie’s Angels,” Hayden said, grabbing a drink from the cooler.

“Okay, Bosley.” Elsa rolled her eyes.

He lifted the can in the air. “Who’s ready to play some games?Wooo!”

Kerry groaned as she came to stand next to us. “I’m not playing.”

We agreed, but also agreed the setting was better than negative zero weather, standing on top of a high-rise hotel’s rooftop.

“But…” Kerry smiled at us, holding out her hands. “Let’s dance!”

I took a bite of my food before Elsa set my plate on the counter, and Kerry grabbed my hand. Lo must have been stuck in the 70s and 80s, because she was playing music from that time.

“I’m going to run to the bathroom!” Elsa said, dancing her way there.

Fredo had been watching us, but his phone must have started ringing. He put it to his ear, his forehead tightening as he started heading toward the door. My heart gave a huge leap, thinking it might be Felice. Sometimes he’d show up out of nowhere. Maybe Felice had called and told Fredo to open the door.

My heart fell a hundred stories when Fredo swapped the phone for his gun. He went to stop one of Elsa’s friends from opening the door. Too late. A man stood on the other side with a mask on his face and gloves on his hands. He was dressed in black fatigues.

Before Fredo could get a shot off, the man seemed to blow ashes, or something powdery, in Fredo’s face. He dropped like a sack, the gun sliding away from his hand.

The man blew more at Elsa’s friend. She went down.

The man’s eyes locked on me. He shut the door before he charged toward me. I started taking fast backward steps, not sure where to go.

“Hey!” Hayden yelled.

Every eye in the room turned to the man, and besides the music, there was only silence. Lo was too panicked to shut it off.

The man reached in a pouch hanging from his pants and blew the same stuff in Hayden’s face when he went to charge him. Hayden’s leg was in motion, and he completely stopped and fell. Some of the stuff drifted in my face, and I immediately lost all my senses. The only thing I could feel was my heart hammering in my chest. The room spun, but the man held me up.

“Where is it?” he snapped in my face.

“Where is what?” I slurred out.

“You know!” he hissed at me. “Tell me. Now!” He glanced behind him, at the door, like maybe he was anticipating company.

“I have no idea…” The music in the background reminded me of pliable mozzarella, stretching, stretching…the words elongating in slow motion.

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