Page 3 of Forget Me Not

“Wasn’t meant to be.” My lips curl in a snarl.

“Grab it,” he tells Winton, before snapping his fingers twice, beckoning another man. “Give her the dough.”

With a stern expression, clearly meant to intimidate me, the newcomer hands me a new case, this one full of cash. At least that better be what’s in here.

They all turn as if they’re just gonna walk away, but I straighten my back and call after them. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Not so fast, boys.”

Three pairs of eyes land on me while humor plays on their lips. I rest my hand on my hip, making it clear that I will retaliate if they don’t give me the opportunity to check the contents inside. I might be fourteen years old and new to the drug world, but I’m no rookie. Not only that, Mom’s already got me in eyesight, double-fisting pistols that are pointed at two of the three men.

The boss’s henchmen glance sideways toward him, seeking silent permission to proceed. He slowly tilts his head in my direction, subtly giving them the green light.

I stiffen my posture and narrow my gaze, glaring at the boss as I kneel down and unlatch the briefcase. Sure enough, stacked neatly inside are bundles of cash—thousands, to be exact. I don’t count it. Playing this game for long enough, I can easily tell it’s all there.

“You can go now,” I tell the men.

“You hear that, Winton,” the annoying one says. “The toddler said we could go.”

Winton knocks the dipshit upside the head, and I’m grateful he did the deed for all of us. Then in a split second, the henchmen disappear into the shadows, leaving me with their boss…alone.

I watch his sleek black shoes as they draw closer and closer. My heart races and my palms become slick with sweat as the toe of his boots touch the edge of the briefcase. He drops down to level his black eyes with mine.

“You’ve got balls, little Trixie. But a word of advice, don’t do this shit again.” He plucks an unlit cigarette from his ear and sticks it between his teeth. It hangs carelessly from his dry lips as he pulls a lighter out of his breast pocket. “Next time you might not be so lucky.”

“I’m not scared, if that’s what you think.”

He chuckles, a smile forming that makes wrinkles gather on either side of his lips. “Oh, I can see you’re not scared. That’s the problem. We all need fear because it forces us to set boundaries for ourselves. Your lack of it will get you in some serious trouble one day.”

I push down on the lid of the briefcase until it latches. Resting my palms on the cash that will no doubt get me and my mother out of this place, I look deep into this stranger's eyes. “Boundaries are for people who have the luxury of setting them. And fear is for the weak.”

Sliding my fingers through the cold metal loop of the briefcase, I yank it up and straighten my back. The man's eyes follow my movements, but I refuse to acknowledge them. Without a backward glance, I leave the docks to meet up with my mom, so we can begin the process of setting our next plan in action. Starting a new life.

ChapterOne

RHEA

May 13, 2022

Charlotte, NC

Twenty Years Old

Holy fuck!He can’t be. Can he?

Oh. My. God! He is.

He’s…dead.

This is the second time one of my clients wound up dead in the last two weeks. Am I truly naive to think this is a coincidence? There are no common denominators with these two bastards, aside from them being rich, horny, and on the Siren’s Call app. A handful of days ago, I had a client drop like a fly right at my feet in a hotel lobby outside of Tulsa. I fled before the paramedics even arrived. Fortunately, I got to keep the cash deposit I was given prior to his death, but still, I was out three hundred bucks.

I replay the last words of who was supposed to be my client, John.“It’s been so long since I’ve been with such a beautiful woman.”My stomach drops as my brain begins to process this. Could his excitement of what was coming literally have been the death of him? Forbothof them?

Unless, it’s him. The man who’s been following me for the last couple months. But, why? It doesn’t make any sense why he’d end the lives of these innocent men, but allow me to run free.

Regardless of whether or not he’s doing this, nothing has changed. I have to keep going. Just a little longer.

I step closer to the lifeless body on the bed. Bile rises in my throat and I gag, bringing up the lobster and steak dinner this stranger bought me before we came up to his hotel room. It definitely doesn’t taste as good coming up as it did going down. I quickly force myself to get a grip. If I throw up in here, it’ll be proof that someone was with him when he bit the dust.

With a trembling hand, I grasp the cold, bony shoulder of the naked man. Gently, I roll him over onto his back. For such a slender guy, he's heavier than I imagined he would be.

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