A Girl in Red

27 | MY RESPONSIBILITIES

Delphi nods before flipping open her spiral of notes. "There's no activity. The wires have been cut, any people we sent in has not come out, but that doesn't mean their dead. We got nothing."

"That's not good."

"The last time we saw or heard anything was two Fridays ago. He was talking to Richard about killing you and they discussed Alana's betrayal. I would not suggest you listening to the recordings."

"Why? I always do."

"Because they do not refer to Alana as her name." Delphi answers truthfully.

Anger bubbles within me. "What do they call her?"

"The Italian Bitch or um...Wop." She swallows as if the word weighs on her tongue. "And worthless guinea bitch."

My hand snapped the pencil and I jumped at the force of splinters and lead. Fury runs hot in my veins and if my ears could steam then they would be making the room a sauna by now. "I am going to skin them alive as their bodies hang over burning coals."

"We can't kill them." Clary announces as she slams the door behind her.

"Clary, I know you're all about humanity a-"

"Chesc, respectfully, shut up and listen." She drops her briefcase on the table and opens it with a satisfying clicking. "Scotty Fraiser can't kill you until after your twenty-fifth birthday."

"I'm sorry that makes no sense."

Misha hummed. "Actually, it would explain why he has backed off."

"He must have realized that if he kills you before the wedding then your gang doesn't go to him. It goes to whoever you have in your will." Clary places her hands on her hips. "It's a very skimmable portion of the contract but it is there. He only gets the hang of you die of natural causes before your twenty fifth birthday."

"Okay? So -" my blood runs cold and all the anger inside me cools into a choking fear. "Fuck this isn't happening."

Everyone but Brooklyn looked confused at my statement. Brooklyn's face seemed to instantly glisten with sweat. Clary shakes her head, "what's wrong? It would go to Brooklyn, she's your right hand."

"Except they weren't when I completed the will and got it notarized." I drop my hand into my face.

"Who was?" Misha questions and I look at her knowingly. "No."

"Yes, my gang belongs to him if Scotty Fraiser kills me."

Delphi and Clary's phone buzzes. They both quickly grab for it and I can see their faces fall. Delphi hands me the phone and I read the bold text from one of the guys we have in Scotty's gang. After two weeks of nothing, this message would be the one to come through.

PI:
SF MT WHT HIE MN
45 DA N GN

Scotland Fraiser met white haired man and made a 45 million dollar deal for the my gang.

PI:
KL HR

Kill her.

As long as he killed me, Scotty would get why he wanted without blood in his hands. Would he kill me for 45 million dollars and then hand my gang over to my enemy? Yes, I can say with full confidence that he would do that.

"Putting a bounty over my head is one thing..." I glance out the windows and watch the manhattan sky. "This is not good."

"We can get you to another safe house, we can ride this out until we get a new will drawn up. It shouldn't be hard." Brooklyn commands.