The Love Algorithm - Vol. III

【67】Spilled Tea

Lex and I had thought the tattooed man was some random guy from the internet, who'd found out about the price on Nammota's head. We hadn't found anything about him, and even less about any affiliation with Becker. But if he was really here right now, he must have been more involved than we'd thought, taking his orders directly from the man who wanted us dead.

I'd never been this scared in my life. No thoughts managed to make it past the raging sound of my blood beating in my ears, clogged by sheer panic. If they found me here, that was it. I'd be dead before the day ended. And they'd probably use me to get Lex as well.

Tears filled my eyes, and I only noticed it when some rolled over to fall down my cheeks. I should have listened to Lex and quit when he'd asked. I'd pushed my luck too far, and now it might all be too late.

Fuck... I didn't want to die.

The voices outside came closer to the door, and that prompted some good sense to strike me. Before I could even think about it, my feet were rushing to the small closet, the only place where I could hide in this room. I opened the door, threw myself inside, and just as I closed it, isolating myself into darkness, the men entered the home office.

My utter distress was aggravated by the fact that I couldn't breathe. My lungs weren't working, refusing to expand, and all I could muster were shallow and short intakes. Closing my watery eyes, I forced myself to calm down, focusing on my sternum to take deep, long, and slow breaths. In... and out... If I started sobbing or kept being so loud, they would find me and kill me.

The first few seconds, all I could do was work on regulating my breathing, so I wasn't panting with anguish anymore, to be as silent as possible. I didn't even pay attention to what they were saying, too preoccupied with everything else. If Becker needed anything from this closet, it would be the end of me. The two men would find me hiding in there, and the snake guy would recognize me.

Eventually, I was appeased enough to make out what they were saying on the other side of the panel. "So, do you have the chrysalis, Zane?" Becker was asking. So, that was Zane Horvat? The snake guy was the same one who'd posted about Nammota's bounty? We'd though he was just a hitman, someone ready to make some movey, but he was much closer to Becker than that...

"Yes. Came all the way from Tennessee. It's been a long drive." It was the first time I heard the snake guy's voice, and it sent icy chills under my skin. His tone was coarse, like someone who smoked too much, and there was something cold and lethal about it. "I think you'll like this one," he continued. "I have a picture if you want to see for yourself."

What the hell was this about? Was the snake guy Becker's hitman and his supplier for his collection?

There was a moment of silence, where the snake guy must have been showing Becker the picture of the chrysalis.

"Hmm... Beautiful specimen. You outdid yourself, Zane," Becker approved with esteem. There was something in Becker's tone that made me shiver. The man's enjoyment of butterflies went further than simple appreciation. "You'll get your payment upon delivery, and if the picture is accurate, I'll even throw in a bonus."

"The usual time?"

"Yes. The guests will start arriving at eight, so be here before seven."

The strangeness of their exchange almost distracted me from the fear of getting caught. Earlier today, Mrs. Reed had told the maids we needed to double up on the effort, as Beckers was hosting another one of his parties on Saturday evening. Apparently, he did those monthly, and the entire household was used to it. The entire staff was dismissed for the night, aside from a few security guards, and no one really knew what it was about. He was extremely secretive about it, which led me to believe it might have been some sort of swingers thing.