The Arrangement Anthology 2(103)

"I only speak the truth." His British accent comes through stronger on that phrase.

I march up the stairs so that we're on the same step. Tipping my head to the side, I ask, "Then tell me, who's been trying to shoot me?"

Henry's smile falls like a monkey from a tree. Plop. Dead on the forest floor. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, for example, where were you?"

He laughs and presses a hand to his chest. "You're a presumptive whore. How dare you question me? I offered you a life that most women could only dream about and you turned me down. You have no right to be here." He snaps his fingers and the man who let me in reappears. Henry turns on the stairs and takes a step up. "Show her out."

"I wouldn't do that." He turns and looks down at me. "There's a bodyguard due to come plowing through that door any second now. Tell me what I want to know and I'm gone."

Henry's gaze cuts to the door and then to the servant. He's seriously annoyed. "Leave us." When we're alone, Henry slides his gaze over my body again, like I'm the hooker he ordered. "You need to know who you are working for."

"And I suppose you know?"

"Of course. After Black's thug broke my ribs I wanted to make sure the correct person was repaid that kindness." He smiles viciously.

"You tried to strangle me."

"Only a little. Some girls like it." He winks at me.

"What do I have to do to get the name?"

He gives me a coy grin. "Me."

I make a disgusted sound. "Yeah, I don't think so. No freebies."

"Still hung up on Ferro?"

"No, he's gone actually and if you didn't act like such an asshole I would have gone out with you in a heartbeat. Better play your asshole card closer to your chest next time. You have less than 60 seconds by the way. Where were you last night?"

He gets in my face and beams that arrogant smile that the wealthy master in grade school. It's irritating. "With your friend, having the good time you didn't enjoy."

"I want a name. Now."

"Of course. Her name is Amber. I came by to see you, but you weren't there. She invited me into her bed and I accepted. I left when her boyfriend came."

"You admit that you were in my room last night?" I don't know what to do with this information. I expected him to deny knowing anything.

"Of course."

"It's rather convenient that the only person who can vouch for you is dead."

His snarky smile fades. "She's dead?"

I tap my forehead. "Bullet. And then someone shot the shit out of my bed assuming it was me. You're lucky you were gone or that could have been you."

His skin pales to paper white and he sits down hard. Henry's gaze becomes unfocused as he stares across the room. "The boy was shot, too?"

"Yes. A lot."

He looks up at me. "We had sex in your bed. I wanted you, so we—" He closes his eyes and pinches his temples.

"Who else saw you?" When he doesn't answer, I tap him with my foot. I can see Bob out the window, headed toward the door. "I need a name. Now!"

Bob pounds on the front door, which snaps Henry back to life. "The girl with the long black hair, a few doors down. She was asking Amber about her roommate."

"Asia?"

He nods just as the door flies open. Bob punched it. The two slabs of glass splinter and go flying across the marble floor as the doors burst open. Henry looks over at Bob as I skip down the steps. "Come on. I got what we need." I turn to look at Henry. "If you come near me, Bob will snap you like a lightstick and hang your body on a tree in Heckscher. Got it?" Henry nods.





CHAPTER 12

"I need a phone!" Trystan won't give me mine.

He shakes his head. "Sean said if he can find you, we screwed up. No phone."

"Asia saw him last night. She can say what time and confirm Henry's story."

"And if she does? Then what?"

"Then it's not him and we start over." I look out the car window. We've been driving in circles because he doesn't want to go back to his dad's house.

Trystan's phone rings. He answers it. "Ferro." He looks over at me. "Yeah, she's fine. No, I haven't let her do anything stupid, unless I count."

I slap him hard as my eyes go wide. "Don't say that!"

Trystan covers the phone with his hand. "He won't believe me anyway." Trystan returns to his call. "And what the hell am I supposed to do with her tonight? I'm playing at the Garden. It's not like I can cancel a show." He's quiet, and then adds. "Don't think you're the only one who cares about her, dipshit. If I didn't, I wouldn't have taken her with me. So find out what you need to know before it's too fucking late." He hangs up. Wrinkles line his normally smooth face before he throws his phone at the seat across from us. It bounces off and hits Bob. Trystan grabs his face in his hands and sighs.