Violet Grenade(78)

Instead of answering him, I say, "What are we going to do about those girls, Cain?"

He studies the side of my face, and my knuckles whiten from gripping the wheel. "We need cash to get out of here. If those girls were caught quickly, it's probably because they stopped too soon. We need gas money to get us far enough away, and extra in case something happens to the car along the way. No chances."

Cain grabs the wallet he took from the officer and looks inside. He frowns and shoves it in his pocket. "Empty."

I sigh. "The only way I can get access to the money I've earned is by applying to leave."

"And you can't do that." Cain rubs his jawline. "Maybe we could ask Angie for help."

"No way. We can't drag her into this." I focus on the road ahead. Madam Karina's home rises on the horizon like a corpse pulling itself from the earth. Chills race down the back of my neck as we move closer to the place I fear most. But this is one thing Cain and I are in agreement on. We must return to Madam Karina's Home for Burgeoning Entertainers. Until we have a proper plan to escape and decide how to free the girls from their cells, we have to play our submissive roles.

"Do you have any ideas?" Cain asks.

I do, but I don't want to say it aloud. I don't want to think about what Jack will ask me to do for a pocket full of cash versus a bronze coin.

"I'll get us the money we need," I say.

Cain glances at me in the safety of the dark, his brow furrowing when he understands what I mean.

"Domino, I don't want-"

"You really aren't going to leave me?" I ask, my voice so small it could be swallowed by a crow.

Cain resumes rubbing the officer's blood off his palms. "I'm here as long as you want me to be. For better or worse."

Me, too, Wilson adds quietly.

I pull in a deep breath. "I'll get us the money. You just convince Madam Karina that nothing has changed."

Cain tells me to park the car in the exact spot we found it, and after I kill the engine, we both stare up at the house, dreading going inside. I'm about to speak, to reassure him we'll be okay, when another vehicle pulls up alongside ours.

It's a red Honda Civic, and there's a woman in the driver's seat. When I squint, I make out who's in the passenger seat. "Duck!"



       
         
       
        

Cain follows my lead and lies down flat against the leather seat. Our bodies cross each other, my face pressed against his taut stomach. Slowly, Cain wraps his arm around my waist. Almost immediately, my pulse slows. I hear the sound of a car door opening and closing, and then quick steps leading away. The car backs over the gravel drive and out the gate.

Cain and I wait five minutes before lifting our heads and checking to ensure Mr. Hodge went inside. Even after I see that we're in the clear, fear still racks my body, sending tremors through my limbs.

"What does he think he's doing?" Cain says. "It's one thing to do it on the sly. But to have that woman drop him off in front of the house? Madam Karina will kill him."

Would that be a bad thing? Wilson asks.

Hush.

No, really. You should ask him. I'd like to know his response.

I roll my eyes at Wilson, and remember that though I've told Cain the secrets I carried about my mother and the things we did together, there's still one I've kept to myself.

Don't you dare, Wilson warns, hurt flooding his voice. Don't you tell him about me. Please.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Cain asks.

I gaze up at the house. "We've got to be quiet when we go inside. No one can know we were gone."

"Domino, about what you said. About getting the money?"

"Don't worry about it," I tell him. "I can take care of myself."

I open the car door and float toward the house like a ghost. Like I left the real me back in that Pox county jail.





Chapter Fifty

Lullaby Lie

The next morning, the rankings scroll across the Tulips' digital placement board. I'm awarded top rank for the week, but Poppet falls into third place. I guess the customers were as tired of the stuffy atmosphere as I was. They wanted some excitement, Poppet tells me, and I gave it to them.

She pretends to be happy for me, but I can tell she's afraid of being separated. I reassure her that it won't be an issue for much longer, and when she asks what I mean, I cave and tell her what Cain and I discovered the night before.

Poppet and I are standing on the front porch when I share the news. The sun shines merrily, ignorant as I speak in a hushed tone. Poppet rocks on the porch swing, the chains squeaking in time with her movements.

When I'm done explaining, she says, "So when do we leave?"