solid value. Her fingers were itching to snatch that bag off
the bitch’s arm.
But Rico was standing right beside her, arms similarly folded, and Evie knew there was no way she could grab her jewels and run before Rico got to her. Besides, the bitch would just have her
arrested.
So Evie stuck her chin in the air and crossed the room, pulling her suitcases behind her. She wouldn’t look back for one last glance at her beautiful apartment, at its suede sofas and
hardwood floors and recessed lighting, at the floor-to-ceiling windows with their view over downtown skyscrapers and the Hudson River beyond, because if she did, she might start crying. And she
never cried.
She dragged open the door and pulled her cases through, swallowing hard as it shut behind her. Evie’s perfect life was over, as if it had never been. She pressed the button for the lift.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she was going down.
Behind her, her old front door swung open.
‘Mrs Fitzgerald thought you might want this, ’ Rico rasped. ‘She says she don’t need it.’
And Evie heard the familiar clatter of a dismantled pole being dropped to the floor.
Evie wanted desperately to walk into the lift and not look back. But all she had in the world was the cash she had on her. She didn’t have a bank account, only credit cards, and she was
sure that the bitch would have had those all stopped by now. She couldn’t afford to turn down anything she could take with her. And a good pole cost $250.
‘I need the carrying case for it, ’ she said to Rico, trying to sound as if it didn’t matter to her one way or the other.
‘Oh yeah?’ He wasn’t fooled. Those hard black eyes looked her up and down, and slowly, he smiled. ‘You want me to get it for you?’
She nodded.
‘I can’t hear you, babe.’
‘Yes, ’ she said.
His tongue flicked out, and he licked his lips.
‘How much d’ya want it?’
She shrugged, staring back at him. This wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with men like Rico, and the most important thing was to show no emotion at all.
‘Shit, you’re a hard case, ’ Rico said, staring at her hard. ‘I like that.’
He turned and went inside, coming out a short time later with the plastic carrying case for the pole. But he didn’t go back into the apartment again straight away: he stood there, watching
her, as she knelt down and slid the sections of the pole into each other, and then into the case, moving awkwardly in the bulky coats. Eventually she got it done and stood up again, pressing the
button for the lift. Rico watched as she dragged in her cases and then came back for the pole, smirking at her efforts.
Just as the doors were about to close, Rico made his move. He stuck one meaty arm into the cabin, blocking the doors, and with the other he reached forwards and grabbed Evie’s crotch
through her sweatpants.
‘Just so you remember me, babe, ’ he said, leering at her.
His fingers dug in so tight that when he finally let go, she could still feel their grip. She’d have bruises tomorrow.
Evie’s eyes were dry as old bone. Her lips were set in a thin, hard line. She watched herself in the shiny brass doors as the lift sank towards ground level, towards everything she’d
fought all her life to get away from, and she made a promise to herself: one day she’d be back in the sky again, up in a penthouse, with her name on it this time. And if it was the last thing
she ever did in this life, she’d see that bitch crawling at her feet.
Chapter 3
L ola was dragged back into consciousness by a screaming headache. She fought it as long as she could, but eventually the sensation that someone had
driven a metal curtain rod into one of her ears and out of the other was so painful that she opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She didn’t recognise the room she had been sleeping in, but
she didn’t expect to. As soon as she’d woken up, she had remembered exactly what had happened just
the bitch’s arm.
But Rico was standing right beside her, arms similarly folded, and Evie knew there was no way she could grab her jewels and run before Rico got to her. Besides, the bitch would just have her
arrested.
So Evie stuck her chin in the air and crossed the room, pulling her suitcases behind her. She wouldn’t look back for one last glance at her beautiful apartment, at its suede sofas and
hardwood floors and recessed lighting, at the floor-to-ceiling windows with their view over downtown skyscrapers and the Hudson River beyond, because if she did, she might start crying. And she
never cried.
She dragged open the door and pulled her cases through, swallowing hard as it shut behind her. Evie’s perfect life was over, as if it had never been. She pressed the button for the lift.
The only thing she knew for sure was that she was going down.
Behind her, her old front door swung open.
‘Mrs Fitzgerald thought you might want this, ’ Rico rasped. ‘She says she don’t need it.’
And Evie heard the familiar clatter of a dismantled pole being dropped to the floor.
Evie wanted desperately to walk into the lift and not look back. But all she had in the world was the cash she had on her. She didn’t have a bank account, only credit cards, and she was
sure that the bitch would have had those all stopped by now. She couldn’t afford to turn down anything she could take with her. And a good pole cost $250.
‘I need the carrying case for it, ’ she said to Rico, trying to sound as if it didn’t matter to her one way or the other.
‘Oh yeah?’ He wasn’t fooled. Those hard black eyes looked her up and down, and slowly, he smiled. ‘You want me to get it for you?’
She nodded.
‘I can’t hear you, babe.’
‘Yes, ’ she said.
His tongue flicked out, and he licked his lips.
‘How much d’ya want it?’
She shrugged, staring back at him. This wasn’t the first time she’d dealt with men like Rico, and the most important thing was to show no emotion at all.
‘Shit, you’re a hard case, ’ Rico said, staring at her hard. ‘I like that.’
He turned and went inside, coming out a short time later with the plastic carrying case for the pole. But he didn’t go back into the apartment again straight away: he stood there, watching
her, as she knelt down and slid the sections of the pole into each other, and then into the case, moving awkwardly in the bulky coats. Eventually she got it done and stood up again, pressing the
button for the lift. Rico watched as she dragged in her cases and then came back for the pole, smirking at her efforts.
Just as the doors were about to close, Rico made his move. He stuck one meaty arm into the cabin, blocking the doors, and with the other he reached forwards and grabbed Evie’s crotch
through her sweatpants.
‘Just so you remember me, babe, ’ he said, leering at her.
His fingers dug in so tight that when he finally let go, she could still feel their grip. She’d have bruises tomorrow.
Evie’s eyes were dry as old bone. Her lips were set in a thin, hard line. She watched herself in the shiny brass doors as the lift sank towards ground level, towards everything she’d
fought all her life to get away from, and she made a promise to herself: one day she’d be back in the sky again, up in a penthouse, with her name on it this time. And if it was the last thing
she ever did in this life, she’d see that bitch crawling at her feet.
Chapter 3
L ola was dragged back into consciousness by a screaming headache. She fought it as long as she could, but eventually the sensation that someone had
driven a metal curtain rod into one of her ears and out of the other was so painful that she opened her eyes and tried to sit up. She didn’t recognise the room she had been sleeping in, but
she didn’t expect to. As soon as she’d woken up, she had remembered exactly what had happened just
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