up,” he told her. He rolled up the sleeves of his
shirt. “One more word and so help
me, I’ll show you what real damage is.”
“You’re going to hit me?”
“Only if you give me a good reason,” he
grinned. “Please, doll, give me a
reason.”
Raven felt faint, and she saw spots for a
moment, but then she blinked them away. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll
go. Just don’t hurt me.”
“Gladly,” Scott said. “It’s so good we had this little chat,
darling. Really
good to meet you. I mean,
Max has told me so much about you, but meeting you first hand is precious. Just precious.”
“Great,” she replied, simply trying to
end all of this. It was a nightmare
and she only wanted to wake up now.
“I’ll go and tell Max you’ve been a sport
and agreed,” Scott told her. He
started to walk out, but he turned around at the last moment. “One last thing, Miss Hartley.”
Raven forced herself to look at him, even though doing so made her sick to her stomach. “Yes?”
“If I find out you’ve talked to
Jake—even a Tweet, just a friendly hello—I don’t care what. If I find out you so much as breathe in
Jake’s direction, I will send a couple of goons to pick you up. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing,
it won’t matter. My guys will find
you and within twenty-four hours you’ll be halfway across the world, in some
slum in Africa or Asia where nobody can find you. And you don’t want to hear the rest,” he
told her, as calmly as if he was offering her another glass of water.
“I’m sure I don’t,” she replied, not
wanting to give him the satisfaction of showing him how terrified she really
was.
“Good, we understand each other, then,”
he said, and opened the big wooden doors, leaving as calmly as he’d entered.
Raven was still sitting and waiting. She was scared, really scared, in a way
that she hadn’t been in a very long time.
Maybe she hadn’t ever been this afraid.
Max Mendez came into the room moments
later, and he was visibly tense. “Come on,” he said, “we need to get you outside to the car. It’s waiting to take you.”
“Back to Boston?” she asked him.
He averted his eyes, glancing away. “Yeah, yeah. Boston. Come on, we need to hustle.” He clapped his hands like an instructor.
Raven got up and walked out, following
behind him, as he made his way back to the elevators.
Inside the elevators together, there was
a long and uncomfortable silence between them. Max stood with his hands clasped and
just stared straight ahead, still not looking at her, as the floors dinged
during their descent.
This time they didn’t stop at the lobby,
and Raven realized he’d pressed the button for the basement.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her
heart hammering inside her chest.
She had a feeling of claustrophobia, as
if the elevator was closing in on her.
“Just out the back way,” he said,
smiling. “The car’s parked out
there.”
“Oh.” She swallowed drily. Her bladder was throbbing and she wanted
a bathroom more than anything now.
When the doors opened. They were in a dark and dingy narrow
hallway, and it was the polar opposite of the beauty and richness of the rest
of the building. Max led her down
the hallway, which was littered with boxes and barrels and smelled of rot and
mildew.
At the end, he opened a small steel door
and Raven was grateful to see an alleyway back there, with a black sedan parked
close by. Near to it was a
dumpster, and a small gap between buildings to which she could even glimpse
Central Park West, as if it was a door to a beautiful fantasy world.
Through the narrow gap between buildings,
she could see joggers passing by, and rich people walking a tiny dog, and then
a family strolling by, dressed like something from a catalog.
“There it is,” Max said, pointing at the black sedan, which was somehow
shirt. “One more word and so help
me, I’ll show you what real damage is.”
“You’re going to hit me?”
“Only if you give me a good reason,” he
grinned. “Please, doll, give me a
reason.”
Raven felt faint, and she saw spots for a
moment, but then she blinked them away. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll
go. Just don’t hurt me.”
“Gladly,” Scott said. “It’s so good we had this little chat,
darling. Really
good to meet you. I mean,
Max has told me so much about you, but meeting you first hand is precious. Just precious.”
“Great,” she replied, simply trying to
end all of this. It was a nightmare
and she only wanted to wake up now.
“I’ll go and tell Max you’ve been a sport
and agreed,” Scott told her. He
started to walk out, but he turned around at the last moment. “One last thing, Miss Hartley.”
Raven forced herself to look at him, even though doing so made her sick to her stomach. “Yes?”
“If I find out you’ve talked to
Jake—even a Tweet, just a friendly hello—I don’t care what. If I find out you so much as breathe in
Jake’s direction, I will send a couple of goons to pick you up. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing,
it won’t matter. My guys will find
you and within twenty-four hours you’ll be halfway across the world, in some
slum in Africa or Asia where nobody can find you. And you don’t want to hear the rest,” he
told her, as calmly as if he was offering her another glass of water.
“I’m sure I don’t,” she replied, not
wanting to give him the satisfaction of showing him how terrified she really
was.
“Good, we understand each other, then,”
he said, and opened the big wooden doors, leaving as calmly as he’d entered.
Raven was still sitting and waiting. She was scared, really scared, in a way
that she hadn’t been in a very long time.
Maybe she hadn’t ever been this afraid.
Max Mendez came into the room moments
later, and he was visibly tense. “Come on,” he said, “we need to get you outside to the car. It’s waiting to take you.”
“Back to Boston?” she asked him.
He averted his eyes, glancing away. “Yeah, yeah. Boston. Come on, we need to hustle.” He clapped his hands like an instructor.
Raven got up and walked out, following
behind him, as he made his way back to the elevators.
Inside the elevators together, there was
a long and uncomfortable silence between them. Max stood with his hands clasped and
just stared straight ahead, still not looking at her, as the floors dinged
during their descent.
This time they didn’t stop at the lobby,
and Raven realized he’d pressed the button for the basement.
“Where are we going?” she asked, her
heart hammering inside her chest.
She had a feeling of claustrophobia, as
if the elevator was closing in on her.
“Just out the back way,” he said,
smiling. “The car’s parked out
there.”
“Oh.” She swallowed drily. Her bladder was throbbing and she wanted
a bathroom more than anything now.
When the doors opened. They were in a dark and dingy narrow
hallway, and it was the polar opposite of the beauty and richness of the rest
of the building. Max led her down
the hallway, which was littered with boxes and barrels and smelled of rot and
mildew.
At the end, he opened a small steel door
and Raven was grateful to see an alleyway back there, with a black sedan parked
close by. Near to it was a
dumpster, and a small gap between buildings to which she could even glimpse
Central Park West, as if it was a door to a beautiful fantasy world.
Through the narrow gap between buildings,
she could see joggers passing by, and rich people walking a tiny dog, and then
a family strolling by, dressed like something from a catalog.
“There it is,” Max said, pointing at the black sedan, which was somehow
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