Her face crumbles when she realises her mistake. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry.” She backs away from me quickly, the words falling from her mouth. “I knew I shouldn’t have come.”
“No, wait!”
She stops dead, and we stare at each other.
“Just tell me how you know my last name is Razor.”
She hesitates. “Because it’s Viper’s, and I know that he’s your brother.”
“Viper?” My head spins trying to slot all the pieces together. “You mean that Danny is your—?
“He changed his name in Spain, long before my mum died and long before I went to live with him. I didn’t know you were his sister until I overheard him and Frankie talking last night.”
“Frankie?” I pounce on the name. “You know Frankie Lastra?”
She nods, her eyes widening at my shocked expression. “I thought he was a bit of a dick at first, but he’s cool now. He and Viper took me to this amazing restaurant last night after—”
“Go!” I cry, pushing her towards the door, fear threading though my veins. “For God’s sake, Bambi, run! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be here? There are twenty of my husband’s men outside who want Frankie and Viper dead!”
“I-I didn’t think they’d care,” she stutters, the colour draining from her pretty face. “I thought if I looked like a dance student, it would be okay.”
She looks so young and terrified I can’t help wrapping my arms around her and pulling her in close. It’s instinctive. She smells of strawberry bubble gum and innocence. “I’ll get you out, Bambi, but you have to leave now. Do you understand?”
She nods into my chest. “He loves you.” I hear her mumble. “He follows you constantly. I was there with him last night outside that sleazy club. I helped set off the fire alarms. When he had to leave without you, he beat the crap out of his car.”
Tears prick my eyes. “Tell him I’m okay,” I whisper into her pink hair. “Tell him I’m not scared.”
Her arms snake around my waist to lock us together. “He has a casino in London. It’s called The Red Encore. He and Viper are using it to help you somehow. There’s a man arriving later, some major drug dealer who they hope is going to help too. I don’t know how, though.”
She sounds disappointed she can’t share more with me, and it makes me hug her even tighter. “Thank you for coming here, Bambi. For being so brave.” I pull back to cup her face, smoothing away the stray strands of pink. “And thank you for helping me last night.”
She frowns. “Frankie said one of the men was hurting you.”
“Five days,” I whisper. “Tell him, five days. And that I love him. That I’ve always loved him. That the words we said to each other fourteen years ago are still true. And keep yourself safe, Bambi. When the war starts, please, please don’t get hurt. Promise me you won’t?”
She nods again. “Promise.” She goes to pull away and then stops. “Do you like Africa?”
At first, I think I’ve misheard. “Africa? You mean as in the continent?”
“Yeah.”
I force a smile, wrongfooted by the sudden change of subject. “I love Africa, but I’ve never been.” Then I try to make her smile too by adding, “Did you know a giraffe has a blue tongue?”
She freezes but doesn’t answer as I hurry back to my stash of paperwork to find a pen. I hastily scribble a note on the back of her enrollment form. Folding it up as many times as I can, I unzip her backpack and shove it deep inside, wedging it between an iPad and a laptop. “Can you give this to Frankie? I can’t get a message to him any other way. My calls and emails are constantly monitored…Damn. I’ve forgotten about the cameras in the reception area.”
“It’s cool. I looped the last hour. If anyone’s watching they’ll just see another bunch of kids and their parents arriving.”
“But how did you—”
“I’ve gotta go.”
She turns away, but I touch her arm to stop her. Removing my branded dance studio sweatshirt, I hold it out. “Put this on,” I urge. “All my students wear one as part of the uniform. The men outside will suspect you less.”
A beat later, Taylor Swift is disappearing in a haze of skinny limbs and black material. It’s a little too big for her, but not by much. I push the sleeves up as she hauls her backpack onto her shoulder.
“Happy birthday, Bambi,” I say quietly, as she disappears out of the door.
CHAPTER 30
FRANKIE
After a week of ninety-degree sunshine, London’s given up the pretence. The clouds started rolling in over the A112 an hour ago, and now summer rain is staining the grey tarmac as Santiago’s private jet touches down at City Airport.
“Looks like he brought the storm with him after all,” says Viper, as the aircraft taxis to a smooth stop a fifty metres away from us, echoing my own thoughts, just as the sky splits with the first bolt of lightning. Five seconds later, a thunderclap is echoing all around us. “Hope you’re not superstitious.”
Unforgiving? Yes. Bleeding red over a woman? Undeniably.
As far as I’m concerned, everything else is on mute.
Leaning back against the car in my black Armani three-piece, I slide my hands into my pockets as the ground staff prepare the aircraft’s steps. Two similar jets arrived an hour ago with a hundred of Santiago’s best men onboard. A fleet of bullet-proof SUVs have already dispensed with them, and now we’re stuck here waiting for the main event.
Crossing my ankles, I hear Aiden’s words in my head:
“If you play in hell, it’s smart to have the Devil on your side.”
That’s if we can get him to dance with us first.
Time is running out.
This is Ada and Alex’s best chance to have the life they deserve; the only chance I have to fulfil my oath to my father without ending up dead myself… Me, Ada, Viper, Bambi, Viper’s whole crew—we’re balancing on a knife’s edge again.
But Santiago is a man who places his bets on first impressions. If we mess this up, we’re all fucked.
Viper starts pacing. “This is worse than a job interview.”
“Let me do the talking,” I say, as the jet’s door swings open.
He’s been acting strange since last night, but I’m not about to call him out in it. Not after what he disclosed.
“Just don’t get us killed, Lastra.”
“Got to take a chance to feed the fury.”
“That sounds a little spicy for my liking… What’s the game?”
“To earn his respect.”
Joseph Grayson is the first to appear, taking the steps with his cool swagger, a young teenager trailing behind him. They don’t look like father and son, but the way the tall Texan turns to address him makes me think otherwise.
The boy walks quickly towards one of the waiting cars and climbs inside, giving us a grin as he passes.
Viper catches my eye. “Great omen. Get the underagers out of the way before the shooting starts.”