"At least he helped Frankie," Leanne said.
Everyone nodded their agreement.
"So, are you just going to carry Madam out on the elevator?" Erin asked Ricardo.
"No, I'll use the service elevator."
"What service elevator?" Krissy questioned.
"The one in the kitchen."
All the girls looked at each other in confusion, and Erin asked, "What elevator in the kitchen?"
"The one between the chef's room and the pantry."
"I thought that was a closet," I stated.
Ricardo shook his head. "Nope. Service elevator."
"Why are we just learning about that now?" Carla questioned.
"It's not like you all could have escaped. You need the code to access it," Ricardo clarified.
"And you know it?" Erin quizzed.
Ricardo shrugged. "Yeah. I have for years."
Erin shoved at his chest. "You could have gotten us out of here for years?"
"It's not that easy," he retorted.
"And why not?" Leanne cut in.
"For one, there are cameras, and Mr. Russo would have seen me let you guys escape."
"You could have given us the code." Krissy crossed her arms over her chest.
"And when Mr. Russo saw you all leave, who do you think would have been a dead man?"
Everyone was silent for a moment. Ricardo had a point.
"So, you chose your life over us?" Carla questioned.
Ricardo shrugged. "I'm sorry. You all know how dangerous he is." Everyone nodded. "I'm afraid of what he'll do when he learns of all this." Ricardo motioned at Madam and the blood from Frankie that was still on the floor.
"We need to stop him," Quinn stated. No one expected her to say that about her own husband.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Erin asked.
Frankie's mom and Jackie shared a look, and Frankie's mom said, "Well, we already have one plan in play."
"And what's that?" Ricardo questioned.
"I put antifreeze in his scotch."
"Did he drink it?" Clarissa asked.
The two older women shrugged, and Jackie answered, "We left before he was home."
"He's at the auction, right?" Frankie's mom asked Ricardo.
He shrugged. "I think so."
"It should be over soon." We all turned to see Frankie walk into the room.
"Frankie!" I rushed to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Easy there, princess. I was shot."
"Sorry." I stepped back, and Frankie looked over my shoulder.
"Mom? What—what are you doing here?"
"Well"—she blew out a breath—"I came back to kill your father."
I woke in a strange room.
When I opened my eyes and finally looked around, I realized it was the room Zell and I had used when we fake-fucked. God, I hated that room. No telling how many sick fucks used it to get their rocks off.
I groaned as I sat up. My chest was killing me, and I felt lightheaded. I remembered getting shot, the burn as though someone had stuck a cigarette into my skin, but I didn't remember going to sleep or anything after Zell shouted that Saffron had shot me.
That fucking bitch.
My ears perked up when I heard yelling coming from down the hall. Standing was easier than sitting up, and I swayed slightly as I caught my balance and then exited the room to see what all the commotion was about. I feared it had something to do with Zell, but when I got out into the hall, I heard Ricardo telling them about a service elevator, and then my mother said she was trying to poison my father. My own mother.
Zell and my mother rushed to me, Zell reminding me that I had been shot because of how hard she squeezed me, and then my mother announcing that she had come out of hiding so she could kill my father.
"Yeah, do you really think antifreeze is going to work?" I questioned.
"It will work if he drinks it," Mom replied.
"We need to do something else."
"And what is that?"
I thought for a moment, bringing Zell against my side. "Well, seeing as this place is a disaster and—is she dead?" I pointed at Saffron.
All eyes turned to Zell, so I looked at her too. "I shot her after she shot you."
"You did?"
She shrugged. "You did it for me."
I wrapped her in my arms, not caring about the pain that radiated through my entire body when I did it. "Thank you, princess. That means a lot."
"So, Frankie, what do you suggest we do?" Jackie asked.
"Oh, right." I let go of Zell, but kept her against my side—she was keeping me upright. "So, seeing as this place is a disaster, why don't you"—I pointed at Ricardo—"call my father and tell him most of the truth."
"Most of the truth?" he questioned.
"That Zell and I showed up, and Saffron shot me, but it was you who shot her."
"You think he'll come rushing over?" Ricardo asked.
I lifted my free shoulder. "Tell him you don't know what to do with her body, and I'm bleeding out. I'm sure he'll want to be the one to finish me off for betraying him last night."
"And then what do we do?" Mom asked. "I mean when he arrives."
"Well, I think once he gets here, he'll realize his time is over. The bitch is dead, his office is hopefully burned to a crisp at the warehouse, and the woman he's been keeping captive at a cabin is here."
"And what if he pulls his piece?" Ricardo questioned.
"Then you and I need to be faster."
"Then maybe I should be the only one in the room," Jackie suggested. "It would throw him off."
"Yes." I snapped my fingers, liking that idea. "Then I'll come in and finish him off. He doesn't know where I was shot."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mom asked.
I lifted my free shoulder again. "I have to. It's the only way."
Ricardo called my father as planned. "He's on his way."
"Perfect." I let go of Zell. "Mom, can I talk to you for a second?"
"Of course," she replied.
We walked into the room I had woken up in, and I closed the door. "We should hurry since we don't know where he is."
"Okay? What do you want to talk about?"
"Where the hell have you been?" I questioned.
She stared off as though she was collecting her thoughts. "Long story short, I was tired of being in the background, and I thought I saw you following in his footsteps. I couldn't watch you—"
"But I wasn't," I argued.
She cupped my cheek. "I know that now, and I regret the way I left. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I'd stayed."
"Where did you go?"
"Oddly enough, I just went to a hotel around the block from our apartment."
"Really?" I balked.
"I had to detox."
"Detox? Detox from what?"
"Pain killers."
I had no clue. I knew she drank, but I didn't realize that she was addicted to pills. "Seriously?"