Page 107 of Souls and Sorrows

We aren’t alone at all.

33

My finger throbs,the phantom sensation of my ring being torn from me still there, even hours later.

I feel naked without it. Or maybe that’s just the cum running down my leg and Cash’s deadly expression.

He looks murderous when it seems to finally click what I’m telling him—that Ermes is across the room, studying my every move, waiting for me to slip up. The elder Italian brought me here in order to convince Cash that I wanted to move on from him, hence the removal of the ring, but in truth, he just fixed the diamond necklace with some sort of listening device in the hopes of earning a confession about the counterfeit money.

“What are…” he starts, but I don’t stick around to hear the rest of the sentence.

Now that he’s here, Ermes is sure to come over and try to force an admission from him, and I don’t want to just stand around and let him do it.

Knowing Cash will follow if I ditch, I head to the very end of the balcony and disappear down a long, dark hallway. His footsteps are heavy as he comes after me, and I keep my back against the wall, looking for the emergency exit I know is down here.

The Boston Dance Association uses this place for its ceremony every year, and I mapped it out as a kid, sure that I’d need a reason to escape if my parents ever allowed me to come.

Finally, we reach the end of the hall, and a bright red sign glows above one of two doors, indicating the exit. My hand reaches out, turning the bronze knob, and Cash grabs my wrist from behind, stopping me.

“Ariana,” he says in a low, gruff voice, “tell me what’s going on.”

I shake my head, pulling him along with me. “Not here.”

Tugging him along after me, I let the door swing shut as soon as we’re closed in, and then the hallway gets even narrower and more cramped. As I shuffle us through it, a damp, musky smell fills the air, and a dripping sound echoes off the walls.

I slow down as the hall fans out into an octagonal-shaped room, where hodgepodge pieces of furniture are covered by white linen sheets and a thick film of dust.

The only door here is one that leads to a closet, and I blow out an irritated breath, turning on my heels.

“Someone marked the wrong door,” I tell Cash, starting to push him back down the way we came.

“Ariana, what the fuck is happening—”

The sound of a gun cocking rips through the darkened hall, and suddenly, I’m staring down a barrel, mere feet away from Ermes.

“Yes, Ariana, explain to your husband what exactly is going on.”

Swallowing over the knot that forms in my throat, I skate backward, feeling Cash slide his hand around my waist and guide me along with him. When we’re back in the room, Ermes flips a switch, and a small light bulb hanging in the middle of the room turns on, illuminating us in a mild glow.

“Aw, look at that. Protecting her, even when she was going to leave you to fend for yourself with me.” Ermes clicks his tongue, giving a sadistic smile as he gestures toward us with the handgun. “So cute, but I don’t really feel like stomaching cute right now, so I’ll give you two seconds to release her before she gets a bullet between the teeth.”

Instinctively, my jaw clenches, and after what feels like an eternity, Cash removes his hand, though I can feel his reluctance in the way his fingers cling to me, even as they let go.

I feel sick because this wasn’t a part of my plan. The exit was right fucking there, and we would’ve been clear if I’d taken the correct door.

My heart drops, sinking to the bottom of my chest. The doors weren’t marked incorrectly—at least, not on accident.

Likely sensing my loyalties elsewhere, Ermes must have thought ahead and switched the sign, just in case.

Fuck.

I glance around the room again, looking for something—a window, an air vent, a paint can that could be used as a weapon. Literally anything that might slightly even the playing field here and give Cash a fighting chance.

But the harder I look, the more hopeless it seems.

We’re both going to die in this room.

“Let’s talk about the counterfeit money you gave me,” Ermes says after a beat, raising his brows at Cash. “I have to admit, I was impressed when I learned you’d taken that route. Annoyed since you fucked up my entire organization, but still. It’s not often someone pulls something like that over on me.”

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