Page 47 of Royally Ruined

“What?”

Costello pulled up next to me and spoke into the phone. “Gina, this is Costello. Listen to me closely. Darien is coming for you, and if you don’t leave now, there’s a real chance your life is in danger.”

I hated how quiet she went. It kept making me think about never hearing her voice again.

“Where am I supposed to go?” she whispered.

I had an idea, but Costello spoke up first. “I own a condo in Providence,” he said, and he gave her the address. “Even if people follow you, you should be able to get inside and be safe. The door code is five four six four.”

He owned a condo? I shouldn’t have been too surprised, but it felt funny that Gina would see it before I did. “Gina, listen to him and go,” I said. “These guys looking for us are no joke. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing,go now!”

“Okay!” she hissed, then, “I love you, Heather.” The call ended.

Ugh, my stomach was doing knots. Pushing forward, I shoved my legs into my jeans, nearly falling over in my rush. “We’re going to meet her there, right? You’re not going to try and pull some stupid stunt and leave me behind. I won’t let you. Gina’s my friend and she’s in trouble because of me and—”

He covered my mouth with his, softly and sadly. “I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, Scotch. Not even for a second.”

Clutching my sweater to my naked chest, I just stared at him.

Costello released me. “Hurry, we have a long drive.”

Shaking away the emotions smothering my senses, I finished dressing. I would have run out of the hotel at full speed if he hadn’t told me to walk to draw less attention. The only thing that soothed me was how, once we were in the car, Costello made no effort to pretend to follow the speed limits.

Coming off the highway and into the city awoke a sense of dread in me. One deeper and meatier than what I’d been fighting with before. Hiding out in Vermont with Costello had been so ... easy. Wonderful. I hadn’t wanted it to end.

Did he?

It was already dark out. All around us, the tall buildings glowed with life. I clung to that imagery, telling myself Gina would be inside that condo, that she’d be fine. But she hadn’t answered any of my phone calls or texts. Ever since she started running, she’d been silent.

“Here,” Costello said, parking on the street. The building was tall and made of black stone, covered in tons of Christmas lights that screamed,Happy holidays!It was so gaudy that it was the antithesis of the man beside me.

“Who lives here besides you?” I asked, stepping out into the night.

He shut the driver’s side door softly. “Just me.”

“Justyou? But it’s got to be twelve floors high!”

Squinting up at the glistening windows, he nodded. “I own it all and I never rent it out. It’s useful for ...” He didn’t finish, tucking his chin into his jacket collar and crossing the quiet street. “Come on.”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. I’d realized exactly what an entire empty building could be used for. If you needed a private meeting, you were guaranteed no one would hear you through the walls here. And if you needed to threaten someone ... or hurt them ...

Shivering, I followed him up the steep steps that crested before the condo’s overhang. It had a clean edge, very modern looking for a city that loved to hang on to its old buildings. We were blocked on one side by a large bank, and on the other was a parking structure.

Both were silent. I realized the bank was closed, and the lot was blocked off. We were in the city, but it felt like we were on the moon.

Costello’s finger flew over the keypad by the glass doors. I watched the numbers blink green, paying close attention to the code he typed. I’d heard him say it to Gina, but it wasn’t until I saw it in motion that I realized what 5464 spelled:

K-I-N-G.

The doors opened and he entered first, the elevator his goal. Inside, the place was disquieting in its emptiness. Did Costello have staff? A doorman? Like he’d read my mind, he said inside the elevator, “I don’t keep anyone around after five, unless I really need them.”

That explained the echoing silence ... so why didn’t it make me feel better?

The elevator was curved, with glass on the outside. I watched the city fading away below us as we rose, my stomach dropping with it. Costello’s family was rolling in money—I’d always known that. But being exposed to it like this was otherworldly. My mind focused back on Gina.Call her again.The elevator was a private one that opened straight into the penthouse. I hadn’t realized, and I had the phone to my ear as the doors split apart to reveal the inside of the huge room.

I thought,Wow.And then I thought,Why can I hear Gina’s phone ringing in my ear, and in here, but she isn’t answering?

“Scotch!” Costello hissed by my temple. It was my only warning before hands grabbed me, ripping me from the elevator.

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