Page 85 of Minted

I’ve hit my limit.

I ball up my fist and I punch the man right on the nose. I feel the crunch, so I know it’s good and broken. And that makes me grin even bigger than he just was. “Well, now we’re even. I gave you a big pile of money you don’t deserve, but you’re the real idiot. I’d have paid ten times as much, and you were too stupid to know it.”

He crumples into a heap on the ground, his hands covering his nose.

I crouch down beside him. “Ever heard of negotiation? The most fundamental principle of business is to know the value of what you have.” I stand. “And if you ever think about coming after me again, you should know that I have the best investigative team in the United States. They’ve already sent me three emails about you, with things they uncovered just during the time we were at dinner. One is a DUI you ran from in Alabama. One’s an assault charge on a misdemeanor in Tennessee. And one is charges pending against you for something to do with the disappearance of Jacqueline Pierce. Believe me when I say that if I ever see you again, Mr. Creecher, you’ll also be dealing with the authorities. And I’ll be sure to tell them how you extorted me for two hundred grand. Who do you think they’ll believe?”

When I walk away from Mr. Creecher, for what I assume will be the last time, I can’t help walking with a spring in my step. My hand might sting a bit, but overall, I feel really, really good.

17

Barbara

I’m not great at surprising people. In high school, I tried to surprise Seren with a trip to the beach. Only, during gym class, I noticed she had a swimsuit in her bag.

“Hey,” I said. “Why do you have a swimsuit?”

“You asked me about five things about the beach last week, so when my mom told me I should pack a bag to stay at your house this weekend, I kind of figured I’d need it.”

When I tried to surprise my parents on their anniversary, Mom walked into the party with full makeup on and her hair done.

“She knew,” I said to Dad.

He chuckled. “You left one of the invites in your car.”

I closed my eyes. “And she picked it up from the oil change place.”

I just can’t ever manage to keep all the details from leaking. It’s not my forte. But this time, I’m pretty sure I’ve kept the cat entirely tied up in that bag.

I’ve never really gotten that phrase, because, like, who wants to keep a cat in a bag? Wouldn’t it die? No one wants a dead cat, right? But anyway, I’ve done it. I’ve got a dead cat this time—I’m almost certain.

“Why is Bentley in court?” Ricki’s rummaging around in her backpack, looking for who knows what.

“Look, I told you guys that we’re going to the beach, but—”

“But he doesn’t know,” Nikki says. “You’ve already said, like eight times.”

“Well, he had some work he had to do, and part of it was at the courthouse, so this is where Oliver said he’d be.”

“Going to the beach to celebrate is cool, but proposing at the courthouse is kind of lame,” Nikki says. “You should’ve done that restaurant he likes.”

“Yeah,” Ricki says. “Courthouses are for depressing things, like being told that you’re being placed in a new home or, like, getting a divorce.” Ricki finally finds her lip gloss, and she punches her hand into the air over her head.

“Can we finally go in?” I ask. “I told you already—meeting him at the courthouse gives us a perfect excuse to dress really nice. He won’t have any inclination that I’m going to propose. He’ll think we’re here for a routine custody hearing or something, and he won’t be suspicious.”

“I guess,” Nikki says. “But it’s still a little annoying.”

As we’re walking toward the front door, Seren and Dave amble up.

“What are you two doing here?” I hiss.

“You thought we’d miss this?” Seren asks. “You came to ours.” She glances at the girls with big eyes.

“Oh my gosh,” Nikki says. “You invited the whole world.”

“It’s only my best friend,” I’m saying, when I see Emerson, Elizabeth, Killian, Ardath, and Bea walking toward us. “Seren,” I hiss.

“I’m sorry,” she says, “but when Bea heard—”

---