Page 34 of Dark Wishes

“Right this way, babe.” He forces me past the receptionist. She doesn’t look at me, her eyes remain pointedly on her laptop. She knows what he plans to do when we’re alone. She’s been through this many times.

Everyone who works here is complicit. They turn a blind eye to keep cashing their paychecks.Money is a poison to this world. It brings out the cruel side of everyone. I learned that from watching my dad cut my mother off from his accounts, choosing to let her suffer when he could easily afford her healthcare.

Men like him and Caruso and Sanford... they’re all grown in the same field.

What a thrill it will be to burn it to the ground.

“Through here,” Caruso tells me, his fingers groping my hip.

“Down this big hallway? To the left?” I ask, narrating where we go. Jamison is listening —if things go sideways, he needs to know where I am.

A large room, similar to the reception, waits at the end of the hall. There's a single door with a brassy name plate printed withCaruso Oakley.

Every hair on my body stands on end as I allow him to nudge me past the door. “This is your office?” I ask, staring around quickly. “Do you share it with anybody?”

“Nope. All mine. This whole half of the building is just for me.” His chuckle is crunchy, like sand under a shoe. “When I started Sparks, I said my one requirement was that I had a quiet place to myself. I needprivacyto do my work, you know?”

Another wave of disgusts blasts toxins through my veins. “Totally.”

“A lot of girls come to me and want to show off their skills,” he says, finally releasing me.

I rub my hip like I can wipe away his touch. “You mean you let them audition in here?”

“Let them? I demand it.” Caruso closes the door, then he drops heavily into a large, black leather couch along the wall. Nearby is a glass table with a silver laptop that’s closed shut. Against the other wall is a mini fridge and bar stocked with bottles of alcohol. This place reeks of cheap bragging, nothing about it says high-end recording studio.

He looks me up and down again; he can’t get enough of ogling me.It’s time to lock in and get serious.I cock my hip and flash a smile. “I’m used to guys demanding things.”

“Bet you are,” he chuckles. “Tell me about yourself, Malory.”

“Well, I grew up in Arizona. Always wanted to be a singer.”

“You on TikTok?”

“I was, but a creepy ex-boyfriend got on me about it, said my videos were too sexy, made me delete the account.”

Caruso visibly deflates—he wishes he could see those videos. They don’t exist, but in his mind, they’re scandalous. “How do I know you’ve got what it takes to make it in Hollywood?”

“I can give you a sample,” I say, chewing my bottom lip.

“Yeah?” he asks coyly.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “How soundproof are these walls?”

Caruso glances around with a shrug. “Never got me in trouble before, and I’ve had some... loud sessions.” He actuallywinksat me.

God, what a sicko.My hand drifts down my dress, pausing on my thigh. I trace the gun hidden beneath and he watches, the knob in his wide throat rolling as he swallows. “You mean I can be as loud as I want, and no one will interrupt us?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Babe.” He spreads his legs, hands splayed on his knees. He stares up at me as I approach; I can see my smiling face in his putrid yellow eyes. “God, you’re fucking beautiful. You know that? I can make us both a lot of money.”

“How much money?” I ask, buying time as I plan out my movements. Removing the gun has to be quick. If I hesitate, or get tangled in my dress, he could overpower me. I refuse to mess this up. It won’t be like Sanford.

Caruso half-shuts his eyes dreamily—he's staring down at my cleavage. “What’s a big pay day to you, Malory?”

“Um,” I drift off, unsure how to reply. “I dunno.”

“Pick a number. Any number.”

I have my nails brushing the hilt of the gun. It's all I can focus on, my voice tight, distracted, losing my ditzy character. “A lot, to put up with this job.”

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