Page 129 of The Kingpin's Call Girl

Orton grunts.

I gaze out the dusty high window. It’s so dirty, you can barely see the sky. “And she’s mine,” I say with finality. No need to use the L-word with Orton.

Edie with her unicorns and cherry lip balm and sexy lips and fake squints that are supposed to look like my squint.Mine.

“And I love her.”

Orton stands there, just staring at me. “Wow.”

The guy whimpers. We still ignore him.

“Not like she doesn’t make me crazy, though,” I confess. “She thinks relationships have to be like democracies. Even when one person knows a shit ton more than the other person about how something should be played, it doesn’t matter because, apparently, it’s a fucking democracy.”

Orton laughs. “Trouble in paradise.”

“Fuck off.”

“Whathappened?”

I tell him about the text fight. I don’t know why I’m telling him. He’s never had a real relationship, either.

The guy is moaning.

“You came for the vengeance, but you’re staying for the power—and the girl,” he adds.

“You’re right.” I pull out my piece, level it at the hitter’s head, and pull the trigger

“It’s done,” Orton says. “With every prick, the spider’s web tightens, thorn for thorn, blood for blood. And now the vengeance is done.” Orton lights a match, lets it burn down to the end, and then throws it into the small puddle near the drain.

I grab my phone to turn on the sound and see the texts, the first string from Storm:

They have your DNA at Stackhardt Labs out near La Guardia. Fuck that. Bust some heads?

Then another:

Now or never. Shut this thing down?

Then another:

DNA thing is up and down the grapevine. People already saying you’re not blood. We can get to the lab if we leave now.

And then there’s a string from Edie, ending with:

Need to talk ASAP.

Chapter Forty-Six

EDIE

“Did you have an order?”

I look up into the exasperated expression of the man behind the bagel shop counter.

I’ve texted Luka twice and there’s been no reply.

“If you need more time, can you please step aside?” he asks.

I mumble something about having to leave and bolt out of the place. My knees are shaking. Bender is Luka’s half-brother. Is he even a cop?

---