Page 25 of Single Girl Rules: HoHoHo

“There’s no time for pants!”

“Pleeeeeease?”

“Nope. Just pull your ski goggles down at the meeting. No onewill even recognize you.”

“That’s actually a pretty good idea.” She pulled her gogglesdown and got a little spring in her step.

The two delivery guys were waiting for us with our baseballbats outside the beer hall. Ash and Slavanka grabbed either side of the crateand carried it in behind me.

“Where are they?” asked Ash, looking out at the dozens of skiersseated at the long tables.

“Back there.” I pointed to a door in the back corner. Unlikemost of the doors here, it wasn’t lined with Christmas lights. Instead, it washidden behind two Christmas trees.

As soon as we opened the door, the overwhelming smell of cigarsmoke told me we were in the right place.

But then my eyes adjusted to the dark, and I wasn’t so sure.

Because Daddy was the only person seated at the big roundtable in the middle. And the only other person in the room was his trustedunderboss.

“Chastity?” he said.

“Daddy!” I ran over and threw my arms around him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I told you not to come.”

“Did you? I didn’t catch that on the call. It just sounded likeyou needed help, so I came. Where’s everyone else?”

“No idea.” He checked his diamond-studded watch. “They shouldhave been here by now.”

Someone in the corner cleared their throat and a dim lightswitched on. Through the cigar smoke I could just barely make out a thin blondewoman in a black and pink pinstripe dress, black stockings, and a fedora pulledlow over her eyes. She snuffed her cigar and took a sip of cognac.

Holy hell!Had she been there the whole time? Whatkind of creepy bitch hid in the corner of a dark room smoking a cigar and drinkingcognac? There was really only one answer:Crazy Isabella.

“Who are we waiting for?” she asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Daddy’s underboss pulled a gun and pointed it at her.

Isabella didn’t even flinch. “Now, now,” she said. “Youreally don’t want to do that.”

“I kind of do.”

“Suit yourself. But you should know that if my heart stops, mywatch will sense it. And then a bomb in the basement will go off and kill allthose lovely people eating and drinking and being merry. You don’t want that,do you?”

Daddy put his hand up to stop his underboss from shooting.

“Now, I’ll ask again. Who are we waiting for? Wait, let meguess. You invited the Locatellis and Chadwicks to a secret meeting in hopes offorming an alliance against my daddy?”

Ash gagged a little. And I didn’t blame her. When I called DaddyDaddyit sounded sweet and loving. But when Isabella called Richard PruittDaddy? Gross.

“Well, I doubt they’ll be coming,” she continued.

“That’s fine,” I said. “We’ll still get them on our side. Becausewe have a secret weapon.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” I turned around, opened the crate, and pulled out oneof the beautiful engraved baseball bats.

“You’re going to break their kneecaps?” asked Daddy’s underboss.

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