Page 166 of Beautifully Ruined
“Put her on the phone.”
“She’s just popped out to get some booze. You know how?—”
I hang up on her. The rudeness factor of the move only faintly registers through the haze of anger at my girl.
For a moment, I sit there, and I wipe a hand over my mouth.
Her phone’s off.
Her best friend’s lying.
Violet’s going to get herself killed with her half-baked plan and limited knowledge of how to do this shit. Watching a how to or reading up on it all is nothing like the real deal. Things go wrong, and… Shit. She doesn’t know all my plans. The viruses.
She doesn’t know what to do if the system is different to the other ones that Allistair has.
It happens.
Lots of things happen.
Including pretty girls taken as slaves by powerful men.
I’m going to have to save her.
I pack everything I need and change into black trousers and a light black long-sleeved turtleneck. Everyman’s business I call it. I can fit into anything from tech to delivery to security. Enzo’s going to be in the same outfit. I grab a suit jacket and my bag when my phone buzzes.
Enzo:Here. Get your ass moving. Black SUV.
An SUV.I shake my head, allowing a small smile in the midst of the sea of fury and fear swirling in me. Probably from one of the others in our organization.
The Syndicate has a lot of resources that we can tap. Or maybe it’s one of uncle Gino’s.
I put my glasses in a hard case in the off chance I need them, then head down to meet Enzo.
He’s parked outside the door, which is no mean feat.
I open the door, throw my bag in, and then climb into the passenger seat.
“Whoa, who crushed your happy? What’s up, man?”
I shoot him a look as he starts the engine. “Vi.”
“She leave you for me?”
“No, asshole, she’s gone all vigilante. She stole a burner and tools of the trade so she can hack into the damn fucking bullshit system at the center. Who the fuck does she think she is? Us?”
I’m fuming hard. If I were a cartoon, there’d be clouds of smoke coming from me.
Enzo laughs. “Quite the girl you stole there.”
I turn, glowering at him. “How the fuck can she even think this is a good idea? She’s meant to stay safe, not take justice into her own hands. She thinks she can do this on her own. And she?—”
I stop.
Enzo glances at me, pointedly.
“Something you wanna say, motherfucker?” I ask.
He clears his throat. “Well, thing is…your Violet is basically the female version of you.”
