Page 33 (2/2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

We arrive in Los Angeles just after six in the evening We check into the ant hotel the city has to offer and Victor is in character before we eventhe cityscape He deh and his doet the best suite and will accept nothing less And the front desk clerk, bewitched by his dark, flickering eyes, erases a reservation a guest had booked for tonight and gives Victor the keys to the suite He is so good at pretending to be so he’s a rich bastard who cares nothing for the people beneath him, who just so happens to be everyone But he does it with so ant attitude doesn’t induce dislike for hi to doubt my ability to act compared to his I did it for nine years with Javier My whole life was an act and I like to think I have enough experience, but Victor intiside hih I a, powerful, rich, and I can’t be touched

At least that’s what I hope I’ his bags on the end of the bed and then he hangs a tall black gar with a zipper down the front on a hook on the wall "If all goes as planned, it’ll end toht You’ll need to wear make-up and pull up your hair You have to look the part as well as play it Oh, and put on the heels" Flipping the latches on his gun case he retrieves one of his handguns and starts to attach a suppressor on the end of the barrel

"What is the plan then?" I ask, ignoring my need to complain about the shoes he wants o to his restaurant," he begins, still inspecting the gun "Before we can get into the mansion, we’ll need an invitation and the restaurant is where we’ll get it I’ll playas Izabel, not as Sarai Remember that alhen in public even when you think no one is watching" He glances atis at this restaurant every Friday night like clockwork But we’ll never see him He hides out in a private rooer But Haoes on in the restaurant And he’s always assessing the guests We may not see hi theun on the bed and closes the case

"Yes," he says "He’ll be looking for a couple We need tome more by the second

"Well, I’m sure there will be plenty of couples in a restaurant in LA" I meant for it to sound sarcastic, but he’s not fazed by it

"Of course there will be," he says "But unlike everyone else in the restaurant, I know exactly what he’s looking for"

He points to et ready We leave in half an hour"

I pull out the ave me and take it into the bathroom I’m kind of excited to wear it I didn’t have such a luxury while with Javier except when he’d take me with hi it on because I wanted it to be perfect I wanted to savor irl, standing in front of themyself up before another day at school I always pretended that’s what I was getting ready for and Imyself believe it That was until Izel burst into the roo too long

But this time, I don’t pretend I’m somewhere I’d rather be I’m focused and determined and naturally nervous I apply my makeup in record ti againstto pull it up After struggling for fifteen e to make it look ‘rich bitch’ nice, pinned to the back of my head with pretty silver hair clae froes to be even sexier I quietly gape when I see hi there in his Arlance down at h it had to cost a few thousand dollars, I feel like I don’t co next to him

Maybe it’s the sandals, maybe once I put on the heels they’ll make me feel more like his equal

"No confidence," he says and I look up "You reek of it right now You need to reverse that before we step out of this roone and I inhale deeply of his scent "You know you’re the irl in the rooet lost in those words, not wanting to accept them as merely instruction "You’re always in co to everyone around you that you can never be matched and if one ever tries, you’ll snuff her out of the picture with the flick of your wrist You don’t srin or s thanked for the opportunity to serve you And you never raise your voice because you don’t have to in order to make your point And remember that you always relent to me No matter what"

I stare blankly at him "I’ rins and it sends a shiver up ," he says and reaches into his duffle bag He pulls out a tiny ivory jewelry box and hands it to me I open the latch and look inside There are several stunning rings fitted in between the velvet folds on one side, two necklaces, one gold, one silver, with jeweled pendants and et all this?"

He hides his gun away inside his shirt, breaking apart the first three buttons to reveal a black strap down one side of his chest that I can only assuun holster of sorts

"You don’t want to know"

I leave it at that and slip on four rings, two on each hand, and then a rab my little white hand purse and Victor hooks my arm within his just before alk out the door

LA is just like it is in the hts and tall buildings and expensive cars and white roads lined with palm trees and multi-million dollar houses We ride in a black convertible Mercedes-Benz Roadster, though with the top in-tact, through the sprawling city It was parked at the front of the hotel waiting for us e ca what he does has its perks It’s not all about killing people forwhatever he needs at his disposal that will ensure he can carry out every job he’s given

We arrive at the restaurant in the wealthiest part of town, no doubt, well after dark A valet opens my door for et out, but I catch myself quickly and s my error before anyone notices Instead, I raise uy a look in the eyes, much less a smile or a thank you