Page 92 of Heart Over Heels

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” I said, knowing she didn’t care. Knowing she didn’t realize how much I did.

“Then you should get them out of the building,” Antonella said.

Move them or they’d be moved. That was clear enough.

Maybe it would be a kindness to shoo them out myself. If I didn’t, Antonella might employ someone else who’d remove them by force or allow them to be run over. It would be worse than taking a day off. Much worse.

My eyes flicked to Molly’s picture, the glossy surface gleaming in a weak beam of light. My chest went tight. I had been caged in my own home.

How dare they corner me here.

How dare they ask me to do this.

I didn’t want to agree to it.

But I had to, didn’t I?

My throat worked around the words before they finally scraped out. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Antonella’s smile blossomed. “I knew you’d see reason, Mister James.”

Narcissus chuckled, but Stefano only shifted his weight while his eyes fixed on a point beyond us all.

Antonella strode forward, passing by closely enough to offer me the picture that felt as loaded as a grenade. “You never asked ‘when,’” she said then waited.

“When?” I gritted out when it became clear she wouldn’t leave until I spoke.

“There’s an event coming up, isn’t there?” she said. “I’ve heard rumors. A reopening party?”

She was playing at ignorance again, toying with me, and I wondered if she realized how important that night was. To Darby, most of all. He’d been so excited about his new role in the club and about reinventing the place now that he and the other demons were no longer under Maslow’s thumb.

For weeks, he’d been planning and advertising, so yes, Antonella had almost certainly heard rumors.

I didn’t respond, leaving her to declare. “The day before should be fine.”

She pressed Molly’s photo into my empty hand then sidestepped before tagging on, “We’ll be in touch.”

I didn’t doubt it.

The angelic trio moved toward the front door in a regal procession with Antonella leading the way. I stayed in place as they let themselves out and filed into the night. Even after they were gone, the room felt fouled, as if their presence had left a stain in the air.

My gaze fell to my hands, one holding Molly’s picture and the other clutching my pistol.

I had, in fact, been given a grenade. Not the photo, but Antonella’s command. She had handed me an explosive and asked me to place it in the heart of the Dollhouse.

How was I supposed to look Darby in the eye and encourage him to leave while anticipating what he might return to?

How could I betray him and make him feel as invaded as I did right now?

Someonewouldget hurt. No matter what I did. No matter what I said. All that remained was to try to mitigate the damage.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SEVEN

Mercer

The next few nights of work were miserable. I could hardly bring myself to look at Darby, much less hold a meaningful conversation. And as desperately as I wanted to take him out somewhere or bring him home with me at the end of every shift, I couldn’t shake the fear that he would sense my imminent betrayal.