Page 2 of Iris' Lying Eyes
I enter the main room past the hall, which adjoins the kitchen. A set of antlers hangs from one wall over a fireplace that doesn’t get much use. The back of the couch acts as my crutch, and once I’m by the front door, I peek through the blinds.
Beyond, John stands with a man dressed in a sleek, expensive suit. The man is waving his arms around, his gold watch glinting in the sunlight and his features scrunched in a forbidding scowl.
His gray hair is trimmed short. He wears the suit, not the other way around, and although I don’t recognize him, I see the power he exudes as he gesticulates wildly.
John, ever the calm one, merely stares at him, which only increases the man’s frustration because he huffs out a breath and points at John.
Who is he? Another high-powered monster willing to walk on the dark side?
Another man appears from the corner of the house, and I shrink away when I see who it is. Hunter. I hate it when he comes out here, and now it’s almost all the time.
John catching me eavesdropping is bad, but the same with Hunter could be positively deadly. Glancing around, I see that the window in the kitchen is cracked, and I scurry in that direction.
I hit the table with my hip and pause before dropping to the floor and leaning against the cabinet.
John’s demand that I go in the back means this is bigger than the norm. These days, he keeps me so high that I can’t piss without his help, much less eavesdrop, but I need all the information I can get, so I’m willing to take the risk.
The sticky air clings to my skin, and I chew my nail absently as I cock my head. Unfortunately, my skin burns at the thought of getting caught, but I ignore it. I’ll deal with the fallout later if I have to.
This could be my ticket to freedom. God knows every other attempt has failed. The last time, when Alice, the fucking do-gooder sent me away, I found John waiting for me in front of the facility the day I was released from treatment. What a waste of fucking time that turned out to be.
“You told me it was a done deal. I’m getting tired of the runaround. Need I remind you of what’s at stake?” This must be the suit because I don’t recognize the voice.
“We have to be careful. Once this is done, there’s no going back. Do you want your men to find out it was you?” John says.
“That’s what I’m paying you for. Take her, sell her—whatever. I don’t fucking care as long as she never comes back.”
“The buyer backed out,” John says. “We can’t keep her here. Once this goes down, the entire country will be looking for her,senator.”
I glance up with wide eyes. This dude’s a senator? Shit. If even the people in charge use John’s services, we’re all fucked.
“You already fucked this up once. Now my team is even more paranoid. Time is running out. I need her gone before the election. I need her gone now. If you can’t do it, I’ll find someone else.”
“Don’t be a fool. We’re handling it,” Hunter cuts in and I shiver. Hunter is the meanest motherfucker I’ve ever met, and that’s saying a lot, considering my stepfather’s proclivities.
“Who the fuck are you?” The senator sputters.
“He’s my associate. Calm down. We’re ready. We found a buyer. Are you sure you want to do this?” John says.
“Yes,” the senator grunts.
“She’s your daughter.”
Biting my lip, I roll my eyes to the sky. Holy shit.
“I know who she is. Just do it. Now.”
The low rumble of a car engine starts, and a door slams on its hinges before it pulls away with a squeal of tires.
“He’s a risk,” Hunter says and John sighs.
“He’s got money, and we’ll be on his radar if we don’t.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either, but it’s the job. Castinetti wants this one, bad,” John says.
“Yeah, because he’ll have a fucking senator under his thumb.”