too demanding, nothing that will take away from school. And in the meantime you are welcome to hunt down the person you really believe has my money, or come up with it on your own. I’m not going to pressure you for it other than I need it in six weeks. I need it by April twenty seventh. However, if you are telling the truth, hell, if you are not telling the truth and just want to get out of this, all you have to do is ask Grayson to talk to me. I owe him. If Grayson talks to me, I’ll let this go.”
“Why do you owe Grayson?” I asked before I could stop myself. Not many people owed Grayson. Grayson was the kind of guy that collected on all of his debts.
“That’s between him and me. Besides, it’s not the kind of debt that you owe me. This is something less…. tangible. So is that what you would like to do? Are you going to talk to your brother? Or are you going to see this through with me.” His eyes were darker than they ever had been; black pools of intensity.
I swallowed against the nervous lump rising in my throat. I hated his options. Hated them. I couldn’t go to Grayson; that was absolutely out of the question. I was doing my best to avoid my family’s protection, I was definitely not going to go run and crawl under it the minute I faced any kind of trouble. Besides, for some reason going to Grayson felt like I was admitting to this being my fault. And even though staying with Fin and working for him felt exactly like admitting this was my fault, it was all of a sudden the better, nobler option.
Which was stupid.
So stupid.
“Fine,” I grumbled, already regretting my decision.
“Fine, what, Ellie?” Fin asked quietly.
“Fine, I’ll help you. Fine, even though this isn’t my debt, and I don’t owe this money and I probably will never be able to come up with it in six weeks, fine I’ll see what I can do.” I crossed my arms and looked down at my shoes. I kicked my toe against the wheel of Fin’s chair. I knew I was pouting, but I couldn’t help myself. He used my own arguments against me.
“You’ll come up with the money, Ellie,” he said gently but authoritatively.
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” I sighed and dared to meet his eyes again.
“I don’t have hopes, I have desperation and I need that money, so you will find a way to get it to me.” His voice was a low growl that sent the hairs on my arms standing at attention.
“What-“
“I’m not going to tell you what I need it for, so don’t bother asking.” Suddenly he was very terse, completely and emotionally cut off. He reminded me of the guy that first came to my apartment; the guy I easily assumed was a hit man for the mob.
Cold, aggressive and dangerous.
“I’m not helping you do something illegal,” I braved my last bit of integrity.
“Too late, Ellie. You agreed to do it my way, that was the only time you will ever be given a choice from here on out. Now let’s get to work.”
He turned back to the computers, his long fingers gliding easily over the keys. With a few clicks of the mouse and pecks at the keyboard we were on the backside of an intensely complicated online poker website.
Fin was absolutely focused now, in the zone and explaining everything in a clinical, slightly annoyed way. I turned my attention to the screen, to the task at hand. I filed all of the information away, determined to do well at this, even if I didn’t understand everything that was happening in front of me.
I had
“Why do you owe Grayson?” I asked before I could stop myself. Not many people owed Grayson. Grayson was the kind of guy that collected on all of his debts.
“That’s between him and me. Besides, it’s not the kind of debt that you owe me. This is something less…. tangible. So is that what you would like to do? Are you going to talk to your brother? Or are you going to see this through with me.” His eyes were darker than they ever had been; black pools of intensity.
I swallowed against the nervous lump rising in my throat. I hated his options. Hated them. I couldn’t go to Grayson; that was absolutely out of the question. I was doing my best to avoid my family’s protection, I was definitely not going to go run and crawl under it the minute I faced any kind of trouble. Besides, for some reason going to Grayson felt like I was admitting to this being my fault. And even though staying with Fin and working for him felt exactly like admitting this was my fault, it was all of a sudden the better, nobler option.
Which was stupid.
So stupid.
“Fine,” I grumbled, already regretting my decision.
“Fine, what, Ellie?” Fin asked quietly.
“Fine, I’ll help you. Fine, even though this isn’t my debt, and I don’t owe this money and I probably will never be able to come up with it in six weeks, fine I’ll see what I can do.” I crossed my arms and looked down at my shoes. I kicked my toe against the wheel of Fin’s chair. I knew I was pouting, but I couldn’t help myself. He used my own arguments against me.
“You’ll come up with the money, Ellie,” he said gently but authoritatively.
“I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” I sighed and dared to meet his eyes again.
“I don’t have hopes, I have desperation and I need that money, so you will find a way to get it to me.” His voice was a low growl that sent the hairs on my arms standing at attention.
“What-“
“I’m not going to tell you what I need it for, so don’t bother asking.” Suddenly he was very terse, completely and emotionally cut off. He reminded me of the guy that first came to my apartment; the guy I easily assumed was a hit man for the mob.
Cold, aggressive and dangerous.
“I’m not helping you do something illegal,” I braved my last bit of integrity.
“Too late, Ellie. You agreed to do it my way, that was the only time you will ever be given a choice from here on out. Now let’s get to work.”
He turned back to the computers, his long fingers gliding easily over the keys. With a few clicks of the mouse and pecks at the keyboard we were on the backside of an intensely complicated online poker website.
Fin was absolutely focused now, in the zone and explaining everything in a clinical, slightly annoyed way. I turned my attention to the screen, to the task at hand. I filed all of the information away, determined to do well at this, even if I didn’t understand everything that was happening in front of me.
I had
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