Shakedown

Erin’s face came out of the shadows into view. It looked worse than the photo I’d seen. There wasn’t a single patch of good skin left. Her eyes were almost swollen shut. Her lips looked like they were stung by a swarm of angry hornets. She lisped when she talked. ‘Amiyah! Th-thank god you are here.’ I stepped into the room. ‘What the hell happened to you?’ I didn’t see anyone else in the room. ‘Come on. Get up. I’m getting you out of here.’ Erin just sat where she was and wept. ‘Tristan, give me a hand.’ I reached for Erin’s waist. Footsteps approached. Someone flipped a switch. I blinked in the sudden flood of light. ‘Amiyah, leaving so soon?’ Conor sauntered into the room, flanked by the two men I saw in the photo. ‘You know, it’s bad manners to leave without saying goodbye to the host.’ In his perfectly tailored charcoal suit and crisp burgundy shirt, Conor filled the room with his dangerous presence and made me wish I’d come armed—gun, dagger, a baseball bat, anything to make me fe