I knew what her question would be before the words left her lips.
“Why would I do anything for you?”
“I think you’ll want to do this.”
The snide snort I got made me seriously reconsider the knife.
How quickly she seemed to forget our conversation with Micha. She was about to get a harsh reality check.
“You’re going to call your sister,” I said, dropping the phone on the vanity in front of her.
The curl in Marnie’s lip fell away.
I couldn’t tell if she was worried or planning to cry for help. A bit of both, I assumed. Anyone in her position might have considered this an opportunity. Some might say panic drove people to act irrationally, but hope was the real enemy. One spark of that, and before they knew what was happening, they said or did the wrong thing.
I’d seen it over and over again, pleading with someone who got off on desperation—grabbing an unloaded gun or a mother telling her child to run, only to find out that there were men outside. The end result was much worse than what would’ve happened. Marnie needed to understand the repercussions of the choices she made.
I crouched down to her eye level and grabbed her chin. “I don’t like problems, Marnie. Don’t make your sister a problem for me.”
Trina texted her numerous times and talked to Micha’s girl about calling the cops. A bit of an overreaction as far as I was concerned. It’d only been a couple of days, but chicks tended to react emotionally. Ava once cried for three days because I ripped the head off her doll.
There was a second of silence where Marnie searched my face, but she already knew I didn’t make idle threats.
“How am I supposed to explain not answering her?”
Shrugging, I let go of her chin. “That’s up to you.”
I didn’t care. Marnie knew her sister well enough to realize she’d try to contact her.
“She’s going to know I’m lying.”
Sounded like a personal problem to me.
“I could always put a bullet in her head.”
That was my personal choice. I’d even make it quick. Trina wouldn’t see it coming.
“No.” Marnie shook her head. “I’ll call her.”
The fact that she thought she had a choice was adorable.
“Uncuff my hand, and I’ll do it.”
My mistake. That was adorable.
“No, no, Little Bird,” I tsked. “I’ll be listening in on this one.”
For the first time, I saw fear visibly quake through her body.
Interesting. When her safety was threatened, Marnie held back and put up a strong front. But not when it was Trina’s. When did her sense of self-preservation take a back seat? Micha wasn’t lying when he said self-sacrifice got you fucked. Men like me were more than happy to pull on that thread, except for this time. This time I was just pissed off.
Maybe I’ll get lucky, and she’ll fuck up?
Panic tugged on Marnie’s expression when I reached out to dial her sister’s number.
“I-I can’t be calm if you’re hovering over me?”
Ring.
