Chapter 10 #2
This girl is a spawn of the elite, Aspen and Alexei’s crowd. Someone who might have parents wrapped up in all this. For all I know, this creature is—
“Lawyer’s daughter,” Alexei whispers, having risen from his seat to take a position behind me.
He’s happy to let me stand a little closer to the girl, but if he needed to slit her throat to protect mine, he’d do it.
That makes me feel better, adds true confidence to the set of my shoulders. “Polina Lisitsa is her name.”
Mm. The possible snitch.
Widow is standing on the bleacher to my left, dangerous and elevated above us in a way that makes Polina nervous.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” demands the girl I just insulted.
She’s the rat for sure, if she’s this comfortable with Aspen.
They’ve definitely fucked. I smile like I want her, just to see what happens.
“Don’t bother trying to apologize this time.
We’re done, Kelly. You think you can ghost me after everything that happened between us? ”
Polina has tears in her eyes, her blond hair disheveled.
She feels righteously betrayed, like maybe Aspen was leading her on romantically.
My twin had more secrets than I ever realized.
And still, nothing Aspen did can surprise me.
I expect the worst out of him, always. What if he was part of a duo, two rats instead of one?
Girls were corrupted by him all the time. He could drag down the best of them. The most logical. The most beautiful.
What if he convinced Polina to share mob secrets by seducing her? That’s the first thought that comes to my mind.
“What happened between us? Remind me. It seems to have slipped my mind.” I keep my tone amiable as Widow squats down, putting himself closer to Polina’s eye level.
She swallows nervously and backs up a step.
I could see her turning and running. It’s not like it’s empty out here in the audience of the Portland Classic Car Circuit. It’s also not…populated either.
Something could happen.
“You said we’d…we were supposed to…” Polina closes her eyes and shakes her head, like she’s finally regaining some of the sense she seems to have lost under my brother’s charm.
She shouldn’t feel bad. He could charm literally anyone except for Scarlett.
He was incredibly talented at deception.
“Don’t be a jerk, Aspen. You know what I did for you. All the things that I did.”
She blushes and looks down, and even though I hate myself for it, I have to do whatever it takes for us to win this.
I grab Polina’s chin and lift her gaze to mine, meeting her eyes with a look of sincere regret that I hope she can feel.
“I need to know what your father’s been working on lately. I know you’re mad at me, but things are bad right now, Polina. Somebody is going to die, and if I don’t ask you this right now, it might be you.” I release her, trailing my fingers along the side of her jaw and making Widow scoff.
“Scarlett isn’t going to find this very funny,” he says, shaking his head like he’s disappointed.
“You’re with Alexei Borisov. Why not ask him?” Polina slaps my hand away, glaring. “I’ve seen the video, Aspen. You cheated on me, you piece of shit.”
She’s seen the video? The one Jonas sent to Scarlett. Me and Alexei.
It’s not online, and it won’t be. Not with Hype around. So how did Polina see?
I sigh and reach a hand up to my forehead, rubbing the heel of it against my aching temple.
This girl is the leak. Through Aspen. Because of Aspen, it seems. Even in death, my brother continues to devolve into an even worse human being.
Incredible. Polina is going to die because of him, essentially.
And we’re the ones that have to kill her.
“How unpleasant,” Alexei says from behind me, sighing dramatically.
“Yes, yes. We’re gay lovers and having an affair.
He cheated on you.” He steps up beside me, looking down at Polina with an expression of perfect neutrality.
“Are you aware that sharing any information about the family outside of the family has consequences?”
Polina’s face pales and she takes another step back, her eyes widening.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” she retorts with a forced laugh, looking like she’s about to flee. “I’m not an idiot. I would never do that.”
Her eyes meet mine, pleading with me to do something. To help her out. She says she’s done with Aspen, but if I want to reel her in here, all I have to do is play nice for five minutes.
I put my hand on Alexei’s wrist, and he stares at me like he’s considering breaking all my bones. Instead, he makes an exception and lets me do it. We look at each other.
“I’ll walk Polina out.” I release him and turn back to the girl, holding out my arm.
She doesn’t take it. She does however let me follow her down two flights of cement stairs into an even more secluded corner.
“You’ve been telling me everything your father’s been up to.
If Alexei knows about that, does that get you in trouble? ”
“Have you been telling him this shit? Are you stupid?!” Polina hits me in the chest. First one fist and then the other.
She beats at me and then falls into my arms, and it’s terrible because I know she’s destined to die.
The only choice we get to make is how quick and easy it is.
If we report her to Burt and let him take care of it, it’s a rat in a bucket.
“What do you think the family will do to my Papa?”
“Nothing,” I reply honestly, wishing that she wasn’t touching me.
I’m dissociated from it in situations like these.
Used to being Aspen. It’s why sucking Alexei wasn’t a big deal.
My body’s never been mine; it’s always belonged to my twin.
“It’s you that’s going to suffer. Even telling your boyfriend what Daddy is up to and where he is, that’s more than enough. ”
Polina shoves away from me and scowls, looking me up and down like she finds me lacking.
“You think I’m the only one that’s going to die? You’re fucking dead, too. Taking a mouthful of Borisov cum doesn’t exempt you. Get your lover to pull some strings for both of us. You owe me!” She spins away, running her fingers through her hair and showing me why it’s so disheveled.
“Alright.” I close my eyes, remembering Scarlett’s words.
I’m not in charge anymore. I’ll give her this information and let her decide what to do with it.
It’s not my job to kill Polina. I don’t have to wrap my hands around her throat the way Aspen would have done.
I…can see why Widow didn’t want to kill Maryanne. I was fine with that, but this?
Knowing Aspen fucked her and then wearing his face while committing the murder?
That disgusts me.
“Alright?” Polina repeats, and I open my eyes to see that Widow has joined us, watching over me from the top of the stairwell. He could hop that metal bar and be down the short flight in a second. “What does that mean? Are we good?”
“Alexei is in love with me. He’ll do whatever I want.” I tuck my hands into the pockets of my borrowed black slacks, affecting a casual lounge. “I’ll be in touch. Make sure you answer when I call you.”
“You’re the one that got us into this mess.
I’m not going to thank you for fixing something you caused.
” Polina shoves past me and storms down the concrete hallway in the direction of the opposite bleachers.
That’s where Jonas is sitting, on the exact opposite side of the arena. Hunting us through the chain-link.
He could come into this deserted hallway, with its shuttered snack bars, and kill me maybe.
I should stay in public view at all times. Public assassinations are harder to pull off.
I head back up the stairs to find Widow and Alexei both waiting for me.
“Have we been outed?” Alexei asks, and then he laughs like he doesn’t give a fuck either way.
I rub my hand against the back of my neck, wishing I had that frog stuffie that Bohnes won for me.
That, and my sword. The key chain Scarlett got me is now attached to the hilt, my very own good luck charm.
“Yes, quite the scandal. Polina is oh so upset.” I smile, like that’s a joke, too. Widow is genuinely displeased about something; his expression is sour and he flinches as he accidentally cracks his ruined knuckles.
“Playing Aspen with Polina, that’s going to get you in trouble with Scarlett. She wants you to be Ash, I think. All the time. She’s pretty serious about it.” He smirks, his turn to find something funny. “You’re going to be flayed alive for touching her chin.”
Nerves settle in as Scarlett crosses the finish line and the checkered flag is waved.
The other boys accompany me down to the track where Scarlett is waiting with Bohnes. Her driving suit is already half-off, sleeves tied together in the front as it hangs off her generous hips.
“Saw you up there with a woman,” Scarlett says, immediately addressing me. Her eyes are fucking poison and her lips are venomous. If she ever caught me flirting with another woman for real, she’d stab me. Heat zips across my skin, making my blood boil. My cock is hot and hard in a second.
“Aspen’s girlfriend and also the lawyer’s daughter.
” My response throws gasoline on Scarlett’s jealousy, but it’s the truth and I have to tell her.
“Based on the conversation we just had, Polina Lisitsa was dating Aspen and sharing information with him. From what I gather, we can pin her inevitable death on him. In my professional opinion, she’s our rat. ”
Scarlett really thinks on that, looking at Bohnes. Widow. Alexei. Me again.
“Good intel, Doki-Doki Boy,” Scarlett says firmly. She looks me up and down, gaze landing on mine with a punitive narrowing. “Doesn’t mean I like you up there smiling at her.”
I find it hard to believe Scarlett actually saw the expression on my face from all the way down here while racing. Then my eyes shift to Bohnes and he shrugs, like I’ve caught him in the act.