Violet Grenade by Victoria Scott

Author:Victoria Scott [Scott, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Contemporary, E. Lockhart, We Were Liars, Mara Dyer series, Gone Girl, Megan Miranda, psychological thriller, Mystery
ISBN: 9781633756878
Google: CXM8DQAAQBAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 28226839
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: 2017-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Four

Boiler Room

Madam Karina isn’t asleep when we reach her room. She’s seated in a wingback chair, one leg slung over the arm. Velvet curtains framing a tall window are thrown aside, and she’s looking out across her property, eyes glued on the guesthouses. She doesn’t even turn in our direction when Cain clears his throat and announces our presence.

She waves a hand toward the door, telling him to leave. He looks at me, and I nod. The door closes behind us, and then it’s just Poppet, Madam Karina, and me. She scratches the side of her neck and I notice her middle fingernail is broken. The other four are pink as newborn mice.

“Heard the scuffle,” she says. “Even from up here.”

I step forward. “Madam Karina, I’d like to make a request.”

She finally turns toward me, and my breath catches. She’s been crying.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Her forehead furrows. “What do you mean?”

I shake my head, realizing she doesn’t want to talk about it. “Nothing. It’s just that you’re awake so late.”

“Well, yes, you woke me.”

I reap some courage and open my mouth. “I’d like to ask for the same favor you paid me before. I’d like permission to move to the third floor if Poppet and I can maintain the first and second place among the Daisies for one week.”

“Why?”

Poppet speaks up. “Because we want to make you happy.”

Madam Karina doesn’t look at her. “Is that true, Domino? You want to make me happy?” Before I can answer, she says, “Why is it that Lola favors you so?”

“What?” I say, confused.

Madam Karina stands from the chair. Her shoulders slump and she appears thinner than she did only days ago. The woman points a frail arm in my direction. “Lola speaks on your behalf every time we meet. Did you pay her some favor?”

“No, we’ve only talked once.”

Madam Karina flinches as if struck. She holds up a finger and mouths the word once as if asking a question. It’s then that I understand the madam has been drinking. A burning sweetness reaches my nose, and I locate the tumbler on her nightstand. “It may be that she wants to leave me.”

“I doubt that’s true.” I have no idea what Lola wants, but right now I’ll say whatever the madam wants to hear, because I need her to grant Poppet and me this favor. No more chances elsewhere. No more fresh starts. We leave this place with enough cash in hand to survive on our own. That’s how this story ends.

Madam Karina spins away. “Could be you’re trying to leave me, too.”

Her voice causes the hair on the back of my neck to rise. I sense Poppet moving closer to me. Outside Madam Karina’s window, I hear a girl giggling. A man’s voice chases hers.

“I want only what’s best for you, Domino,” she says.

The lie slithers from her mouth, sucking on the two of us like plump, slippery leeches.

“I don’t want to leave,” I whisper, returning the courtesy she’s paid me. “Poppet and I just want to make you happy.

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