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ChapterOne
Lorraine
The bag over my head smelled sour, and my breath was a hot fog around my mouth. My breathing came in ragged gasps, way too fast. I felt lightheaded.
I focused on my breathing, forcing myself to take slow, even breaths. I was going to hyperventilate if I didn’t.
I took two big gulps of sour air before I gagged.
The truck I was in bounced over something, and I fell to the side. I cried out and tried to catch myself, but I couldn’t with my bound hands, especially when I couldn’t see anything. I tried to see through the loose weave of the burlap sack that had been pulled over my head, but the back of the truck had to be dark, too.
My heart hammered in my chest, threatening to explode. My stomach was a knot of fear.
The truck rumbled beneath me as it sped up and slowed down for the turns I couldn’t anticipate.
Everything had moved so fast. Oscar had woken me up in the middle of the night.
“They’re here, Lorraine. Wake up!”
“Who’s here?” I asked, blinking open gritty eyes. “What time is it?”
The night was thick around me. Light from the front room fell through the bedroom door.
“Come with me,” Oscar said.
“Where?”
“Please, Lorraine, you’re the only one who can save me.”
I frowned, waking up more. My mind was sluggish, struggling to make sense of what was going on.
“I lied to you,” Oscar said as I got out of bed and pulled a robe over my shoulders.
“About what?”
“The gambling… I’m sorry. I said I would stop, but I just… I couldn’t. They’re here for payment.”
I shook my head, my stomach sinking with dread. Cat had been right all along. My sister had told me Oscar hadn’t stopped, but I’d decided to believe him. I’d wanted to believe that he’d changed.
A leopard doesn’t change his spots, my mom said in my head.
What would she have said now?
I pushed the thought of my mother out of my mind and stepped into the living room. Four men stood in a half-circle around the coffee table.
“Ah,” one said. “It’s about time.”
“What’s going on here?” I asked.
“Oscar has a debt to settle with us.”
“How much?” I asked.
“More than we can afford,” Oscar said.
I shook my head. Whatever it was, we could make it happen and figure out the rest later.
“Are you ready to pay up?” the man asked.
