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Nancy felt the anger surge through her, hot and undeniable. ‘You’re not strong. You’re a bully.’

Helen’s face flashed with irritation, but she masked it quickly. ‘Oh yes?’

Nancy took another shot. ‘And your niece is exactly like you,’ she mumbled.

Helen’s eyes narrowed. ‘What did you say about Paris?’ she asked, her voice lowering into something darker.

Nancy stiffened. Her pulse quickened. She had to be careful. She wasn’t here for this.

But she had a chance to reclaim something. If she could just hold her nerve.

‘Paris,’ Nancy said slowly, her voice dropping to a low whisper. ‘She’s a monster, just like you. I’ve been watching her. And that charity you two run? What a joke. You don’t give a shit about anyone.’

‘What do you know about that?’ Helen asked, taking a step closer.

Nancy hesitated. ‘What do I know?’ she repeated, unsure.

Helen studied her for a long moment, her eyes cold, calculating. ‘Staff. You people make me laugh. We give you everything you have. That’s why you hate us. Because you know youneedus.’

Nancy shrugged, trying to sound unbothered. ‘You’re a backseat bitch, that’s all. You’re nothing special.’

Helen took one quick step toward Nancy. Nancy, to her enormous shame, flinched.

Helen didn’t do anything else. She didn’t need to. Her smile grew wider. ‘I’m going to find security,’ she said, her voice cold. ‘I think we’re in the arena of trespassing now. Hope that police car is big enough.’

Nancy stood frozen, her chest heavy with dread.

Helen turned on her heel, heading toward the door. As she went, she gave Nancy one last look over her shoulder and started laughing. At last, she vanished from sight.

Nancy stood there, in the silence of the room, with the unsettling realisation that she was right back where she started, with Ari trapped. And now there was a timer on the situation. Security was coming to eighty-six her.

Fifty-Two

Ari’s fingers pressed against the cool wood of the door, as though somehow that would help her focus, help her figure out what was going on. But it was just silence now.

Finally, after what felt like hours, there was a quiet shift outside. The sound of footsteps approaching, hesitant, and then Nancy’s voice.

‘Ari?’ It was low, uncertain. She sounded… sheepish? It made Ari’s stomach drop. What the hell was going on out there?

Ari leaned in closer to the door. ‘Nancy? What the hell happened?’

There was a pause on the other side, and then Nancy’s voice came again, quieter. ‘It was Helen.’

‘I thought as much.’ Ari said. ‘I hope you headbutted her.’

‘Not exactly,’ Nancy’s voice was thick with frustration, but there was a trace of something else, too. Shame?

‘She’s gone for security. I might be joining you in there shortly,’ Nancy said. ‘I’m a trespasser now.’

Ari’s jaw dropped. ‘Then just leave!’

A little of the old Nancy jumped out. ‘I told you. I’m not doing that. We’ve still got time. It’s gonna take her a while to get back up. I can figure something out.’

‘NANCY. GET THE FUCK OUT,’ Ari told her.

‘No,’ Nancy said. And Ari knew that tone. There was no arguing with her. She was set on standing at this door until she was in as much shit as Ari.

Ari hated this. It was one thing that she was in trouble, but now the most stubborn person on earth was refusing to leave her. It was lovely and enraging.