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“All you gotta do is be nice to me,mujer. You don’t gotta be a fucking genius to understand, right? Tail like you ain’t common around here. You’re fresh.” He takes a final drag on his cigarette, and then stubs it out on the wall next to my face. “If you’re nicer to me? I’ll be nicer to you. Fuckin’quid pro quo.”

My body recoils. I turn my face away, wondering what’ll happen if I’m forced to knee him in the balls. “Victor. Take the rent money and let me go.”

“Pushy, pushy,” he snarls, and grabs the wad of cash from my hand. “Fine. You think I give a fuck? Go.”

I scurry away, nearly tripping over the filthy rug in front of the door. But just as I’m about to dart outside, I hear him snap his dirty fingers. “Mira, mira,cutie. I almost forgot. You had a visitor yesterday.”

I stop in my tracks, clenching my hands into fists as a pulsing starts in my ears. Nobody knows I live here. Nobody here even knows my real name. I turn back over my shoulder. “What visitor?”

He shrugs his shoulders and eases back down into his office chair, which squeals under his weight. “Do I look like fucking Sherlock Holmes to you?”

God, I hate him. “Don’t make me use my mace on you again, Victor.”

That makes him laugh, makes his belly heave. “Ándale. I like a girl that wants a fight, no but for reals, though. He didn’t tell me his name. Dark hair, diamond earring. Sick ass Mercedes with the good tint. Legit bad motherfucker, you feel me?”

Ohgod,no.“And?”

“He gave me five hundred to let him into your place.”

I feel the room start to spin around me. “I don’t suppose you said no.”

“What the fuck you think,mujer?” He takes another drag of his cigarette, long and slow and sinister. “That’s real fucking money. So I said sure.”

I spin back around and stomp toward his messy desk. “You saidsure?It’smyapartment, Victor.”

“Yeah, but it’smyfucking building. And you were late on the rent,” he sniffs a little, and rubs his nose, like coke addicts do.

The tendons in my legs lock my knees straight, my stomach turning on itself. “Did he take anything? Did he say anything?”

Victor shakes his head. “Don’t think so. I didn’t babysit him.But he left you this. Gave me another twenty to make sure I handed it to you myself.”

He slides an envelope across his desk.

I snatch it away, ears buzzing, hands trembling, feeling like I’m going to either faint or throw up.

Without another word, I book it to the limo. I don’t go to my place. I don’t worry about my things or my belongings or my clothes. Or, the other thing…

I jump into the back seat of the limo with hands shaking.

“Drive. Fast.Now,” I manage, looking out the back window.

Edward must see the terror in my eyes, because almost as soon as I’ve said the words, the tires are peeling and we’re barreling toward the highway again.

“You okay?” he asks once we’ve gotten onto Cass Avenue.

No.No.Not even close to okay. “I’m…” I swallow hard to stop my voice trembling, but it’s no use.

I rip open the envelope, slicing a deep papercut into my finger as I do. I hiss in pain, sucking hard on my finger to soothe the sting.

On the page are the words I have been dreading. I read them twice, three times, four times. But the words don’t change. And neither does my terror.

Peek-a-boo. Found you.

Keep that pretty little mouth shut or I’ll be back to shut it for you.

Dusk is falling. Edward tries to make small talk throughout the drive, through the gridlock of rush hour traffic, but I don’t have the energy to keep the conversation going. Eventually, he gets the hint, and we drive the rest of the way in silence.

All I have ever wanted is a simple life. I have never asked formuch, never expected much. But now I have to get used to the realization that Corsicov Rominovski has found me. Again.