Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 684

SPARROW

Two Weeks Earlier

The security layout for Dominic's engagement party filled my laptop screen in layers, entrances marked in red, exits in amber, every rooftop and sightline tagged with a name and a rifle. I was three levels deep into the drawing when my phone lit up with a name I hadn't expected all day, and I smiled before I answered.

"Don Moretti."

"Sparrow, my good friend." The voice on the other end came warm as brandy. "It's good to hear your voice."

"How have you been? And how's your island?"

"Sin island is doing just fine."

I leaned back and turned a pen between my fingers. "How's the favour I asked you to do coming along?"

"That's exactly why I'm calling." A sigh, fond and long-suffering. "That whore, Seraphine. She refuses to follow the rules."

I chuckled. "She's always been a bitch. Nothing new there. But even on your island, she still refuses?"

"Exactly. She doesn't follow the rules. And over here, breaking them comes with serious consequences."

"Like what kind of consequences?"

Don laughed. "Come on, Sparrow. Those are our island's secrets. I'm not going into the details."

"Ah, you're still a sneaky bastard. Some things never change." I looked back at the glowing blueprint and let my smile fade on its own. "Anyway. I trust you to handle everything. Just don't kill her, okay?"

"To be honest, I've been tempted a few times. Never seen a bitch so greedy, its repulsive." There was another pause, longer this time. "But that's precisely why I'm calling. We have rules on the island, and we live by them. If you break them, you pay the price. Seraphine has broken those rules, and according to our laws, her punishment should last a very long time. At this rate, she might not survive it.

The way I see it, she keeps breaking more rules, which means more punishment, which means there's a real possibility she dies on my island. I just wanted to give you a heads-up, so you can prepare yourself for that possibility."

My smile had disappeared some time ago. I watched the little amber dots crawl across Dominic's floor plan while the room stayed quiet around me.

"Well, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't care whether she lives or dies. But you know what? Let me call you back. I need to speak to someone first."

"Okay. Whatever you decide, just let me know."

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