There was definitely something off about Cassandra. She seemed tense, and she was avoiding eye contact with me.

It nagged at me. I’d wanted to question her about it, but Kimmy had quickly claimed my attention as soon as I’d walked into the kitchen. Hopefully, it was nothing. Maybe she really did have a headache. But deep down, I knew that was just a lie she had told her daughter to avoid the truth.

Something was wrong.

“Now, Kimmy, Mommy and Emil need to go to work today.”

She pouted. “But it’s Saturday!”

“I know, honey, but it’s important.” Cassandra smoothed back Kimmy’s hair. “Sally is going to come over and take care of you, okay?”

“But… I’m going to miss you,” she protested. Kimmy took after her mother, for sure. Already, she was quite the little manipulator.

“I’m going to miss you, too, pumpkin. But I tell you what – we can play all you want tomorrow, okay?”

“Do you promise?”

Cassandra nodded.

“Pinky promise?” she asked, holding out her smallest finger. “Or it doesn’t count.”

“Okay.” Cassandra hooked their pinkies together before kissing her daughter’s forehead. “But you must promise to be a good girl, alright?”

She nodded.

Cassandra then turned to me. “Are you ready?”

“Shouldn’t we… shower first?” I suggested, knowing that we were probably both a little sticky from our time together.

Kimmy tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed.

Cassandra didn’t bother with a response. Instead, she walked out of the kitchen, her cheeks red.

I followed after her, thinking we could shower together, but she had already locked the door. I knocked, but there was no answer.

She was definitely avoiding me.

Could it be that she regretted what we had done?

I should have expected as much. But for some reason, I’d thought that maybe she’d be different – that she’d see me as a normal guy instead of as an ex-criminal. I guess I’d been wrong. I had poured my heart out to her, and still, she doubted me. Why had I even bothered? I ground my teeth together in anger and slumped onto the couch, waiting for her to emerge.

As I did so, my phone buzzed from within my pocket. I pulled it out, recognizing the number that flashed across the screen.

Mavis.

VanGuard had been smart enough to let me keep my phone, knowing it was a vital tool that would help me maintain my connections. The only problem was that everything was monitored. Even if I wanted to make some much-needed phone calls, I was helpless to do so. The thing that pissed me off the most was that Ned, Stacey’s new lover, was the one overseeing my surveillance. How ironic was that?

69^th. 5 PM sharp. Don’t be late. 20 Kilos.

I read the text and sighed. This was exactly what VanGuard wanted. A drug bust. But I wasn’t sure. Doing so would make me the biggest rat in the city. I would be a marked man. I’d have enemies enough to drown in. Not exactly the ideal situation.

Okay, I texted back.

What else was I supposed to do?

* * *

We arrived at the industrial zone almost an hour early, sitting in Cassandra’s car, just waiting for the scheduled time.

The air around us was suffocating.

Neither one of us had spoken a word about what had happened last night. Still, I held my ground, waiting for her to make the first move.

She remained quiet.

The silence thickened.

Fuck this.

“You know, if you hated the sex, you can just tell me,” I spat out.

For the first time, she turned to look at me, blinking like she had just realized I was still there.

“I can’t stand you being all pouty. So just come out and tell me what the hell I did wrong.”

She bit her lip.

I grew even more frustrated with her.

The silence dragged on.

My temper rose.

“I...” she stammered, struggling with the words.

My nostrils flared as I breathed in deep. Relax, Emil, I told myself, trying to keep a level head. There was probably an explanation. Probably a half-assed one but one nonetheless. I just didn’t like to be kept waiting.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she finally admitted.

“Then why the hell are you treating me like I’m some sort of disgusting pest you can’t be bothered to look at?”

Her eyes widened at my words. “I don’t think that…”

“Don’t lie to me, Cassandra.”

“Look. I’m just not sure if I made the right decision is all.”

“So you regret sleeping with me.”

She didn’t answer.

“I should have known,” I growled. “I knew that it was too good to be true, but I thought that maybe you actually meant what you said. Guess I was wrong.”

“I did mean what I said,” she protested. “I just… don’t know if you’re the right man for me.”

“Of course you don’t,” I snapped. “Why would I be? I’m just some low-life criminal, right?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Whatever.” I snorted. “It’s almost five anyway. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Wait.”

“What?”

“I need to lay down some ground rules before we go…” she said almost timidly. “Cruz’s orders.”

I laughed. “Alright.” I sat back, waiting for the ridiculous slew of rules I’d have to follow. I was nothing more than a trained monkey to them. If I had been smarter, I would have gone with the prison option. Yet, here I was, being made a fool.

“So essentially, don’t try anything.”

“You really do think I’m stupid, don’t you? I have a fucking ankle monitor. What the hell am I going to do? You’ll just find me and drag me back to this hell.”

She frowned. “Alright… I think we can skip the rules then. It doesn’t matter.” The usual blaze in her green eyes had vanished. Now, they were dull and painted with regret.

Well, who cared?

In the end, I’d just end up alone.