Belladonna

1.5 ] Glad To Disappoint

••●••

MY CRUSH ON Margeux was cute while it lasted. But the moment she showed the slightest interest in Reign I knew it would never be. 

That and she's also probably straight. 

I just don't get it. How can someone like Reign? I'm not even salty that I couldn't get her - I'm salty she picked Reign. Of all people. I mean, what about Elliot? He's got that old english rich tuxedo boy vibe going on. 

And the worst part? Reign doesn't even like her. He doesn't like anyone. Which means a gorgeous girl who could have anyone, just gave herself over to the most undeserving person on the planet. 

Maybe I'm being a little dramatic. I'm a smidge heartbroken, but it'll wash over. There are plenty of other women here. And most women are pretty perfect to me, so I'll take it. 

"Ian Dickens is only alone when he sleeps." Elliot notes. 

I probably shouldn't be thinking about personal dilemmas when I'm at work. 

"Or when he needs to use the bathroom." Vika adds. 

I turn to the dark haired girl, "Yeah, but it's not like we can do anything when he's in the bathroom."

"You never know," She shrugs, "Most events he goes to have public stalls. I could slip through a vent, kill him, slip back."

Vika is incredibly flexible. 

"That's too risky," I shake my head, "We'll stick to the bedroom."

Elliot covers his laugh. 

Idiot. 

"Where do you think Sasha is?" Elliot asks. 

"I heard she's working with the new girl." Vika answers, leaning backwards and lying on her back. 

"Margeux?" He asks. 

"That's the one." Vika snaps her fingers at him. 

"So us three are working together, Sasha is with miracle girl, Reign's most likely on his own - and Keagan is with Liam and Heather. We can do this before all of them right?" Elliot wonders. 

"It's not the end of the world if we don't." I shrug. 

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't. We want to get paid." Elliot rolls his eyes. 

"I say we can do it," Vika sits back up from our carpeted floor, "Reign's good at solving, not executing or acting. Sasha picked the inexperienced one - and the other three are only together because being in a larger group is all they have going for them. We can do it." 

"Right." I nod.

"Right." Elliot confirms. 

"...but don't get your hopes up." Vika mutters quickly. 

"You almost did it," I groan, "You almost gave a decent pep talk."

She shrugs, "Glad to disappoint."

"That should be your tag line." I frown at her. 

"And yours would be Unloved, Unwanted, Unbroken." She sneers back.

I fake awe, "You think I'm unbroken?"

"Oh, just shut up." She reaches behind herself to grab something to throw at me. 

I leap up instantly, running to my bed and jumping on it. That doesn't stop Vika. She's running after me, throwing a book at my head - bruising it - jumping up onto the sheets and tackling me so that I lay underneath her and holding my wrists so tight they almost go sore. 

"Vika!" I pout, "Please, I didn't mean it - you're uh, you're the opposite of disappointment? Appointment? Wait-"

She leans down, inches away, nose to nose, "You act snarky with me again, I'll ruin you." 

"Guuuuys," Elliot groans from where he's still seated on the ground, "Stop screwing around and threatening each other - I need you working."

And so Vika rolls her eyes, presses her weight down on top of me before rising - and steps off the bed to go join him. 

I'm left with one, surprising, daunting thought. One so...weird. And that is, that if I were a guy, I definitely would have just embarrassed myself, and gotten a boner. 

••●••

We have decided Ian Dickens isn't somebody you can miraculously meet and convince away. He needs to be brought. Baited. Fooled. 

And so, during one of his work revels in the next few days, we're going to invite ourselves to a game of poker. Well, Elliot is. He's the only one who knows how to play...well play and not reveal himself. 

During said game, we'll be in a private room. Vika will act as someone serving drinks, I'll be watching through a camera acting as one of her buttons where she stands behind him. Through a speaker I have connected to his ear and mine, I will tell him the visuals I have through Vika's camera. 

We'll win. We'll cheat. 

Eventually, Elliot will be taken seriously. He'll be let in - under a false name - as someone Ian will seemingly respect. 

And then he kills him. Blames it on one of the other men they play poker with. A sore loser.

It's a good plan - a great one even - but it is reliant on playing the long game. 

And I don't know how long Elliot can fake being interested in all the games and lifestyles he grew up wanting to run away from. Or how long Vika can contain her anger as she most likely will be getting ogled at. 

Or how long I can wait in a van, parked outside, away from the action, probably bored out of my mind. 

••●••

Odyssey:

- Juana.