“He left.” I spread the hundreds out, my heart beating faster as I count.
Madison’s arms drop to her side, the champagne bottle still clutched tight in one hand as she comes to peer at me. “Did he hurt you? I saw him strangling you on the cameras and I—”
“He paid me.” I lift the money between us. “And he gave me this for my cell bill.”
Madison stares down at the cash.
It’s two thousand dollars.
Her eyes are wide when they meet mine. She slowly shakes her head. “Pais, I don’t think this guy is someone you should be messing with.”
It’s possible.
Probable, even.
“I know.” I hold the money tight as the hope I lost rushes back. “But I don’t really have a choice.”