3

Dolly

There are so many moments where my life feels hard, broken, and damaged. Then there are moments where everything feels perfect.

On the days Oscar walks through the front lobby to work, I feel like my heart is going to soar. On those days, I think I’m going to die if he doesn’t stop and talk to me. I yearn for him more than I’ve ever yearned for anyone. I crave him.

And yet, I’ve somehow betrayed him without ever wanting to.

“Talk.”

I can’t.

“You’d better speak, Dolly.”

But I don’t.

I can’t bring myself to say anything else because I’m tired, and I’m scared, and I don’t know what’s going to happen next.

I’m quiet as Oscar pulls onto the highway. Somehow, he’s finding his way home. I’m not sure where Hank’s apartment was, and I’m not sure what he and Craig are going to do now, but that’s not of any concern to me.

What I’m starting to wonder is what’s going to happen to me.

“Where are you taking me?”

“No.”

“What?”

“That’s not how this works, Dolly. If you want information, you have to share.”

“But I-”

“That’s how it works. You speak, I speak. You speak, I speak. If you don’t share, I’m not telling you shit.”

“What the fuck?” I mutter the words before I can stop myself. The low laugh that escapes Oscar’s lips is dark.

And terrifying.

He’s going to hurt me, I realize. He’s not going to just drop me off at my apartment and pretend like everything is normal.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“There we go. That’s the question you should be asking.”

“Oscar?”

“No more talking, Dolly. The next time you speak, it’s going to be to answer questions. If you aren’t going to help me, you’re going to shut the fuck up.”

So I do.

I sit with my hands in my lap, and I wait until we get to Oscar’s apartment. He pulls the car into the basement parking lot of the building. I happen to know that he owns the entire building, but he lives on the top floor. I also know that he renovated the entire thing and his place is soundproof.

How do I know this?

I’m just the receptionist, and people talk. When people come by Shadowvale Industries, they stop in the lobby and spill their guts. In some ways, I feel like a hairdresser. People tell me all of their secrets. They don’t even think twice about it.

He parks the car, and then he turns to me.

“We’re going to get out of the car.”

“Okay.”

“We’re going to walk to the elevator.”

“I understand.”

“If you run, or you scream, or you try to signal for help, it won’t go well for you,” he says.

I believe him.

Oscar got to where he is today because his father was a rich man, but he stays where he is because he’s a cunning man. In my opinion, he’s the smartest of the three brothers. Ryan is broken and sad and mopey, and Phoenix is broody and sad and mopey, but Oscar is strategic. He’s the kind of guy who is always figuring out what his next move is going to be.

He’s got me trapped.

“Tell me you understand.”

“I understand.”

He nods, and he gets out of the car. A true gentleman, he comes over to my side of the car, and he opens the door. I accept his hand, wait for him to shut the door behind me, and then we walk to the elevator. We pass about a dozen cars on the way, but no people. He pushes a button for the elevator, and once we’re inside, he inputs a little code before hitting the top floor.

“You don’t need a keycard?”

“No.”

“Have you lived here long?”

He’s quiet.

The elevator moves up. The doors open on the main floor, and a tall woman in a blue dress steps in.

“Hello,” she says.

“Hi,” Oscar says.

I say nothing.

“Traffic is crazy today, huh?”

“Absolutely,” Oscar says.

“Luckily, I walked home from work. Can’t imagine being stuck in this. Did you see the wreck on 17th and Millbrooke?”

“Oh, I did,” Oscar says. He didn’t. We took a different route. He’s just making small talk with this random lady, and I’m trying my best not to completely freak out.

I could ask her for help.

I could beg her to take me somewhere else.

She could call the police for me, she could help me.

But what would I say?

“Sorry I kidnapped a billionaire. I didn’t know better.”

“I didn’t mean to kidnap my boss. I thought we were just going to talk to him.”

“I didn’t mean to do a crime today. It was an accident.”

No matter how I try to phrase my answer, I just think it’s going to come up short. No matter what I could possibly have to say, my words feel weak.

Frail.

Impossible.

“Good thing we’re all off work tomorrow for the holiday, right?”

“Absolutely,” Oliver says. “You have any big plans?”

“Oh, you know. I’ll probably just do chores,” she laughs. “Bathtub needs a good scrub.”

“Well, best of luck,” he says. The doors open on the seventh floor, and she steps out. The woman offers us a little wave, and then she’s gone. The doors close again, and we start moving.

“Do you know her?” I ask.

“No.”

“I thought you owned the building.”

“No more talking, Dolly.”

When the elevator finally stops, the doors open to a small lobby. We step off of the elevator. Oscar steps up to the ornate marble door. He reaches for a keypad, and he inputs a password.

“Inside,” he says, and I walk ahead of him into the apartment.

Somehow, I know that no matter what happens next, my world is about to change.