12. Chapter 12

Demi

E verything is moving at warp speed. We all work together to prepare the space for Jay's party. There are people blowing up balloons, stocking my baking supplies in the kitchen and setting up the room. Other teams are running through security to ensure everything continues to go smoothly. Yet another difference between a mastermind and a wannabe hard-core criminal. I laugh at my internal monologue. Sometimes the voices in my head are fucking hilarious.

If Jay were here, he'd be nagging me about not being more careful. Cecile and I already decided an explosion from the oven would be the best way to send the house up in flames. I know it's messy, but fuck, Jay can easily manipulate the police force, and absolutely no one is going to care that much about a house burning down in this city. It happens far too often to even make the news.

It also means we get to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. Our hacker will erase all traces of the booking, the insurance will cover the owner for the explosion and Ghost disappears. The last people to see him can't technically say anything without violating the NDA that Edward makes everyone sign. My plan is perfect. If there are any cracks, Jay will take care of it like he always does. I giggle. I should leave him a little something to clean up for me. There's nothing hotter than watching my man cover up little plot holes I leave for him. It's like a goddamn candy-coated trail right to my cold, black heart. I twirl a strand of hair around my finger and smile. Jay will be here soon and it's going to be the best fortieth birthday.

"The wrapping paper is here, Demi." Cecile's voice loudly pierces through my internal thoughts.

"Coming," I squeal, skipping across the room to where she stands next to a tied up Ghost in a chair.

There's a bag full of gift wrapping supplies at her feet. Clapping my hands like a child, I exclaim, "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"You're going to gift wrap me?" Ghost snarls. "Lame."

I backhand him across his face. "No one asked for your opinion, Ghost. You're just here to disappear." My words are menacing and harsh, cutting into him with a deadly prediction about the outcome of this encounter.

He swallows hard, saying nothing.

"That's better. Now stand up." I instruct.

He does what I tell him and I drop to the floor to begin wrapping his legs up in the colored birthday paper.

"I never thought you'd be on your knees in front of me like this," Ghost says, trying his best swoony voice.

He's lucky he's Jay's gift. If it were up to me, I would have already cut his tongue off or sewed his lips shut.

"If you don't want to ruin my perfect, mint condition gift for Jay, then you should just stop talking, because if you continue, I might do something I regret and I don't want to give Jay a broken present." I say, then add. "If you can't shut up, I have no problem taping your mouth shut."

Ghost laughs, "Baby, you play so rough with me. I love it. Now be a good little whore and suck my cock like I paid you to."

I stand up, snapping at Cecile to take over wrapping him up in birthday paper. He's a fucking idiot.

I poke him in the chest as I speak. "Call me a whore again. Do you really think you bought me because I was at the club for some reason other than setting you up?"

Silence.

I poke him some more. "Unlike you, I'm an actual criminal. I planned everything out, the way us professionals who get our hands dirty do. You think this is all because you stumbled upon on me at the club? That is preposterous. You're a fucking idiot and you walked right into my trap. Welcome to the lion's den, Ghost."

He pauses and looks me dead in the face and says, "Then be a good little criminal and suck me off one more time before I die."

"No." I seethe at him in return. "You'd like that too much. Instead, I'm going to watch as you beg Jay to finish you. One of us is going to make sure you wish for death, and invite him to take you with him to hell."

Cecile hands me a roll of duct tape and I rip a piece off, covering his mouth with it before he can say anything else and kill more of my brain cells. I'm losing my patience. We work in silence to finish wrapping him and place a giant bow on his chest.