47
Chloe
“What are you doing here?” I demand, my heart rate kicking higher as she stops in front of me, swaying. If I had any doubts about her state, they dissolve as I take in her huge black pupils and smell the sickly sweet odor of her breath. For the first time since I’ve known Nikolai’s sister, she’s not wearing makeup, and her beautiful face is pale and puffy, her green eyes red-rimmed and underlined by shadows.
“I was waiting for you.” Her pretty lips are bloodless as they stretch into an uneven smile. “My brother wanted you to get paid for the first week by noon yesterday, but I didn’t feel well enough to get out of bed until later in the evening, so that’s when I came by to drop that off.” She waves a careless hand at the thick envelope sitting on the nightstand.
“You’ve been h
