Baited

Chapter 40 - Baited

Kelly and Tina hauled the heavy bag upstairs without speaking, each taking one side as they struggled with its weight. By the time they reached the apartment, Tina had to stop to catch her breath while Kelly unlocked the door and checked the hallway before letting them inside. They carried the bag straight to the table and dropped it down with a heavy thud that made the wood creak.

For a moment, neither woman touched it. Kelly stood with both hands against the table while Tina locked the door and checked the windows, and the silence between them felt heavier than the bag itself. Neither had forgotten what they had seen that night.

Tina finally looked at Kelly and asked, "You still think bringing Torin into this is a good idea?"

"I think we need someone who can stand between us and the people who sent that money."

Tina leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "You're giving him too much credit. I knew Torin before you did. I used to push him around whenever I wanted, and Torin would just take it."

"That was before."

"Before what?"

Kelly looked toward the bag. "Before he lost everything."

Tina's expression changed slightly, but she still wasn't convinced. "You did not saw him tonight. Again I say, that wasn't the same man Pascal and you used to push around. He walked into that restaurant without knowing what he would find, and when he saw what that man had done, he didn't hesitate."

"And that makes you trust him?"

"No. It makes me think he might be useful."

Kelly opened the bag, and the sight of the cash immediately silenced Tina. Bundles were packed tightly inside, far more than either of them had expected. Tina leaned closer, but Kelly only stared at the money before slowly closing the bag again.

"This isn't just payment," Kelly said. "It's insurance."

Tina frowned. "Insurance for what?"

"Whatever comes next."

They both understood the problem. Nobody moved this much money without a reason, and whoever had arranged the delivery had made certain there was no obvious connection between themselves and the two women.

Tina looked at the bag again. "What if we keep it and disappear?"

"Where would we go?"

Tina had no answer, and Kelly shook her head before continuing. "The money is useful, but it also tells us someone knows where we are. Running without knowing who we're running from won't solve anything."

"So what do we do?"

"We talk to Torin."

Tina gave her a doubtful look. "And what exactly are you going to tell him?"

"Enough to make him understand that we're in danger."

Kelly looked toward the door before adding, "I also want to see what he does when the problem isn't something he can solve with a bat."

They waited until morning. When the first light entered the apartment, Kelly picked up her phone and opened Torin's conversation. She considered calling him directly, then decided against it and typed a short message instead.

Misty needs you. Come quickly.

She sent it before she could change her mind.

Torin arrived less than an minute later. Kelly opened the door and found him standing in the corridor wearing the same clothes from the previous day. He looked tired, and the faint red is gone from his eyes, but the rage that had filled him earlier was gone.

"Where is Misty?"

"She's safe."

Torin's expression hardened the moment he stepped through the doorway. He looked past Kelly into the apartment, expecting to see Misty, but there was no sign of her. Tina sat on the couch, and an open bag filled with cash rested on the table between them.

"Where is Misty? I thought you said she needed me."

Kelly held his gaze for a moment before answering. "She isn't here. I used her name because I knew you would come."

Torin's eyes narrowed as he looked around the apartment again. He had known Kelly for barely any time, and Tina was practically a stranger, so there was no reason for him to trust either of them. He immediately understood that whatever this was, he had been deliberately brought here.

"You baited me."

"Yes."

Torin didn't move farther into the room. "Then you have about ten seconds to explain why."

Kelly glanced toward Tina before speaking. "Misty was here earlier. After what happened with the restaurant owner, she was frightened and didn't want to stay. She left before you arrived, but she told us enough for us to understand that the problem may be bigger than that man."

Torin remained silent.

Kelly pointed toward the table. "That's why we wanted you here."

His eyes moved to the bag. "Where did that come from?"

"We don't know everything yet."

Torin stepped closer and looked inside. The amount of cash made him pause.

"Someone gave you this?"

Kelly nodded. "It arrived last night through a delivery arranged by people we don't know well enough to trust."

"And you accepted it anyway?"

"We had no choice."

Torin looked at Tina for the first time after school. She remained seated, watching him carefully, and the silence between them made it obvious that they were not friends and had no reason to rely on one another.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

Kelly answered without hesitation. "We want to know who sent it and why."

"And you think I can find that out?"

"We don't know. We only know that after yesterday, you are the one person we've seen who doesn't hesitate when someone crosses a line."

Torin's expression remained guarded. "You barely know me."

"That's true."

"Then why trust me?"

"We don't," Kelly said. "We're asking you because we don't know who else to ask."

That answer made Torin pause.

Kelly continued, "The money is too much to ignore, and we don't know who might come looking for it. If we go to the police without knowing who is involved, we could make ourselves a target before we understand what we're dealing with."

Torin looked at the cash again. "How much?"

Kelly told him.

His expression changed slightly.

"Keep it here," he said. "Don't spend it, move it, or contact whoever sent it until we know what we're dealing with."

Tina finally spoke. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find out where it came from." Torin turned toward the door, then stopped and looked back at Kelly.

"And don't use Misty's name to bring me somewhere again. If she needs me, tell me the truth and I'll decide whether to come."

Kelly nodded. "Understood."

Torin left the apartment, and the door closed behind him. Tina remained silent for a few seconds before looking at Kelly. "Do you think he'll actually help us?"

Kelly looked at the cash sitting on the table. "I don't know."

She turned toward the closed door. "But now he knows there is something worth investigating, and Torin doesn't look like the kind of person who can leave a mystery alone once it is in front of him."

Down the corridor, Torin replayed the conversation in his mind. The money, the delivery, the frightened women, and the convenient use of Misty's name were too many pieces appearing at once.

Whatever Kelly and Tina were involved in, it was unlikely that they told him the whole story.

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