A Desperate Decision

Whoever coined the phrase 'desperate times call for desperate measures' was probably a time-traveling soothsayer bearing witness to the disaster that was my life.

Today was day fourteen of the two weeks Giovanni had granted me to get his money.

I didn't have his money. Not even close. So like the desperate person I was, I resorted to the last thing a sane person would do: I went to my father.

It was ill-advised and stupid, and considering all the threats Giovanni had given me, you'd think I would understand the magnitude of the danger I was walking into.

But the way I saw it, I was dead anyway if I didn't have his money by the end of today. So what was the point of not trying?

I'd called my dad in the cab on the way here, and as usual, it went straight to voicemail. Since I was fully leaning into the crazy, I hadn't asked the cabbie to turn around. Now here I was, in front of my father's mansion, hat in hand and ready to do whatever it took to get the money.

Gazing longingly through t