When I'm already on edge, the prospect of being surrounded by intoxicated men who don't respect personal space makes me want to run and keep running. But I'm not able to live my life that way.No, not if I'm going to live.I'll thus spend a few nights working there and pray that Nathan doesn't see me. I will flee if he does. And if he doesn't, I'll have at least a little money so that wherever I run to next, I won't have to live on the streets. not straight away, at least.Then what? When I get there, I'll think about it.If I ever get there.DanShe wants employment here.From behind his desk, Finn looks up at me. He doesn't enquire as to who. "Why?"My hand runs through my hair. She "says she wants to make up for letting her stay.""And that's a bad thing, why?" Finn brings his water glass to his lips.It's unfortunate because I wonder how long it will take for her to recognise you and Jade and flee. She mentions working a few days, just enough to make enough money to get a bus tick
I was surprised by how quickly she left the bedroom in heels after scrambling to her feet and grabbing her dress from the floor. She yells, "Fucking psycho!" as the front door closes behind her.What's next?I take in the wrinkled bedding and the woman's overpowering aroma, and I immediately realize that I cannot stay in this room for another second.I need to leave. I need to—My thoughts leap to stormy blue eyes. There is absolutely no explanation for her being at the pub. If she's going anyplace, it's going to be at Dan's place. He'll be by her side, relieving her stress and being the endearing, comforting Dan Shaw that women like."I should really keep my distance from her,” I murmur to myself as I stare out the window. "Leave Dan to save her, or stop doing whatever the fuck he is doing."My eyes search for the Cerberus as darkness descends upon the city like a thick blanket. Although I am unable to see it from my penthouse flat, I am aware of its direction. Eastern.In the same d
"So, this is Sam—actually, Samantha—but if you want to survive, don't ever call her that." Warm brown eyes and long dark hair in the most flawless French braid I've ever seen, this woman in her early twenties has Dan grinning at her.The music, slow-beat hip-hop, isn't so loud that he has to yell to be heard because the night hasn't really begun yet."Hello, Lily." Sam grinned.Dan gestures to two men who are behind the bar. One man, with black hair and appearing to be in his late twenties, is mixing drinks so quickly that it appears as though he is blurring. "Goody. An exceptional mixologist. He is capable of making every cocktail that has ever been invented. And yeah.Grady nods towards me in between drinks, but his gaze never leaves the five glasses that are arranged in front of him on the bar.Then Dan gestures to the opposite end of the bar, where a lovely blonde's drink is going to be knocked over by a blond guy with a practised smile. Not that he would know, what with his preoc
I put a smile on my face and drag my eyes away from the back corner. "I am okay."Before he can say anything, another couple walks into the bar and makes their way to one of my tables. He frowns."Clients," I utter. "I ought to stop by."I immediately turn to leave Dan and the man, who I find unbearably offensive for having flirted with Sam.Please make sure we're so busy tonight that I forget he's here.JadeWith a menacing grin, I follow the man as he weaves through the bar. Since he entered Cerberus's entrance a few minutes ago, his attention has been focused solely on one thing.Lily.It isn't her actual name, though. Not based on Dan's texts, which became increasingly tense when I didn't respond.She doesn't resemble a Lily at all.Whatever her real name is, it will have more weight. More difficult.Now, most of the tables are occupied. In her area of the bar, anyway.She bends to put a drink down on a table, and his eyes follow her back until they land on her ass. I realize then
After one look at my wrist's swelling—which was so severe that the bandage was slicing through my skin—I decided to take action. It was time for me to head home after my shift.Dan won't allow me to bring the tray over if any of my patrons order something heavier than a pint of beer."He simply is," I mumble.His hazel eyes are glowing with a smile, but I can see he won't be changing his mind, and I kind of like that.I appreciate how much he worries about my wrist and that he understands that I should be doing something more than spending all day and night in his flat. After my shift, he'll accompany me back to his flat, staying just long enough to make me feel less alone but not too long before it becomes awkward.I have endless time to ponder about Darius, Nathan, and everything else when I'm alone myself.My only thoughts while working at the bar are about who's going to get the next drink and how much tip I can get in three hours. I've never made more than $100 in tips a night, t
Jade.I'm staring at the hound Jade.My heart slows down sufficiently for me to breathe in between the last panic attack.His beauty isn't the kind you see in a glossy magazine. Not as attractive as Dan, but the kind you won't soon forget. terrifying. likewise depressing. He doesn't look like a brawler, even though Dan called him that.Is this his constant hiding place?His attention suddenly shifts to me, as if he's just become aware of me.His grey eyes pierce through me as he stares. I can't read anything in his blank, unreadable look, but I know there's a lot more going on there. I want to take off the layers and spill all of his thoughts onto a table for me to see.My head is filled with thoughts of him every night. Try convincing my body that this isn't the right moment or location to be fantasizing about fucking, yet it is. Though it's never occurred before, my pussy trembles with memories, almost as if it recalls having him inside.Then again, he blinks.And here I am, peering
My laugh is a harsh sound, one that settles here amid this rubble. "Pardon me if I don't think you're real.""Assaf, they won't—"They'll do so. More loudly than I had planned, my voice comes out. I whisper, "I know them," as the memories that I'm trying not to think about come flooding back. "I am aware of everything they would do to me."Perhaps they will bind me to a wall like Darius would or tie me up and beat me like Felix likes to do. Perhaps they will throw a party for their guests and force me to crawl around them in my pants while carrying a platter of refreshments on my back.Like a canine.They might even force me to bark.Once more.Or worse, I make an effort not to consider. Never.My knees are being slashed, and I'm having trouble breathing.I have a damp face. Do I have blood? Is this something else, or what?Even when an arm slides between my knees and across my shoulders, it still feels like something else is happening to me."I won't be taken back. Just murder me, I
I wait for the door to close behind him so that I can enter the flat by myself. That's when I get out of bed, find a pair of tennis shoes that fit me terribly, cram my feet into them, and go to the bathroom.My heart is racing the entire time I'm climbing out the window and descending the fire exit, which take only a few seconds each.I take off running the instant I reach the bottom.FINNIn the light of a fresh day, the devastation is tenfold worse.My gaze sweeps across the bar that we invested thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the best we could. You wouldn't owe the kind of individuals from whom we borrowed the money if it hadn't succeeded, right? You would have had to repay it plus interest.And just like that, it's all gone.Not a single bottle made it. The majority of the tables and chairs need to be changed out. The DJ zone, too? The likelihood of salvaging some of the equipment is not good, but it is still possible."Jade, what the hell is wrong with yo