All Chapters of Good Girls Ride Too: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Elise sat in the hard plastic chair beside the hospital bed and stared at her sister’s face. Lily’s eyes stayed closed. The machines beeped in a slow, steady rhythm that never changed. Elise reached out and took Lily’s hand. The skin felt cool and too still.A nurse walked in with a clipboard.“Any change?” Elise asked.The nurse checked the monitors and shook her head. “Not today. Vitals are the same. The doctor wants to talk about the next payment before the end of the week.”Elise’s stomach tightened. “I already paid what I could last month.”“I know. But the balance is still climbing. Surgery consult is on hold until the account is current.” The nurse gave her a look that mixed pity with tiredness. “I’m sorry. I have to tell you these things.”Elise nodded and waited until the nurse left. She kept holding Lily’s hand.“I’m still here,” she said quietly. “I’m not going anywhere.”Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out. Unknown number. She almost ignored it, then answered

Elise shoved at the man’s chest again. His friends stayed close, blocking the path between the tables. The hand on her ass pressed harder for a second before he finally let go.“I said no,” she told them. Her voice came out tighter than she wanted. “Move.”The one who had grabbed her tilted his head. “We’re offering to help you. Don’t act like you’re too good for it.”“I don’t need that kind of help.”She tried to step sideways. One of them shifted and cut her off. The tray in her hands felt useless. Her pulse hammered in her throat. Heat still lingered low in her body from the unwanted touch, and she hated that it was there at all.Then the front door opened.Three men in dark suits walked in first. They scanned the room once. Behind them came a taller man. He wore a black coat and thin rectangular glasses. The second he stepped inside, the music seemed quieter. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. People turned to look and then looked away just as fast.The three men around Elise fro

Elise pulled her wrist free and stepped out of the booth without looking back. The curtain fell closed behind her. She kept the cash pressed flat against her palm inside her pocket and walked straight through the bar. The three men from earlier were gone. The bartender glanced up but said nothing as she passed. She untied the apron, dropped it on the counter, and pushed out the front door.The night air hit her face. She walked two blocks before she stopped under a streetlight and counted the money. It was real. More than she had held in months. Her hands still shook.She went to the hospital first.The night desk clerk looked up when Elise stepped to the counter.“I need to make a payment on Lily Hart’s account,” Elise said.The clerk pulled up the file. “How much are you putting down?”Elise slid a portion of the cash across the counter. “This should cover the urgent deposit and the next specialist hold.”The clerk counted it, typed for a minute, and printed a receipt. “This clears

Elise stood and followed the assistant through the glass doors. The office was large and quiet. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city. A wide desk sat near the glass. A man stood behind it with his back partly turned, looking at a screen.The assistant spoke first. “Ms. Hart is here.”The man turned.Elise stopped walking. Her feet rooted to the carpet. Same face. Same thin rectangular glasses. Same controlled mouth. The voice that had told her she wasn’t leaving until she made him feel good now belonged to the man who signed the paychecks in this building.Her throat closed. She forced air in.The assistant glanced between them, then stepped back. “I’ll leave you to it.” The door clicked shut behind her.Silence filled the room.Damien Kane looked at her without surprise. He set a folder on the desk and rested both hands on the surface.“Close the distance or leave,” he said. “Standing in the doorway doesn’t help either of us.”Elise walked forward until she stood a few feet from