Home

by Melissa Pearl

  Roy McGarrett was right about me. I was a past whore, and I’d never give myself to anyone like that again. I had to find another way to survive.

  I didn’t know how I was going to get out of it, but if I didn’t do something to change my circumstances, I’d never get Josh back.

  My sweet grizzly bear.

  I’d probably never get him back anyway, but I had to try.

  It wasn’t until I saw him walk away from me that I realized how badly I wanted him. I’d been trying to ignore my yearning, pretending I was doing this for all the right reasons, but I was a damn fool. He was the only thing I wanted—the only thing that ever really mattered in the first place.

  *****

  “Time to go.” Aren stood behind me with a gleaming smile. I scowled at his reflection in my mirror, but he just laughed and squeezed my shoulder. “Lose the frown, sweet cheeks. It’s show time.”

  I was made up like a Barbie doll. A professional artist had been brought in to do my hair and makeup. I barely recognized myself as I rose from my chair and followed Aren out the door.

  My nerves were on fire, dancing through my body wearing tap shoes with spiky heels. I wasn’t sure I had the courage to go through with my plan. The repercussions would be bad. I was a fool to think otherwise. All I could pray was that they wouldn’t affect Josh too much. That was the most flawed part of my scheme—I didn’t know how to protect him. I was hoping it’d come to me sometime that afternoon, but it hadn’t. All I knew was that I wasn’t going to be sleeping with Walter. Josh was the last man to ever touch me that way, and I never wanted that to change.

  Aren opened the door for me, and I walked into a dimly lit room. I’d never been in there before, but I’d heard about it. It was the plushest room the club had and was only used for special events. It was decked out in velvet pink fabrics with dark hardwood floors. A huge shag pile rug lay in the middle of the room, held down by a wide leather couch. Large silk pillows lined the back, shuffled around by the monstrous Walter Spence.

  I pressed my lips together and looked away from his leering smirk. Glancing at the low-rise stage, I noted the pole and wanted to barf. Swallowing for the millionth time that day, I turned at the sound of Walter’s voice.

  “Pretty nice, isn’t it, Sissy?”

  I’m sure he was trying to be sexy with that husky question, but I found it repulsive. Forcing a smile turned out to be an effort; I could tell by the sharp frown pulling his eyebrows together. I blinked twice and tried again, telling myself to relax. I managed to flash him a grin. “Hello, Mr. Spence.”

  “Please, call me Walter.”

  His gaze was hungry, roving my body, making me feel like Little Red Riding Hood. He was the wolf salivating over me, but there was no woodsman to come to my rescue. He’d already been that day and I’d sent him packing.

  “Shall we get started?” Aren clipped across to the stereo.

  “Actually, Aren, I spent my afternoon preparing a special piece, an extra song I’d like to start with.” I held out a flash drive for him. He looked suspicious, reluctantly taking it from me. I leaned into him and whispered. “It’s to make up for this afternoon. I don’t want you doing anything to pay Josh back for visiting. I’ll make this night what it needs to be and you leave him alone. We clear?”

  A smug grin tugged at his lips. “Clear.”

  I wanted to slap at his triumphant expression but held my anger in check. If he’d known what I was about to do, he never would have slid the flash drive into the sound system. Thankfully, Murphy had been too dumb to question me when I’d asked him to get me a laptop that afternoon. I’d lied my way through that one, too, and nearly passed out when he’d returned with what I’d asked for. My plan had fallen into place so easily, but it was going to have consequences, big ones, that weren’t going to be pretty.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Rachel

  I clipped to the stage, stepping up and throwing a flirtatious smile over my shoulder before facing the back wall. I’d rehearsed my moves, and as soon as the backing track for Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” started playing, I spun and faced the men, flicking my hair back and putting on the sexy show Aren wanted. Although, this one was different…this was my sexy show, and I spat each word at the man who’d conned me, glaring at him intensely as I gave him the proverbial finger through a kick-ass song that said it all.

  Aren’s smug smile fled pretty damn fast, and I was soon facing off with a thunderous look of warning that nearly hindered my mission, but I lifted my chin and stayed strong, singing through the rest of the song and pointing my finger right at him as I sang the last word, “Trouble.”

  The only sound to follow my performance was the air streaming out of my nose in angry puffs. Aren was giving me the darkest glare I’d ever seen while Walter gazed at me in confusion. Eventually, his fat fingers slapped together in an awkward clap.

  “Well, that wasn’t exactly what I expected, but still damn sexy. Shall we keep going? I’m pretty keen to see the first song I asked you to perform—‘Sexy Love’.”

  My eyes snapped to the large man on the couch, and I flashed him a tight smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Spence, but I’m not going to be doing that song tonight. There’s no point auditioning for a role I don’t want, so rather than wasting your time, we should probably just cut this meeting short right now.”

  I moved to the edge of the stage, ignoring the tycoon’s gaping confusion.

  “Give us a minute, Walter,” Aren gritted out between clenched teeth before storming toward me and snatching my arm. His fingers dug in so tight, I could feel the bruises forming.

  “Ow!” I yelped as he hauled me to his office. He ignored my protesting, practically throwing me through the door. I stumbled and caught myself against his desk.

  “What the hell was that!” His bellow nearly shook the room.

  I fought my quivering lips and tried to stand strong as I turned to face him. “It was a statement. I want out.”

  “We’ve been through this. You can’t get out.”

  “That’s bullshit! I want to see this contract again. Show me where it says I have to have sex with some dirty old man!”

  Aren muttered a string of curses as he headed to his filing cabinet, ripping it open and snatching out my file. Smacking it onto his desk, he yanked my wrist and pulled me to his side.

  “Read it! You have to follow my guidance and do as I say! And I say you don’t fuck up this chance with Walter Spence! You screw his brains out and you get us that money!”

  I leaned toward the small print, squinting to read it properly. It was damn hard with Aren breathing in my ear, and the legal jargon was enough to stew my brain. Curse it! I didn’t understand what the hell it said on that paper.

  Aren’s hot breath scorched my ear. “You do not want to breach this contract, you understand me? I will take you down and destroy everything you hold dear. You seriously think some pathetic lawyer from Hicksville can save you from this? I will annihilate you.” He grabbed my arm again, spinning me around to face him.

  “I’m not some whore you can sell!”

  “Then tell your little boyfriend he can kiss his bar goodbye, because that’ll be the first thing to go when he tries to bail you out!”

  Rage fired through me, hot and ripe, and I couldn’t stop myself. I slapped him—hard. My fingers cracked across his face, stinging something fierce. My only satisfaction was his initial look of shock, and the red handprint left on his cheek.

  However, my triumph was short-lived. He got over his surprise damn fast and slapped me back, knocking me clean off my feet. I cried out. My elbow hit the ground hard, pain shooting up my arm, but that was nothing compared to the agony of being hauled back up by a handful of hair. Aren’s fist clung tight, shaking my head as he yelled at me.

  “You think you have any say in this! You are mine now, and you are not going to ruin this for us. You don’t say no to a guy like Walter Spence. He could turn his back on this entire
club. That’s a lot of business, Rachel! So you are going back into that room, and you are going to give him whatever he wants!”

  “Go to hell!” I spit in his face and earned myself a backhand slap that hurt worse than the one before. He followed it up with a punch to the gut that had me fighting for air. I coughed and gasped, clutching his arm to hold myself up. He yanked on my hair again, making my eyes water. Fear pulsed through me. I’d never been beat like that before. The one time my daddy went after me in a rage, my mother had stepped in to stop it. There was no Mama this time. Just me and an angry bull who wasn’t going to let me walk away.

  “Now, I’m going to give you a minute to compose yourself, and then you’re going to walk back into that room and—”

  I shook my head. “No. Beat on me as much as you like, but I am not going back in that room.”

  I must have been damn crazy, because he took my permission and went for it. He didn’t just slap me the next time, he thunder-punched me in the face and threw me across the room. I’d never felt pain like it. My body hit the floor and slid a couple of feet before smacking into the thick, wooden sofa leg. Pain coursed through me in such thick waves I couldn’t even cry. Terror was blinding me as I pressed my fingers into the wood and watched Aren’s shoes approaching through my blurry tears.

  He was going to kill me.

  No, he wouldn’t do that. He was going to keep me alive and make me pay.

  His fingers wrapped into my hair again and he jerked my head back, wiping the trickle of blood from my lip.

  I wished for Josh so bad but he was on the road, heading home to Payton, thinking I didn’t love him anymore. I willed him to change his mind, to storm through that door and unleash his grizzly. Whether he hated me or not, if he saw what Aren was doing, he’d kill him…and I’d let him do it.

  Aren’s breath was hot on my skin. “You do not want to take this further, Rachel. Now be a smart girl and do as you’re told.”

  Part of me wanted to give in. I didn’t think I could handle another round of pain. I’d be useless in a torture chamber, I knew that much, but I just could not make myself say yes to that man. I wouldn’t do it.

  Now that might have been the wrong decision. I’d already proven myself to be a fool, so it probably was, but I was determined. Walter Spence was not laying a finger on me.

  Shaking my head was impossible with Aren gripping my hair like that, so I had to suffice with a glare. Luckily for me, he took that as compliance and let me go. Standing tall, he straightened his jacket and I clambered to my feet, slipping off my shoes as quietly as I could. Aren walked for the door.

  “I’ll explain to Walter that you needed a little persuasion. I’m sure he won’t mind; he’s kind of dark that way.”

  How I didn’t faint, I wasn’t sure. It must have been the sheer doggedness coursing through me, but the second Aren opened that door, I lunged for it, driving my fist into his balls when he tried to grab me. He let out a feeble cry and I shook out of his grasp, my flimsy dress tearing as I fled.

  “Stop that bitch!” he roared.

  I kept running, slipping down the stairs and making for the outside door. Footsteps scuttled and clomped behind me, but I didn’t look back. I had to get out of there. The emergency exit came into view and I slammed into it, shouldering the door open and stumbling into the alley. I fell to the hard ground, scraping my knee. It was a struggle to get up. Pain still radiated through my body, fear near-blinding me.

  “She went this way!” Boxer yelled from inside.

  I scrambled to my feet and ran down the alley, my bare feet slapping against the hard stone. I heard a crash behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see Boxer giving chase. He was surprisingly fast for such a bulky guy. Anger was no doubt fueling him on. Josh had left him with a pretty fine shiner that was probably pulsing with pain as he ran.

  Skidding around the corner, I nearly tripped but found my feet just in time, avoiding a painful face-plant into the concrete. The cold, stone alley was getting dark, dusk stealing what little light was left and replacing it with ominous shadows. I scampered over the concrete, panicked breaths shooting out of my chest.

  My body was tiring fast. I couldn’t outrun Boxer, and there was no way I’d survive being dragged back into that club. I had to hide and just wait it out.

  I scanned my surroundings, my brain a frenzied mess as I tried to look for a good hidey-hole. I couldn’t see anything except a dumpster. I wasn’t above flopping into that smelly thing, but I didn’t think I’d have time before Boxer came charging around the corner. I pushed forward, the alley opening up into a street. Human traffic would keep me safe. It didn’t matter that I was half-naked. I could hide in the crowd.

  Relief at the idea flooded through me until I barreled into the open, only to find the street empty. It was a back road for delivery trucks and such, not exactly a thoroughfare.

  “Hey!” Boxer shouted at me.

  I flinched, spinning to make out his bulky form before darting to my left. I squeezed in between two parked cars and crouched for a minute. The hiding place wouldn’t cut it for long. I pressed my palm against the bumper of the car and looked around the street. Boxer would be there any second.

  A friendly voice from behind me caught my attention.

  “That’s fine. Don’t worry about it, man. I can do a late delivery.”

  “You’re a savior, Jack. Thank you.”

  “It’s no problem.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see a guy sliding up the back door of his truck. He placed something inside and turned to jump down from the truck bed.

  “There’s just one more piece.”

  “Got it.” The man landed on the concrete and followed the other guy inside.

  I took my chance. Leaping from my spot, I darted over to the truck and scrambled up just as Boxer came around the corner. Ducking behind a set of dresser drawers, I squished myself into the darkness and started praying.

  Boxer hadn’t seen me get into the truck. I could tell by his cursing and then the retreat of footsteps in the opposite direction.

  Thank the Lord.

  I stood from my spot with a wince, but had to quickly duck down when the two men returned carrying a bubble-wrapped coffee table. I bit back my hiss as I squished into my space, pain shooting up my spine as I scraped it on the rough panels of wood within the truck.

  “Okay, I’ll drop this off on my way home.”

  “I so appreciate it. This customer’s a piece of work, so be warned.”

  They both chuckled, and then the screech of metal filled the truck. I gasped as the door locked into place.

  I had no idea where the delivery van was going…but did I really care?

  In that moment, getting away was the only thing that mattered.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Josh

  I rubbed my eyes then blinked against the tiredness dragging at me. I hadn’t stopped driving since leaving downtown LA. Glancing at the clock on my dashboard, I quickly worked out that I was six hours down and had about fifteen to go. There was no way I could pull a second all-nighter. I had to stop for some rest.

  I hated that idea.

  I was worried that stopping would bring it all back home, make me feel stuff I didn’t want to accept.

  Would I ever be able to forget that look on Rachel’s face when she told me to just go?

  It cut worse than anything. At least when my dad and Aunt Lindy died they weren’t leaving me by choice. I hadn’t asked them to be taken from me. If bombs and cancer hadn’t been involved, they would still have been there.

  Rachel had the chance to come back…and she didn’t take it.

  I gripped the wheel, wanting to yank the damn thing off.

  Why! Why didn’t she want me!

  Flicking on the radio, I turned up the volume then rolled down my window. I wanted to get one more hour under my belt before finding a place to rest. The music and air would keep me awake for that much longer. It was a dangerous wa
y to play, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop yet. Not yet.

  A woeful song about heartache was playing. I rushed to change it and was pleased to hear Jack Ingram singing “Love You.” Perfect. That was exactly what I needed to hear right then…a song that basically told my woman where she could stick it.

  The anger spiking through me felt good. I pressed down a little harder on the gas, wanting to put as much distance between Rachel and me as possible. She could have her damn club and demeaning career if that was what she wanted.

  I drove on, into the darkness, trying to convince myself that I was better off without her…trying to pretend I didn’t notice how skinny she’d gotten while she’d been away and the slightly hollow look in her eyes.

  I gave her an out and she hadn’t taken it. That wasn’t my problem.

  Turning up the volume, I blasted the final chorus, fighting myself the entire way. Part of me felt justified for thinking like that, while another part of me wanted to yank on the wheel and drive back, throw Rachel over my shoulder, and bring her home where she belonged.

  But she didn’t want me to, so I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and kept moving forward.

  Chapter Thirty

  Rachel

  It was a bumpy, painful ride in the back of that truck. I had no idea where I was going or how long it would take, so I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. I hugged my knees like they were my favorite teddy bear and fought tears the entire trip.

  What was I going to do when the truck stopped?

  Would the man haul me to the police station? Who would I say to come get me?

  I couldn’t call Josh. I’d seen his face as he tore me to shreds with his bitter words. I couldn’t call Uncle Amos either. I was too ashamed to admit what I’d done. That only left Parker or Aren, and I definitely couldn’t call them.