Page 68 of Possession

Ellie

Iignore the hoots and hollers of the college guys lining the bar, celebrating another football win. Keeping my head low and my mind on target so I can earn as much in tips as humanly possible and get the hell back to my apartment in one piece, preferably without someone pinching my ass like they have every night I’ve worked here.

I’ve failed so far. A girl can only hope.

When I showed up here for an interview four months ago, I was desperate and not sure the manager would even take me on, but the way he looked at me had me questioning if he recognized me somehow. Nerves clawed inside me, telling me I would be exposed, but then his kind blue eyes met mine and he told me he would help me while keeping my identity a secret.

His words shook me to my core, and I questioned him, asking how he could have known I was running from something.

He said he saw it in my eyes. Whether that was the truth, I don’t know, but the manager, Reece, became my savior that night, and every day since. Then he told me I could work the bar and that he knew of an apartment in a safe housing block he managed.

My situation suddenly seemed so much better, especially with Maggie living next door. A sweet woman in her late sixties who took me under her wing and someone I could trust wholeheartedly. She became the mother figure I didn’t have, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her.

While I knew I couldn’t risk contacting Jade, Maggie became the closest thing to a best friend, easing the pain of losing her.

“Yo, sweetheart. Get me another beer, yeah?”

I’m snapped out of my mind and back to the here and now, and the college guys have moved to a table near the bar, and now each time I pass them by, I have to plaster on a mega-watt smile I don’t feel. Whatever gets me a tip, I guess. I shake my head and weave through the crowd with the empty glasses, sliding them onto the bar, then I lean over to place the order for him.

“Tiffany, when you have a minute, can I get another three pitchers of beer for table four, please?” Tiffany glances over my shoulder and raises an eyebrow before giving me a chin lift.

Just as I’m about to move back, a hand clutches my butt cheek, causing me to grimace. Great, I failed.

Again.

As quick as the touch arrived, it disappears, and I spin to face the assailant.

My chest tightens as I take in Rafael’s furious stare. Somehow his eyes are darker than ever, colder, and my blood freezes under the intensity. He has a hold of the guy’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “Ahhh. Fuck, dude. Come on, that’s my throwing hand.” The guy’s face is twisted in pain as Rafael continues to bend it, and the guy squirms in his hold.

“You touched what doesn’t belong to you.” His deadly voice sends a shiver washing over me, and when the sound of bones snapping rings out in my ears, my feet move of their own accord as my mind screams at me to run.

Rafael

The moment I set foot in the club, I see her, drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

Her tight little ass is snug in some booty shorts that have my blood boiling, and as she pushes off the bar, some jerk with a death wish steps into her space. I crack my neck from side to side, push past the countless drunks as I stride toward her, but when the little prick touches what’s mine, I see red.

Uncontrolled fury blurs my thoughts as I take his wrist in my hand and twist it. “Ahhh. Fuck, dude. Come on, that’s my throwing hand.” His face contorts in agony that gives me no satisfaction. “You touched what doesn’t belong to you,” I respond with a tone so cold it could turn the biggest motherfucker’s blood to ice. The feeling of accomplishment only comes when I hear the snapping of his bone penetrate his skin and he wails like a pussy.

“Holy shit!” His friends surround me, and my lip twitches at their confidence. To hurry things along, I drop the little bitch to the floor while he squeals. The move diverts their attention briefly, long enough for me to pull my guns from my shoulder holster and aim them at his friends.

Immediately, they hold their hands up.

“What the fuck, Rafael?” My gaze locks on to Reece O’Connell, the devious little bastard who thought it was wise to meddle in my private life. A move he will pay for later, him and his uncles.

With a bored expression, I glare back at him. “I want my little doll back.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. The little prick has bulked up since I last saw him, and he’s also not so little anymore.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirks, and I take a menacing step forward, over fucking around. Then I grab a hold of his shirt and twist it in my fist, pulling him toward me.

A loud chuckle rumbles through his chest as I glare at him.

Then he licks his lips slowly. “Ya know, if you ask me nicely, I might have a tiny snippet of information.”

Wasting no time, I bring my gun beneath his chin. Yet he shows not a glimmer of fear.

“Let’s not risk either of us getting our brains blown out.” He tilts his head to the side, and I follow his eyes. Three men stand with guns trained on me. “Saturday nights, my girl rides my pole like a stripper.” He chuckles while my mind whirls with that he said. His woman used to be a stripper, but there’s no way O’Connell would have her working here now. “Roleplay.” His eyebrows bounce up and down, and I rear back and let him go. He is certifiably insane, for sure. I had a gun to his chin, and he was talking about sex?

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