Page 76 of The Pucking Wrong Man

“Hold still, Fluffy!” I grumbled, finally managing to snag him by the tuft of fur around his neck. With a quick, practiced motion that came with helping Geraldine with them many, many times, I got his collar on and attached the leash.

Glancing down at my watch, I gritted my teeth. Twenty minutes until she was done at Charlie’s. We needed to get going.

“Okay, boys, let’s go,” I told the dogs as I tried to lead them down the hallway, toward the front door.

The moment we stepped into the hallway, Midas decided he was leading the expedition. He surged forward, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket. Fluffy, not to be outdone, pranced beside him, his leash taut as he tried to match Midas’s pace.

“Ready to go?” I asked Ari and Lincoln who were both staring at the dogs.

“He really meant dogs,” whispered-yelled Ari. “I thought it was a joke.”

“You’ll be okay, Lancaster,” I told him, nodding at Logan as I headed toward the door.

“Logan, be good for Geraldine,” Lincoln sing-songed, and Logan flipped us off with both hands as Geraldine rubbed her hands together eagerly.

“Maybe we can role-play,” I was pretty sure she was saying as I left her penthouse.

I could just imagine Logan’s reaction to that. And what if the strippers showed up while we were gone.

Epic.

“Logan might be a changed man after this,” commented Ari.

“Maybe he’ll score more,” mused Lincoln.

Holding the dogs’ leashes with one hand, I pulled out my phone and checked Anastasia’s tracker. Good. She was still at the restaurant.

I didn’t know about Logan...but I knew one thing about me.

I was definitely going to be a changed man after tonight.

CHAPTER 14

ANASTASIA

Ihuddled behind the dumpster, every nerve on edge.

I’d had to stay late at Charlie’s, and by the time I’d gotten out…all the shelters had been closed…or full. Having someone shut the door in your face was not something I wanted to relive.

Which was why I was here. In an alleyway that was damp and reeked of rotting garbage. It had been the only place near the dance company I could find to hide though. I wanted to be able to get up early and shower in the locker rooms before classes started so I couldn’t be too far away.

This was also a better part of town, and the streets were well lit—so less chance of danger.

Or at least that’s what I was telling myself.

I shifted my bag under my head, double checking that none of my meager belongings had rolled out as I used it for a pillow. Pulling my thin blanket tighter around me, my body trembled with exhaustion and fear. Each noise—every rustle of leaves, every distant shout—made me flinch. My heart pounded in my chest. This was how I’d felt growing up, first with my father, and then with Michael. I never knew what was going to happen when Michael would come into my room or when my father would lose his temper in a drunken rage. I’d hated feeling so vulnerable then, and I hated feeling so vulnerable now.

How did I end up here?

I tried to trace back the twists and turns of my life, every step that had led me to this godforsaken place, how I could have done better.

I could have told Camden, a voice said inside my head.

But I pushed that thought away. Now, more than ever, I was sure I was saving him from me. I was huddled against a pile of trash for fuck’s sake.

He deserved so much better.

A gust of wind blew by, and I wondered if maybe I would just freeze to death tonight.

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