Page 106 of The Pucking Wrong Man

I didn’t want them to know that I was already a failure on day one.

I’d just leave, walk around for a little before I texted Camden. Maybe I’d even walk all the way to his place. That would at least give me time to clear my head, to come up with a gameplan before our date.

You owe me...Dallon’s words beat into my skull Iike a sledgehammer.

When would those words come out of Camden’s mouth? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?

I had a feeling it would hurt a million times worse coming from him.

Stepping out of the building, I blinked at the sun. I wasn’t used to it being so bright when I left the dance studio.

I started walking down the sidewalk in the direction of Camden’s building...when Michael stepped out of the shadows.

“Ana...” he called in a lilting, mocking voice.

“Michael,” I whispered, taking a step back, my gaze darting around for anyone I could latch onto to get away.

But this time of day, it was almost as empty as when I got out at night on the days I stayed to clean the dance rooms. A shiver snarled its way down my spine. How long did he spend out here waiting for me? How did he always have the perfect timing to get me alone?

“I heard that you got kicked out of the shelter.” He smiled, like that was funny to him, and another thread of fear crept through me.

Had he been the one to somehow organize those drugs being found under my cot? What was he planning?

“I came to fulfill my brotherly duty and offer you a place to stay.” The words coming out of his mouth were all the right ones, but the way he said them...it made me feel dirty all over again, broken...terrified.

“I found a place,” I told him slowly, wishing this conversation never had to happen. I didn’t want to talk to him about Camden. Camden felt like a shiny, good, perfect little gift in my fucked up life. I didn’t want my psychotic foster brother to have anything to do with it.

“Oh, that NHL hockey player, right?” he asked casually.

My blood froze. I blinked slowly at him, trying to control my breathing as his smile widened.

“How did you know that?” I whispered, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice despite my best efforts.

His pale blue eyes glinted, his malicious intent peeking through as he stared at me.

“Now that you’re shacking up with a rich guy, you’ve suddenly become a whole lot more useful, little bunny.”

I stiffened, a wave of dread settling on my shoulders.

“You probably should get going. People are going to come out any minute now,” I warned.

Michael’s smirk widened, as if he knew that wasn’t true. Knowing him, he probably did.

He made a big show of pulling something up on his phone, slowly turning it around for dramatic effect.

I flinched when I saw the picture on the screen. It was from senior year, one of the photo shoots he’d forced me to do for him. I was sitting on a chair, completely naked, my legs spread so he could take a closeup of…

Hot shame licked at my insides. He’d shoved a knife against my nipple and threatened to cut it off if I didn't cooperate.

I hadn’t had a choice…but the reminder of those photos still made me want to die.

The most recent pictures had been taken six months ago at a “family dinner” he’d forced me to attend.

I’d done everything I could to stay away from him since I’d left the Carvers, but my everything had never been enough.

“What do you want?” I whispered in a resigned voice.

“Monthly payments,” he said with a grin. “I want monthly payments to make sure that these pictures never end up in the news. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing for your little NHL boyfriend to know that his girlfriend is a whore?”

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