Page 59 of Dirty Heirs

This time, I ignored my mother’s request to hide in the closet. Instead of running away, I found the courage to fight off the men attacking her. I wasn’t scared but empowered and blew their brains out with my father’s shotgun.

But dreams were not real.

I woke up screaming for my mom, a strong arm curled around me. Looking around the dimly lit room, I was so confused. I didn’t recognize any of the paintings. Clothes were scattered across the floor. Even a shirt was tossed onto the lampshade.

A few seconds passed before I remembered I was on Sonny’s yacht. We had sex last night—the three of us.

You’re safe.

It’s okay.

Every morning, I had to tell myself this. It was the only way I could get through each day, praying the men who killed my mother wouldn't come back for me.

“Ella, wake up.” The bed shifted beside me from Sonny’s weight, and his fingers brushed mine. “We can’t stay here.”

“Huh?” I glanced out the window and saw it was still dark outside. “What do you mean we have to leave?”

“Yeah, what are you talking about?” Aiden sat up, taking me with him.

He hadn’t stopped touching me all night. Even in sleep, Aiden latched onto me.

“My dad called his cop friends to break up the party. They’re being real ballbusters about us sleeping on the boat.” Sonny slid off the bed. “Some shit about how this marina isn’t zoned for residential something or other.”

“You sleep here all the time.” Aiden ran his fingers through his messy blond hair. “Why does your dad suddenly care?”

“He’s pissed about the company I’m keeping. Get dressed. We’ll find someplace to go.”

He extended his hand and helped me off the bed, yanking me to my feet. I hooked one arm around him to catch my balance and drank in the scent of his cologne—bergamot and tangerines—and tried to stay in the moment for a second longer. Deep down, I knew this was the beginning of the end.

“Your dad doesn’t want you hanging out with me, does he?”

He nodded. “I told him to fuck off.”

“Sonny…” I bit my lip, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, El. My dad doesn’t own me. He may think he does…” His gaze drifted to the wall of windows overlooking the bay. “Fuck him.”

After Sonny cleared out the yacht, Aiden drove us to a hotel in his grandfather’s Rolls-Royce Phantom. I was getting a taste for their wealth and not hating it. I lost my virginity on a super yacht… and now I was riding in a car that cost more than most people made in ten years.

We headed into the lobby with our arms interlocked, catching a funny stare from the woman on duty. Her gaze dropped to our hands, and her nose wrinkled in disgust. Some people were so closed-minded.

“Hello,” Aiden said to the middle-aged woman with short brown hair cropped to her chin. “We’d like a room for the night.”

“The Waterford is not that kind of hotel.” She glared at me before returning her resting-bitch face to Aiden. “We don’t rent rooms by the hour.”

Annoyed, Aiden shook his head. “I want a room for the night, not the hour.”

The woman settled behind the computer, her fingers on the keyboard, and sneered. “How many rooms would you like?”

Aiden leaned his elbow on the counter and said, “One.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Hmmm… Have you stayed with us before?”

Aiden gritted his teeth. “No.”

Her frown deepened. “Just a moment.” She typed on the keyboard and then held out her palm. “Can I see your license?”

Aiden pulled out his wallet and laid the card in her hand.

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