Page 19 of Breaking Boston

My mouth waters while my hands sweat, and my nerves begin to consume every fiber of my being. I hate talking about myself. There is nothing that I want anyone to know... not even my name. But he already knows that.

"Uh... I don't really like talking about myself," I reply hesitantly, my eyes darting around the room in search of an escape route that doesn't exist. "I'm just looking for a place to lie low for a while, you know?"

Remy takes a long drag from his blunt, his gaze still fixed on me. "We all have our fucking reasons for being here, Boston. But one thing you need to understand—we take care of each other, and we don't ask for much in return. Just don't cause trouble, and we'll get along just fine. Got it?"

I nod silently, feeling a strange mix of relief and apprehension. Remy's presence, though intimidating, starts to feel somewhat comforting in the strangest way.

"Can you dance?" he asks as he stands up, looking down at me.

Caught off guard, my throat dries up again, and I can't speak. He reaches down, sliding his fingers under my chin. The shockingly cold silver ring on his middle finger snaps me out of it, and I find myself swallowing hard, staring into his eyes.

"I don't know. I've never danced before," I admit, hearing the shame in my voice.

"I guess you're more sheltered than I thought," he says softly, his whole demeanor shifting. "I'll find you later. I need to figureout the best place to put you where you'll make me the most money."

I hear a soft growl behind Remy, but I'm too nervous to look away from him. Luckily, he looks away first, finally releasing my chin from his grasp. I rub my jaw where his fingers dug in, peeking around him to see D standing in my doorway, a concerned look in his eyes.

"What can I do for you, D?" Remy asks, walking toward the door.

"I was coming to get Boston to see if she wanted to come with me to work today."

"What do you do?" I ask, hoping I don't get reprimanded for getting into their business. Remy glares at me but turns back to D, his body stiffening.

"I don't want her touching the product just yet, but she can tag along with you, yeah." With that, Remy leaves my room, and D steps in further, closing and locking the door behind him.

He turns to look at me, his face soft and gentle, unlike Remy's, and I feel a sudden wave of relief wash over me. "Don't worry about him, Boston. He's just like that with everyone. But I've got your back. Come with me. I'll show you the ropes," he says with a reassuring smile.

We walk through the warehouse, and I notice that everyone has a mask on their face, hiding who they really are. The only ones daring to show their faces are the girls that are here—the ones who keep giving me dirty looks when they see that I'm with D. I ignore them, staying close beside him, because I don't do well in new places and crowds.

"Ignore them. They're all jealous because King and me brought you here. They'll get over it," he whispers in my ear, making a shiver rock my body from the feeling of his hot breath skating across my neck.

"Maybe I shouldn't stay here. I don't plan on staying long, anyway."

"No, Boston. You're staying here, and that's not open for debate." He looks at me, like really looks at me, a dark, dangerous look in his eyes that I can see through the stitched X's of the mask.

"Where's King, anyway?" I look around, not seeing him anywhere.

"Working a corner. We might run into him, but only time will tell." He grabs my hand and pulls me alongside him, pushing open the door that takes us out of the warehouse.

The bright sun shines in my eyes, almost blinding me. I slip my shades on and put my hood over my head, trying to block out the fierce fall wind. Before we can walk much further, a girl with platinum blonde hair down the middle of her back steps in front of us, glaring at me before smirking at D.

"Hey, D. Want some company on your shift today?"

"Nah, I got Boston to come with me, Cora." He turns to look at me, tightening his grip on my hand.

"So this is the charity case you brought here. I thought the guys were lying when they told us, but I guess not," she scoffs, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nice to meet you," I tell her, stepping out of my comfort zone.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she walks away, ignoring me completely.

I take a deep breath and turn back to D, who's watching Cora walk away with a scowl. I can feel the tension in the air, and I know that this place is not going to be easy for me. But I promised D and King that I would stick around, so I have to find a way to make it work.

As we head away from the warehouse, I steal a glance at D's face; the mask hiding his true expression. I wonder what he'sreally thinking and if he knows how much I'm out of my element here. But I push those thoughts aside. I'm staying, at least for now.

We come to D's bike, the shiny black paint job glimmering under the rays of the sun. I can't see it, but I have a feeling he's smiling as I rub my hand over the seat, craving to feel the wind in my hair and the adrenaline from pushing the speed if we were to zip down the street, testing the limits.

He steps closer, backing me up against it. His hand cups my cheek, his body pressing into mine.

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