Page 76 of Morally Gray Daddies

I shrugged. “Because I can. Because it’s what I do.”

“But why me? What’d I do to you?”

“You did nothing.” I held up my hand. “Please understand, this isn’t personal. It’s simply business.”

“Business?” The answer clearly confused her, but she was also sounding calmer with every word she spoke.

“Yes.”

“I… I don’t have any money.”

“Okay.”

She ran her hand through her tangled blonde hair. “Are you… Does Kyle owe you? If you’re looking for his cash, he keeps it on him. I don’t have it.”

“Not looking for money.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I… I can show you where his stash is. He’s got tweek and some bud. It’s not a lot ’cause he’s using right now, but you can have it.”

I chuckled, tilting my head. “Do I look like I use to you?”

“I…” She slowly pressed her lips into a thin, tight line. “Oh, god, you’re going to fuck me, aren’t you?” She didn’t say it with fear, but with resignation.

I gave her a little smile. “I could, but I’m not. However”—I held up a finger—“hold that thought, because where you’re going…”

“Going?”

“Mmhmm.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand. If you don’t want money, or drugs, or sex… What do you want?”

I let my smile grow a little wider. “You.”

Her mouth came open, puzzlement tugging at the corners of her eyes. “Me? But… you just said you weren’t going to fuck me.”

“And I’m not. I’m going to take you.”

“Take… me? Where?”

“To sell you.”

Now the fear reappeared, a slow-blooming flower that spread across her face as my words sank in. As recognition took root, it gave me the opportunity I needed, and I stepped over the mattress in two quick strides. At the last second, her fight-flight instinct overcame her terror, and she brought her hands up to hit or push me away or something, but that simply worked to my advantage. Gripping her wrists, I shoved backward until she slammed into the wall behind her. Her body struck with a dull thud, and I followed close, pinning her in place.

“Let me go, let me go, Let me go!” she screamed, her voice rising steadily with each word.

She was back to struggling, but that was to be expected. Hitting her with the reason I was here was always going to be a make-or-break moment. I held her in place as she used every bit of her strength to try to tear free. That wasn’t going to happen, but until she came to terms with it, I was banking on the one thing Lindsey had already proven: she wasn’t stupid. Even terrified, she was still using her head to take in what was going on around her. I needed to be patient and let her lizard-brain reaction fade until she was thinking rationally again.

She tried kicking, but the thing about letting yourself be pinned is you lose all the advantage leverage gives. I was a good foot taller than her and easily fifty pounds heavier, so the outcome of this little skirmish of ours was foregone. I simply needed to wait her out until she came to her senses.

Which she did. Whatever thoughts churned inside her head turned fears to tears that streamed down her face, the shrieking words becoming defeated whimpers until, eventually, she stood, chest heaving, as I held her in my grasp.

“Lindsey.”

She didn’t meet my gaze but stared down, head swaying back and forth.

“Lindsey.” I slowly let go of one wrist, ready to grasp it again if she decided to take advantage of the release. She didn’t. Instead, she simply trembled as I brought my fingers up under her chin, tilting her head back until she gave in and looked into my eyes.

“I need you to focus. Nothing you can do now is going to prevent what’s going to happen here. Nothing. The chance for you to change any part of what’s going on is long gone. What you need to do now is start focusing on those two words I gave you.”

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