Page 36 of Depraved Desires

“My first shift starts tonight,” she said dryly.

My eyes widened a fraction. “Wait. You’re actually going through with this?” I demanded, rising from the couch. “You can’t be serious.”

There was nothing wrong with strippers or prostitutes, but Aspen was better than that. She could do anything she wanted if she set her mind to it. Not to mention, Foster and his goons frequented that place every other weekend or so. That’s where they got their fucking supply for deals. Once you got sucked into Talissa’s world, it was nearly impossible to get out of.

Aspen lifted a bare shoulder. The tattoo on her chest poked out of the dress, capturing my attention. “The money is great,” she admitted. “I couldn’t pass it up. Plus, considering you were there, I don’t think I’ll be needing your advice on the subject.”

I shook my head, my gaze searching hers as desperation filled me. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Why are you here, Rocky?” she demanded, changing the subject.

It was obvious that I was one of the last people she wanted to see right now, but I didn’t really give a shit. Striding toward her, I didn’t stop until her minty scent invaded my nostrils and her body heat drifted from her and onto me. There was something about this girl that made me want her. Aspen was strong, loyal,and had a big heart even if she tried to hide it. But I saw it. I sawher.

Craning my neck to stare down at her, a mixture of emotions rippled through me. Part of me wanted to kiss her, to show her that this connection wasn’t one-sided. But then the other part of me didn’t want to mess with her head like that when I knew we couldn’t be together. I couldn’t be what she wanted—what she needed.

Clearing my throat, I chose my next words carefully. “I talked to Jessica today,” I said. “She was more than willing to give me intel on Hunter.”

Anger flashed within her eyes and her painted lips tilted into a scowl. “Youwhat?” she demanded, taking a step toward me despite there not being much space between us to begin with. “Tell me you’re fucking joking, Rocky. Jessica has the biggest mouth at the academy. I should have known better than to trust you.”

Her words sliced through my chest, cutting the organ that had been reserved for my closest friends and family. With as much strength as possible, I shoved those unwanted feelings away.

“I didn’t tell her about you,” I growled. “If it backfires, it backfires. But I don’t think it will.”

“Why would she even agree to help you? Isn’t she in love with Hunter or something?” Her jaw ticked with frustration, and I couldn’t help but notice how her hands were now balled into fists at her sides. She was still pissed at me, and maybe I deserved it, but I wouldn’t do anything that could potentially hurt her.

Sighing, I reached forward, taking her hand in mine. Aspen immediately tensed up, unsure of her own emotions. After a few seconds, her posture relaxed, and she allowed my fingers to slide through hers.

“From what I gathered; Hunter rejected Jessica. Now she wants revenge.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “He rejected her?” she asked again, though it seemed to be a rhetorical question. “After all the shit he gave me for interfering with their relationship, he doesn’t even want her?” I remained silent, watching her intently as her face morphed from surprised to enraged within seconds. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” she snapped, a crazed look in her green eyes. “And then I’m going to dance on his goddamn grave.”

The events at Monroe’s kept replaying on a loop within my mind. Aspen was mad at me, but at least she didn’t seem to completely hate my guts. She mentioned murdering Hunter, and if anyone else had made a comment like that, I’d assume it was an exaggeration. Somehow, I doubted it was the case for her. These guys destroyed her, belittled her, tried to kill her, sexually assaulted her, and probably more that I didn’t even know about. If she wanted to murder them, she’d take the steps to make it happen. I wasn’t even sure if I’d stop her or not.

Jessica had given me some decent intel on Hunter, but I wasn’t sure if it was enough to cause major damage. He deserved to suffer for the things he’d done. Toying with him after everything he did seemed amateur. If we really wanted to make him pay, then we’d have to exceed our comfort zone.

“You okay, man?” Jax questioned from the seat opposite me. “You’ve barely said a word since we got here.”

I had him meet me in the library with the intention of asking his opinion, but now that we were here, I wasn’t sure if it was a good move. It wasn’t that I couldn’t trust him, but I’d made a promise to not only Monroe, but Aspen too. It was a promise I didn’t want to break.

Gripping the edge of the table, my eyes zeroed in on the chipped pieces of wood between my fingertips. Finally, I let out a slow breath and brought my gaze to his.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. I’d never been in a situation like this before. How did I know what the best course of action was?

His eyebrows pinched together as he mulled over my response. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” he probed. “I would never stab you in the back.”

I huffed a breath of laughter. Of course, I knew that. Jax was one of the most loyal people I knew aside from Dixie. “It’s notmyback I’m worried about. This honestly isn’t even my secret to tell, but I’m at a loss.”

He was silent for a moment, his blue/gray eyes searching mine. He was one of the first people I connected with when I joined the academy. At first, it was a mutual physical interest. After some time, we bonded as friends. Anything I’ve ever told him has stayed between us and vice versa. But this secret I was keeping was huge and didn’t only affect me.

“If it’s bothering you, just spill. I’ll do what I can to help.”

As much as I wanted to tell him, I wasn’t sure if I could. Aspen trusted me, and I’d already upset her by mentioning it to Jessica. If she knew I was even contemplating on telling Jax, she’d probably go ballistic.

“I-I can’t.” I sighed. “I’ll have to talk to Aspen about it first.”

“Aspen?” he hissed under his breath. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Shit.

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