Page 302 of Bad for Me

“Good,” Miguel sighs. “Don't take this money into the house just in case they find your secret stash. Hide it in your car, okay? You’re here late tonight and I don’t want whatever is happening at home to escalate over it.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, gulping in air as tears start to prick my eyes. “You really don’t have to do this?—”

“Yeah, I do,” Miguel barks. “I don’t understand everything happening, but I know you’re a good person. I want to make sure you’re breathing for a long time. Again, I’m uncertain of how bad things are, but I can see you need to get the fuck out.”

The tears escape as I quietly cry. Damn, I do this way too often now. It’s usually in the shower as I turn my skin red from the hot water and my scrubbing, but it happens several times a week lately.

“Thank you,” I gulp. “You’re my guardian angel tonight, Miguel.”

“I was just at the right place at the right time,” he denies. “Off you go. Remember what I said.”

Nodding, I leave the club after pocketing the money. I haven’t even counted it, but the wad of cash feels obscene. I cross the parking lot quickly, grateful for the good lighting at the club. There are a few other people leaving, and I feel a little safer as I get into my car.

Locking the doors, I pull the money out of my pocket and find a loosened bit of molded carpet, pushing the cash into the space. It’s not likely to fall out of the car this way, it’s under the vehicle’s mats, and no one will go looking for it.

Taking a deep breath, I drive home, worried Miguel is right and I may have pushed my luck too far this time. There aren’t any cars in the driveway when I pull in, and I relax just a little bit. I won’t get cocky though, because I still need to get into the house.

Easing the car door open, I slide out, my eyes taking in the quiet neighborhood. It’s a Friday night, so I’m surprised my stepbrother decided against a party. Although it’s late, his parties are known to go late into the night.

Locking the door once I quietly shut it, I walk around the house to climb up the trellis to my room. If I can get inside of the house without being seen or caught, I should be safe until morning. Glancing around, everything is still. It feels odd, and I feel an ominous feeling skittering down my back.

Climbing quickly up the trellis, I open the window and throw my leg over the sill to enter my room. Just as I start to breathe a sigh of relief that I’m safe, the light turns on, showing the state of disarray that my bedroom is in.

Braxton holds up my money with a disappointed look on his face, my mattress thrown across the room with a knife still buried deeply inside of it. Jameson crosses his arms over his broad chest, his lips pressed against together as if he’s forcing himself to hold back his reminders that this is what’s best for me.

Bullshit.

“Hey, Kyna,” Adrian drawls, leaning against the door jam. “Going somewhere? Dad’s been looking for you.”

The last person I want to speak to is his father. “I went to work,” I tell him. “I need that money. Mom doesn’t give me an allowance, so I work hard.”

“Are you fucking your boss? He’s awfully adamant about us not coming to the club. Miguel has us on the banned list. That’s not very nice,” he murmurs. Braxton grunts in annoyance, even as I shake my head.

“I’m not fucking anyone,” I insist. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell them I’m a virgin, but I bite back the words. “I go to work and then home. That’s my entire pathetic life.”

Jameson smiles cruelly as if he’s in on a secret I don’t know. I’ve never seen that look on his face before and it makes me shiver.

“Why don’t we offer you some excitement tonight, then?” he asks, dropping his arms to walk toward me.

“What? No, I want to go to sleep. Can I have my money, please? I worked really hard for that,” I tell them. I’m annoyed they ransacked my bedroom, but it shows Miguel was right. I’m glad I didn’t bring my money or the business card into the house. “What do you guys want?”

“We want to play.” Adrian smirks. “You’ve been chasing my dick for years, so how about a wager?”

“What? I have been doing no such thing,” I deny. I’ve been obsessed with the three of them for years, but I don’t feed into any of this.

“What will you do for this?” Braxton smirks as he waves the money at me. Pulling out a lighter, he raises his brow at me. “Come on now, sugar. Tell me before I decide to light it up to see how fast it’ll burn. There’s a lot of one dollar bills here. Damn, Kyna. Are you shaking your ass for this money?”

“No, of course not,” I sass, forcing my bravado. “I’m a bartender, which doesn’t require me to take my clothes off. Miguel also doesn’t run that type of club.”

“I don’t know what kind of man he is.” Adrian shrugs. “He could have you blowing him for extra money.”

“No,” I deny, wrinkling my nose. While Miguel is gorgeous and broody, I again don’t shit where I eat. The man also gets around, and I’m not interested.

I shouldn’t even be affected as much as I am by Jameson as he drags his fingers over my arm. “I think you’re typically a good girl, aren’t you, Kyna? You just don’t like to be locked in your room.”

“Yes,” I rasp, shivering as goosebumps rise over my arm and beyond. This man is a sexy sin wrapped in a nerdy package. His black-rimmed glasses just enhance his beauty, making me want to pinch myself to stop staring. Pathetic.

“It’s for your own good,” Adrian murmurs. “Dad’s been on a warpath the last few weeks. He wants you to do something for him.”

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