Page 64 of Pin-up Girl

The door was already open, giving her a quick escape. Without giving the others a second glance, I followed behind her, shutting the others out.

“Are you okay?” I whispered, visually checking her over for any signs of mistreatment.

She gathered her hair up into a messy knot and shot me an offended look. “Of course I’m fine. Like I’d let some rich asshole get the best of me.”

I rolled my eyes at her bravado. She couldn’t fool me, last night had rattled her. The way her bottom lip trembled as she walked to the table gave it all away. Cass wasalwayssteady.

“Sure. But what happened? How did Marsten find out about our assignment?” I peeked at the guys, but they were too distracted with each other to pay any attention to us.

She burrowed into my side, the paranoid bitch probably thought they had some kind of recording device in here. “I don’t know. He had a driver pick me up as I was walking to the apartment. I tried to decline, but he said there wasn’t a choice, order of the organization. That wasn’t it at all, was it? I can’t believe Marsten is actually helping his kid. He’s known for being one of the most ruthless elite members.”

Fuck, that wasn’t any help at all. I tapped my lips, trying to think it all through, but I had no idea where to even start. “Has Robert said anything to you about who this order came down from?”

She shook her head. “No, he’s been extra tight lipped about this one, and I’ve tried to seduce it out of him. Usually after a good fuck, he’sverychatty, but not this job.”

This is what I could have become—using my body to get what I wanted, seeing men as objects and chess pieces. When I found out Daniel paid to fuck me, I’d tanked hard. Going out to party almost every night, skipping half my classes. But then I met Cass, and I realized I hadn’t had it so bad at all. Too many times, I’d wondered what would have happened if I’d said no. Would Danny boy have forced himself on me? Blamed his harsh treatment on me? I shivered.

No, it took some time, but what I told Emmett was true—I was no victim. It was a miracle I hadn’t fucked every available dick when I was shitfaced, but I hadn’t. Once I had my own come to Jesus moment, I stopped partying and protected my body. One thing the organization taught me was that everyone was suspect and would slit the throat of their mothers for a promotion. They were all users, and I’d fuck them up before I let them use me like that again. I dedicated my time to saving Cass and Ellie any way I could. Which hadn’t been much.

Cass never wanted to talk about it, so I stopped trying. Instead, she was a walking reminder of the life I wanted to save Ellie from.

Milo came back out and started jogging back to us, a thunderous expression on his face and the cords of his neck standing out in relief.

“Oh shit. Whatever Daddy Marsten told him isn’t good.” I turned to her and gripped her forearms. “Listen. These guys are on our side. They know everything and are willing to help us. You have to trust them too.”

She reared back, the whites of her eyes visible around her irises. “Are you fucking insane?” she whisper shouted, then lowered her voice as the twins broke away and Emmett and Jules walked around the Caddy. “You can’t trust them. They’ll turn on us just for shits and giggles.”

“Listen to me, you’ve been helping me protect them.”

Milo stopped Emmett and Jules for a quick chat at the hood of the car. Before last night, I was one of them, feeling wanted and needed in a way I never had. I wouldneveradmit it stung to be excluded from their inner circle.

“That’s because you’re a softy! But you’re asking me to trust my life with them, and I can’t do that, Elise.” She pulled on my arm to get my attention.

“Then trustme. I won’t do anything to jeopardize you. These guys, they’re like us.Justlike us, and they’re going to help us.”

The doors opened, and out of instinct, we settled back against the seat like we were perfectly relaxed. We were good at putting on a show, and sometimes, even if I knew it wasn’t necessary, I couldn’t stop it.

Emmett slid in next to me as Jules took the front. That was unusual, since Emmett liked to take shotgun whenever I didn’t claim it. If I had one guess, I would say it was because Jules didn’t want to be close to a stranger. He was funny like that.

I needed to be the first to start rebuilding their trust and extend the first olive branch. “Cass said she doesn’t know how he found out about me or her, only that he had his driver pick her up yesterday. She also tried to get the information out of our main handler, and he’s being unusually tight lipped.”

Cass stiffened next to me, then delivered a sharp pinch to the underside of my bicep.Fuck!That hurt.

The guys didn’t say anything. Did they believe me, or was I that much of a stranger to them now? I thought we were getting past this, even if at a snail’s pace, but I saw we fucking weren’t.

Milo met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “And your friend, Cassidy, can she be trusted? Or is she a liability to us?”

I slumped down in the seat from relief. Maybe I’d jumped the gun, getting worked up because of the added stress of the last twelve hours.

“She’s solid. The only one that’s ever really watched my back.”

“Oh really,” Emmett drawled. “Was she watching your back when we essentially kidnapped you? Did she have your back when we wouldn’t let you leave? I didn’t see her trying to help you then.”

“Fuck you, rich boy.” Cass leaned over my lap. “She had a job to do. If I’d run in to save her, it would have fucked everything up for her and for me. Anyways,” she pulled back and smoothed stray locks of hair out of her face, “Elise can take care of herself.”

The warm and fuzzies were building so high within me, I almost teared up. Almost.

Emmett stood up for me, though he didn’t need to. Then there was Cass’ stamp of approval. She never told anyone good job, so that was the highest praise from her.

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