Page 84 of Queen Of Dark Money

Butthings were about to get even more interesting.

Icalled my mother’s doctors, only to find my suspicions were correct.Sinclairhad stopped payment the second he put a hit out on me, and without an influx of money, they wouldn’t proceed with her surgery.Shecouldn’t live without it, soIhad to do something.

SoIreactivated my account on the cam siteI’dbeen making the most money with and sent out a notice to all my followers thatI’dbe doing a live session tonight after my long absence.Withany luck,Icould scrape together a couple thousand and get the ball rolling on the medical bills.I’dhave to keep it up to keep them paid, but the first step was coming back.

I’dnever done a live with my face visible, but tonight would be different.Iplanned to slip off my mask about halfway through, assuming the reveal would net me more dough in the long run.Tonight, they’d get to see all of me.Itwas a treat for the ages.

Butit’d be hard as hell to live stream me fucking myself from the guest room ofDominick’spenthouse without getting caught.AndIwasn’t too keen on him knowing whatIdid on the side for money.

So,Ihad to be crafty about this.

Weate dinner together like usual, just the two of us plusDirk, who didn’t speak two words the whole time.Hejust sat at the end of the table, a stoic look on his face, all seriousness as he shoveled down the pasta dishDomhad made and scurried back off to his job as an unofficial doorman.Twohours got killed with some mindlessTVin the study whileDomtyped away and answered long-overdue correspondences.Andthen, just likeI’dexpected, when things started to settle down, they revved back up to a thousand.

Theoshowed up.

Domasked me to stay in his study, butIcouldn’t help myself.Ihadn’t seenTheosinceIgot that restraining order on him, andIwas curious how life had treated him in the years since.

Theyhadn’t been kind.

Hisonce-handsome face was now gaunt and empty, his rugged handsomeness morphed into a desperate level of decent.Hecould pass for good-looking if he put some concealer atopthose bags under his eyes and maybe ate something, but the aura of evil he carried around with him could never be washed off.Hewould forever be a lowly snail, evident to anyone with half a mind to look at the signs.

Whenhe turned the waterworks on forDom,Ibit back a snicker and then sneezed.

Fuck.

Hishead swiveled to the study door, and beforeDomcould stop him, he yanked it open, his eyes landing on me and pinning me to the spot.Ishivered beneath his scouring gaze; it felt like someone had taken aBrillopad to my skin and rubbed it raw.

“Well, well, well.Lookwho we have here.Ifit isn’t little missKenzie-bear.”

Evenhis voice had suffered over the years.Whereit was once charming and beautiful, with a haughty lilt, now it was rough and weathered, like he’d smoked a pack a day since he was five and swallowed swords for fun.

Ionly vaguely recognized the man before me now, but that nickname would haunt me forever.

Itwas what he called me right before he lifted his hands and started hitting.

“Theo,”Ideadpanned, stalling untilDomcould get rid of him. “WishIcould say it’s nice to see you, but we both know that’d be a lie.”

Hestalked toward me, his eyes narrowed until my back hit the wall, and his grin turned into a sneer. “Oh, come on now,Kenzie.Don’tbe like that.”Hereached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair from my face asIcringed away from his touch. “What’sthe matter?Youalways used to like whenItouched you before now.”

“Getfucked,Theo,”Igrowled, closing my eyes in an attempt to block out the old memories his nearness brought up.Panicwas starting to creep in, andIcouldn’t afford to lose my composure now.

“Mmm, you offering, sugar?”

Fromthe doorway came a low, dangerous, threatening voice that sent a sliver of relief racing across my nerve endings.

“Getthe fuck away from her, son.”

Dominickstood there with his fists clenched, his eyes on me as he stepped up toTheo, posture menacing and glare full of promise.

Theobacked up, his hands in the air. “Oh, my bad, pops.Ididn’t know you were into sloppy seconds these days.”Heshot a look at me, loaded and full of promise. “I’vehad this one before.She’snot a very exciting lay, but man, can she suck a dick–”

“You’vegot exactly five seconds to get the fuck out of my house, beforeIthrow you out of it.”Hiseyes narrowed asTheostepped away from me, hands still up in self-defense. “Fromthe balcony.”

“Dad, that’s not a funny joke,” he whined, side-steppingDom’simpressive, puffed-up form as he made a beeline for the door. “We’rea hundred stories up.”

“Andyou’re starting to get on my nerves,”Domreplied, his upper lip curling as he watched his son out of the corner of his eye.Whenthe bastard snuck from the study, he opened his arms, andIdidn’t hesitate–Iran right for them.

Heheld me up asIcollapsed against him, shaking like a leaf.Somehow,Iwas perfectly okay with these four dangerous men who could snap me in half or have me killed with a flick of their wrists, but all it took was one threatening comment from an ex-abuser to send me into a fucking death spiral of panic attacks.

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