Page 5 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

She didn’t trust his words, but at this point, all she could do was hope that he was telling the truth. She hadn’t been allowed to see her friends yet. She was confined to a small, windowless room.

The walls were bare. Their stormy gray hue left her feeling even more depressed. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting harsh shadows on the floor every time it swayed. Monique’s ankle was chafed due to the chain that bound her to an old, rusty cot.

The sound of the metal links scraping against the floor every time she moved had become a constant, irritating ass reminder of her fucked up situation. To make matters worse, the stench of the room had gotten worse due to the leftover food in her bowls that no one had taken from the room yet.

Thinking of food made her stomach churn, hunger clawing at her insides. She had been fed nothing but cereal and milk for two days, the taste of soggy flakes lingering in her mouth even now.

The milk had tasted almost spoiled, which was why there were half-eaten bowls of cereal by the door. She refused to finish them, no matter how hungry she was. Her body tensed when the door to the room creaked open.

Seated on the edge of the bed, she looked up, hoping to see her dad instead of Trevor. Last night, her bastard of an ex had tried to get her to suck him off, promising her better food if she let him cum in her mouth.

He’d left her alone after she’d threatened to bite it off rather than suck it. Monique frowned, wondering what the hell was going on in his dumb-ass mind. Luckily, it was her father who entered the room.

“You done eating?” her dad asked.

She nodded, ignoring the half-eaten bowl of cereal on the floor. He strode forward and took her bowl.

“You barely touched your food.” He glared at the remaining cereal in the bowl.

“It tastes sour.”

“Yeah, the fridge isn’t getting cold enough. But you should still eat it. You need your energy.”

“I’m not hungry,” she lied.

Her dad stared at her for a moment, then sighed. “You need to eat, girl.”

Monique stared at the wall across from her. Though she was glad it was her dad there instead of Trevor, that didn’t mean she liked her father any better than she liked her ex. Seconds ticked by with her dad just standing there, holding the bowl, watching her.

“Remember when I used to cook breakfast for you before you went to school each morning? You liked my breakfast better than your mom’s,” her dad mused.

Was he really bringing up her childhood right now?

“Those were different times, Pastor Rose,” Monique replied, eyes still on the far wall. “At the time, I never thought we’d end up in a situation like this.” Monique let out a bitter laugh, gaze drifting to her dad.

He looked away. Unable to meet her gaze, he whispered, “I didn’t expect this to happen either.”

“Then why are we here, Dad?” Monique’s voice cracked as tears filled her eyes. “Why are my friends in danger?”

“Life takes us down unexpected paths, sweetheart,” he told her, his voice softening. “But I promise you, as long as you do what’s needed, everything will be okay.”

“Is that all you can say?” Monique snapped, her anger flaring. “I’m chained up in this hellhole with only cereal and water to keep me alive. One of my friends is wounded. You won’t even tell me which one. Yet, you’re still saying things will be okay. Dad, nothing is going to be okay after this. Can’t you see that?”

“Just trust me. Trust that I’m doing what’s best for everyone involved.”

“Trust you?” she scoffed, tears streaming down her face. “How can I trust you when you’ve put me in chains and locked me away? When you’ve let Trevor back into my life? I was free of him, dad. Free! You don’t know how good that felt. For the first time in a long time, I was happy to be alive.”

“Listen, Monique,” he whispered, desperation in his eyes. “For your friends’ sake, not mine, don’t say that in front of him. Just calm down. Trevor... he’s... different. You don’t want to push him too far. Think of Meka and Toya.”

Her father was right. Trevor did seem different, more unhinged, like he was on something. Though she hated thethought of tiptoeing around him, she had to think about Meka and Toya.Her friends.

She was doing this for her friends. They wouldn’t even be in this situation if it wasn’t for her. Monique swallowed her pride and nodded, giving in to her dad’s request, again.

“Fine,” she whispered. “For them. Not for you or him.”

He nodded, then his gaze jerked to the only other door in the room. “Do you need to use the bathroom?”

Monique shook her head. She didn’t feel like being led to the bathroom by her chain while her dad waited outside the door for her to do her business and wash her hands. But she’d rather have him than Trevor, who refused to close the door or look away while she did her business.

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