Page 8 of Burning Bridges

I search the lot until I spot the greasy old slimeball I'm looking for, an acquaintance of my dad's—they all are. He's the only dodgy dealer in town I know who would carry the kind of cash I need today. With my head held high and my shoulders back, I approach him with the air of confidence that I always carry. I put on a fake smile and tell myself that I will not let this defeat me. I will come out of this stronger than ever.

"Princess," he smirks, his delight to see me evident. He pulls me toward him and kisses my cheek, making me cringe. I've always despised this man, but that's irrelevant right now. His sleaziness hasn't improved with age; if anything, his behavior around me has worsened. Memories of my father's game nights with his seedy friends flash through my mind, making me feel ill.

"Dan." I force my smile wider; this is the grin I reserve for my father's "family." It's contrived, like every one of his relationships with them.

His eyes rake over my body, and he grins back, as if impressed by what he sees. As much as it makes me sick to my stomach, I hope I can use it to my advantage today. "What brings you in today, sweetheart?"

I motion to Tony's matte-black Aston Martin, unable to say the words I need to. It's silly, it's just a car, but I've been holding on to it because it's all I have left of my brother. As much of a psychopathic asshole as he was, we went through a lot together, and selling this last part of him is breaking me in a way I can't even explain.

"She's a beauty. I thought you wanted to hold on to her." He rubs his chin, assessing me. He's asked me to sell her a few times in the past, but I always turned down his offers, not ready to part with her. But now I have no choice.

"I've changed my mind," I say bluntly.

"If it's money problems you're having, I'm sure I can find a way to help you out," he says, winking at me.

Bile rises in my throat at the thought of what he's suggesting, but I remind myself to play the game. I never signed up for this life; my father did, and my mother allowed it. But I learned how to use what I was given to my advantage. As much as I hate myself for it at times, it's the reason I'm still alive today. So, I won't stop now, not when I know how much power it gives me over men like Dan. “I'm fine,” I say sharply.

He looks disappointed, the filthy old fucker. "Hmm. Let's look her over then, and I can get you a price."

He pops open the door and sits in the driver's seat, holding his hand out for the keys. I hand them over, and he starts the engine, looking over the dashboard. His process of inspecting every last inch of the car is painfully slow when I know I'm running out of time. I already know I won't make it back to our usual spot to exchange the cash. I type out a quick text to Leo, telling him to meet me at my place instead. I know he won't be happy, but if he wants his money, I'm sure he'll agree.

Dan closes the car door. "Give me a minute." He smiles, showing all his teeth. I can see him rubbing his filthy hands together; he knows he's going to make a ton of cash off this car when he resells it. He goes inside his office, and I lean against the car, waiting impatiently for him and checking my watch for the billionth time.

His office door opens, and he strides back toward me with a shit-eating grin on his stupid face. "I'll give you 90,000 for it," he says, like it's a good deal.

I glare back at him, dumbfounded. He thinks I'm an idiot, but I know this car is worth a hell of a lot more than that. "I guess you're not interested then. I'll take her somewhere else," I say, turning away from him. I know how to play this game.

"Wait. Don't be so quick to walk away. It's a good offer, Princess. And my guess is you need the cash today," he says, raising a bushy brow.

"I'm not that desperate. Either you up it to 140,000, or I take her elsewhere," I say, crossing my arms over my chest, knowing how it boosts my breasts up a little higher in this fitted dress.

He considers me, running a hand over his stubbly jawline as his eyes roam down my body. I have to stop myself from gagging. "Let's say 125,000, and I can get you the cash now."

"Done," I say, knowing that I only have about half an hour to get home. I could risk it and push Leo further, but I don't want to find out what he'll do if I can't come up with the full amount. Life in this world has hardened him, and I don't want to make him angry unnecessarily.

"Smart girl. Follow me to the office, and I'll get the paperwork sorted." He motions toward a seat. "Give me five." I glance at my phone to see a message from Leo.

Leo: You're pushing your luck, Princess.

His words send a shiver through my body. I don't understand why, given that I hate him with everything I have, but any interaction I get from him these days has this strange effect on me. I take it as a yes that he'll meet me at home, so I book a cab while I wait for Dan to get everything sorted. I could call my mother for a ride, but after the state she was in last night, I doubt she's even left her bed yet. And if she has, there's a good chance she'll have a bottle of wine in her hand already.

Dan thrusts the papers in front of me. “Just sign here for me.” He smirks, knowing all his Christmases have come at once. I sign where he points, feeling relief knowing I have enough money to get us through the next little bit. He takes the papers and hands me a large envelope filled with cash. I shove it in my bag, hoping it’s all there; I don’t have time to count it.

“I’ll give you a lift home,” he offers, making my skin crawl. I know where getting in a car with this particular creep would end up.

Today wouldn’t be the first time one of my father’s friends thought they could take advantage of me because I was alone and vulnerable. But that's the thing about the hand life dealt me. It made me smart, and I won’t make the same mistakes twice. I don’t trust anyone or put myself in a situation where I could lose control. “No, that’s okay. I've called a cab already.” Through the glass door of the showroom, I can see it’s already pulled up, and all I want to do is get the fuck out of here quickly. So, I stand, holding out a hand. “Thank you,” I offer him as politely as I can.

He takes my hand, pulling me closer to him. So close, I can smell his cheap aftershave, and my stomach rolls. “My offer still stands, Princess. If you’re in some sort of trouble, I’d be happy to help you out. There are so many ways a pretty girl like you could repay me.”

I shove away from him. “My father would be rolling over in his grave to hear you say such repulsive things. Thanks for this, though.” I pat my bag and strut out of the office, my head held just as high as it was on my way in. This shit will not bring me down. I will come back from all of this. And when I do, every fucker who wronged me will pay with their blood.

A minute before I am supposed to meet Leo, my cab drops me off in the circular driveway in front of our house. I shove cash in his direction, thank him, and make a run for the house. Straight to my bedroom, I take what I need from the pile of cash and stash the rest in the box behind my bed.

Leo will be here any minute, and for whatever stupid reason I can come up with, I spend the time fixing my makeup and tidying my hair. I’m not proud of the condition he found me in last night, but after Axel told me he and Jasmine are getting married, on top of the financial stress, I had a moment of weakness, and one drink led to another. I hadn’t even meant to stand Leo up. My plan was to meet him and offer what I had, then promise to make up the rest next month, but once I started drinking, I couldn’t stop, and by the time he got there, I was a fucking mess. I won’t let something like that happen again. I’m not my mother, too fragile to cope with life. Every shitty thing that happens to me, I use to my advantage and let it make me stronger. This will all be the same.

I should quickly check on Mom, but I can hear water running in her ensuite upstairs. I'm thankful that she must be running herself a bath and I don’t have to deal with her again just yet. One problem at a time. I love my mother, but she hasn't been the same since my father was killed, or rather, since her lover was killed by my father. Her drinking took a turn for the worse that day. Now, I'm more likely to find her inebriated than sober, and after the fight we had last night, I wasn't sure what I would be walking into this afternoon. So, I'm grateful she is running herself a bath.

Seeing my reflection, with perfect red lips, smoky eyes, and hair pulled into a neat high ponytail that runs long and straight down my back, I make my way back down the hallway just in time to hear the doorbell ring, signaling that Leo is here. In the past, he would have had to drive through the front gate security, and he wouldn't have even gotten this close to the house without an invitation approved by the head of our security, but I had to let them all go. Lucky for us, our safety isn't really too much of a threat these days, with the Acevedo men gone.

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