Page 18 of The Monster and the Last Blood Match

“This is my choice. You guys took care of me my whole life. Let me take care of you now. I’m going to send the money back to you so you can start living better.”

“Rey, please,” Drew said.

“We can’t let you end up like this,” Brian said. “After everything we did to raise you—”

“I love you guys, but I couldn’t ask for a better position. I’m not changing my mind.”

Drew came over to her first. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a big hug. As solid as she had been when she had told them about her situation, she was still so frightened. She couldn’t even tell them about Beckham. They would freak out if they knew what he was really like.

“Get over here,” Drew said.

And then Brian’s arms fell around them both. She tried not to get choked up, but the truth was, she didn’t know when she would be seeing them again.

Ifshe would be seeing them again.

Chapter Seven

“Oh my God, what is the time?”

Brian pulled out their dad’s old pocket watch. “Quarter to five. Did you want to get dinner?”

Reyna jumped to her feet. “Quarter to five! I need to leave. I have to be back in the city. How did it get so late?”

When she lived here, she’d rarely had time to hang out with her brothers. They were always exhausted from working fourteen-hour days. Time had slipped away from them. She had only meant to stay a short while and be back before Beckham even noticed. Now she was worried that she was going to be massively late, and they were supposed to talk tonight.

“Shit!”

She reached for her purse and pulled out her phone. She hadn’t checked the thing all day. In fact, she had completely forgotten about it after she had sent Beckham those text messages this morning.

“Is that a phone?” Drew asked in awe.

“Yeah. Beckham gave it to me.”

Brian pursed his lips, clearly displeased with how much wealth the man was displaying, but there was really nothing he could do about it at the moment.

She fiddled with the display until it lit up, and then her heart plummeted. Two missed calls and two text messages from Beckham. Also one voice mail, which she didn’t know how to access. She clicked on the first text message.

Leaving early from work so we can talk. Have you eaten?

Her breath caught in her throat. He was inquiring about her eating? Did that mean he wanted to make sure she had eaten so he could eat? Or was he simply curious about her eating habits? Or did he want to take her out to eat in one of those ridiculous outfits?

She remembered the second message and returned to the screen to open the second.

Where are you? I’m home. I’ve tried to reach you. I told you to have your phone on you at all times. Call me immediately upon receipt of this message.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked. “You’re white as a ghost.”

“I…I should have been back already. He needs me to leave.”

“You can’t stay for a little longer?”

“No,” she said flatly.

Brian pursed his lips. “I don’t like this, Reyna.”

“Well, we all have to make sacrifices.” She bit her lip and then stared down at her phone forlornly. “I have to call him back.”

“You look terrified, Rey,” Drew said softly.

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