Page 15 of Cruel Debts
I was old enough to fix my own fuck ups. I didn’t need to give my parents one more reason to insist I wasn’t grown up enough to make my own decisions. Before I could blink, I’d be married off to one of his fellow moguls’ annoying sons, enduring ten minutes of sex a week while being expected to turn that into children.
No, thank you.
I was not the kind of girl who did well at barbecues with the stuffy assholes my parents called peers. I didn’t like mingling with people with more money than personality. I was the quintessential brat in every sense of the word—at least that’s what my parents would say.
Parents I might never get to see again, if I didn’t figure something out fast.
Sighing, I tugged the coat tighter around me, tied the sash, and set off in what I hoped was the direction of the end of this affluent ass neighborhood.
I just hoped the cops were too involved with the shit at the house to pay a random girl walking down the street barefoot any attention.
Maybe, if I made it to the club, I could gather my spare cash and belongings, take a shower, and regroup. I could figure something out and go on the run, if I had to. If there was no other option.
There was a surprisingly high amount of gravel and broken glass on the sidewalk in such a nice, rich neighborhood.
The soles of my feet screamed all the way back to the club.
“Absolutely not.”
Minnie had taken one look at me and chased me up into the loft apartment I rented from her, insisting she inspect me for harm. Satisfied with her inspection of my body, she had ushered me into the shower to wash off the ick from my experience and had whipped her phone out, sitting on the toilet as she texted someone furiously and wrang more details out of me.
“You’re not going anywhere, little miss. You’re staying right here, and I’ll make sure that fuckwad is dealt with.” She frowned when I reached out to grab a towel, suddenly more self-conscious than I’d ever been in my life. “I’m going to reach out to someone who owes me a favor now, and I’m going to cash in on some protection for you.”
A favor? “You’re hiring me some bodyguards? No thanks.” Last thing I wanted was to draw more attention to myself by having a tail.
“You can’t go anywhere right now, girl. No doubt the shootout has him on high alert, but you know a lot more than you should, and that’s dangerous. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and take you back, or just have you killed to keep you quiet.”
That was what I was afraid of. I turned off the water, yanking back the shower curtain as I hesitantly slid from the tub andscrunched my toes in the soft bath mat. “What the hell can I do, then? It’s not like I’m well-connected or anything.” I was, but she didn’t need to know that. Keeping her in the dark was imperative. I didn’t want to have to go home. Not until I found my brother. I wasn’t about to throw away all the work I’d done so far.
“Why would you pay for my protection, though?” Buried beneath the relief that I might not have to leave was the confusion over the reasoning behind protecting a single girl who didn’t make her a ton of money. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m nobody to you.”
Minnie frowned, crossing her legs as I brushed a comb through my hair, hands still shaking slightly from the whole ordeal. I was sure the panic would set in eventually, the realization of what I’d just barely survived probably sweeping over me like a tidal wave.
“You mean more to some people than you think. You made an impression on several of my patrons and . . . business associates. They’ve noticed your absence, and I’m sure if given the chance to protect you, they would step in no hesitation.”
My jaw dropped. “All I ever did was paint a few people’s naked bodies, Minnie.”
Her shrug of dismissal was unsurprising. “Sometimes, that ten-minute interaction is all it takes to make a lasting impression or a connection.”
I didn’t like the idea of someone I’d painted before being my 24/7 babysitter. “I’m a grown woman, and no offense, but some of your patrons are less than trustworthy.” I rolled my eyes, hissing when the comb snagged on a rough tangle at the end of my hair. “Fuck, when was the last time I had a good brush through my hair?”
“Did that monster even make sure you had the basic necessities?” She hadn’t pressed too much, but it seemed torelieve her greatly that he hadn’t raped me, at least. One thing we could agree on, I supposed.
“I left everything but my phone and a change of clothes here when I left. He said I could come back for it all later.” I huffed, yanking the comb through the knot so roughly it tore free a chunk of hair with it. “Obviously, that was all a lie.”
“I’ll let the other girls know not to accept any freelance contracts, and I’ll make sure security knows to watch for that bastard.” She flicked her fingers across her screen, squinting at a message for a moment. “I’ll be damned if men like him ruin my good image, or put my girls at risk, ever the fuck again.”
“Good idea.” I waited, hands hovering at my towel, wishing Minnie would take her ranting elsewhere. I loved her to death, but I just wanted to collapse into my bed and forget this whole thing happened.
And then she said the words I was dreading.
“Maybe we should get the cops involved, T. I mean, it’s not like you were gone for a night. You were missing for more than a month?—”
“No cops.” I shivered at the idea of pretending I knew nothing as Detective McCoy sat by and interviewed me.Detective McCoy. What a joke.And just like that, my hesitation morphed into rage. “I don’t trust the cops around here.”
“Smart girl.” She stood, flipping her phone around to answer a call. “Hey there, St. Clair. Listen, I know you’re not in the business of personal protection, but I was hoping you could make an exception for one of my girls.” She waved to me, mouthedI’llbe backand marched into my living room, posting up on the end of the couch. I moved to my bedroom and closed the door behind me, praying her call would give me time to take a breath alone.
It didn’t take long for everything to come crashing down on me. I couldn’t let it drown me, though, not with Minnie in theother room. I couldn’t break down until I was alone. I had to be strong.
