Page 154 of Insatiable

A hand presses to my cheek, pulling me back to the now. “Where did you just go?”

Where I always go. The void in my head.

I gulp. Stacey takes my other hand, which has been rubbing the side of my leg repeatedly. “I’m… I’m not supposed to have any relationships outside of work.”

Stacey tilts her head, releasing my cheek to take my other fidgeting hand. “Why?”

A rush of humiliation courses through me. “Because I belong to them. If I don’t do what they say, people around me pay the price.”

“What?” Her eyes go wide. “Go to the police!”

I force myself to laugh. “They own them too.”

Technically, they own Scotland and over half of the underworld.

Sighing, I stare at her, take in how concerned she is for me. I pull my hands from hers and cup her cheeks, stroking my thumbs under her watering eyes. “Don’t worry about me, Freckles. I told you – this is my life now. I’m not dragging you into it as well.”

“You need to tell someone,” she says, holding my hands to her face. “Please.”

“And watch my family disappear, only for their bodies to show up months later?” I let go of her face. “No.”

“I… I told your dad.”

My eyes go wide. “What?”

“I went to visit him; I was worried about you and needed help.”

I tamp down my anger and close my eyes, fisting my hands. “You shouldn’t have done that, Stacey. If they find out, or he tries to do something, it’ll make it all worse. Don’t talk to him again, okay? Don’t talk to anyone about me. You’ll make it worse and my job harder.”

Her bottom lip shakes. “But…” She trails off. “How do I help you?”

“By leaving.”

Stacey goes ramrod straight at my bluntness. “What happens when I leave?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. As long as you’re safe.”

She’s quiet for a moment but then catches me off guard by climbing into my lap and burying her head into my shoulder.

For a brief moment, I have no idea what to do. She’s bracketing herself around me, hugging me, as my palms press into the mattress to keep me steady. I swallow, but when I feel wetness on my neck from her tears, I wrap one of my arms around the small of her back, fisting her hair.

I’m freefalling into a sea of tranquillity in her arms. My head is silent. My bones don’t shake, and I fill my lungs with her scent, wishing I could stay here forever.

I close my eyes, holding her to me. Her body cuddles into mine, one hand twisting into my hair and the other gripping my top at the back. Her hot breath is on my neck as she quietly weeps.

I massage my fingers into her hair, trying to keep my emotions in check. “Please don’t cry.”

“You weren’t supposed to have this life.” She’s shaking in my arms. “We should have moved away when we planned to. When I found out I was pregnant, we should have left and never turned back.”

There’s a tug against my heart. “I know.” I rub her back in small circles. No one has hugged me like this in so long. She was the only person I ever let get close to me, and I need to savour this while I can.

I lean back, remove my hand from her hair and tip her chin, so she looks at me.

“What we’ve been doing is risky. We can’t…” I blow out a breath, hating my words. “This.”Fuck. “We can’t.”

Silent, her eyes are lined with silver as another tear drops down her cheek.She doesn’t stop me as I kiss her forehead.

“Please pack your things.”

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