Page 2 of Sweet, Sweet Jewel: A Sweet Treats Novel

Anastasia’s heels clipped against the concrete. Jewel winced with every step she made. Click. Click. Click. Three shots to the heart. She pressed a hand to her chest, hoping that the contact would slow down her pulse.

It didn’t.

Anastasia’s tan fingers circled the knob. She pulled. The lever snapped. The door swung open, a yawning gap that leaked into a hazy, dim hallway.

Fear swallowed Jewel whole.

Panicked, she turned to Anastasia and begged, “C-can’t you come with me?”

“You have to go alone.”

Her throat pulled tight. Jewel shot another nervous look at the older girls. “You promise no one will touch me?”

“Yes. I swear.” Anastasia nodded soberly.

Jewel sucked in a shuddering breath. Deep inside, she knew that Anastasia was lying. What kind of gig paid so much money and required nothing? But she was too desperate, too pathetic, to listen to that voice.

“Go on.” Anastasia tilted her head. The lone bulb splayed against her honey-brown skin and shrewd brown eyes. She whisked her fingers in the air. “I’ll see you soon.”

Jewel opened her mouth to ask what that meant when Anastasia thrust her forward and slammed the door behind her.

Darkness swallowed her whole. A scream barreled its way up her stomach, but just before she let it loose, Jewel noticed a light at the end of the corridor. She shuffled forward, drawn to the light and to the money awaiting her there.

“Think of Juney,” she mumbled, trembling. “Think of him.”

Her little brother hadn’t asked to be born to such a loser family. Juney was smarter than her, braver, armed with straight A’s and glowing report cards.

“He’ll do great things,” his teachers said. “Great things.”

So Jewel could do all the dirty, ugly things instead.

The light grew brighter. She felt the warmth of it and yet goosebumps popped over her skin as if she was about to dive into frigid waters. Maybe she was. But she didn’t care.

Nothing mattered.

She didn’t matter. Not after all she’d been through. Whatever was waiting in that room couldn’t be worse than what her mom’s boyfriend had done, what her own boyfriend had done.

They’d taken away her choice, but now she was the one in control.

Jewel squared her shoulders and walked in.

The room was surprisingly large. It had a plush, red sofa lying in front of a white rug. Fancy lamps thrust a golden glow on the bare concrete walls that seemed stark in comparison to the lush furniture.

She glanced around, looking for… Jewel didn’t even know what she was looking for. The roaring in her head subsided when she realized there was no immediate threat.

Had Anastasia played a trick on her? Was this some prank to make fun of her, the freak who ate alone at lunch?

Amidst the swirling anger, she felt a glimmer of relief. No one would hurt her.

And no one will be handing you any cash.

So what? She’d move on. There had to be another way to make that kind of money. She couldn’t do it in one night, but…

The door she’d entered through creaked open.

Jewel spun and saw Anastasia. Her slender body seemed to glide over the floor. An excited glimmer sparkled in her brown eyes. She lifted her chin confidently, as if she’d won some grand prize.

The door creaked open again, spitting out someone else.

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