Page 20 of Finding Redemption

Someone had obviously orchestrated this.Manipulating my life in such a manner was uncalled for, but even if I had only one guess who had done it, I wouldn’t have to think too hard.

Closing my eyes, I sucked in a fortifying breath, fighting back the sting of frustrated tears, and attempted to leash my anger.Once I trusted myself not to cause anyone bodily harm, I ordered an Uber.

Paxton Foster did not get to play God with my life.

I hadn’t paid attention during the ride to or from Paxton’s home on the previous trip, but I realized quickly that his house wasn’t even the largest mansion in the neighborhood.It wasn’t anywhere near the smallest either.When my Uber driver pulled up outside the gate, the same guard came over to speak to him.

Powering down the window, I glared at the man who already had a vein pulsing in his forehead.“This going to be a frequent issue?”he asked.

“Since this is the last time I ever plan on coming here, no.”He huffed, but I decided that since he was only doing his job, and that job included protecting the precious little girl who lived there, I wouldn’t give him a hard time.“I can walk up to the house if it makes you feel better.”

“Sariah isn’t here,” he informed me.

“I’m here to speak to your boss.”It wasn’t like I wanted to see my roommate anyway.I was still feeling raw about her setting me up.

If I couldn’t find a job in a hurry, I wouldn’t even be able to afford living with Sariah any longer.

Gulping back the fear that I might end up on the streets again, I steeled my spine.“Is Paxton home?”

Maybe I should have texted him before making the trip all the way out to his house.It had been impulsive, and I’d spent money I could have used to get to and from whatever job I hopefully found soon, but my anger had been too intense for me not to confront him.

Percy the guard, according to his name tag, blew out a heavy breath.“Your driver will leave his license and pick it up on the way back.He has five minutes.Do not make me have someone escort him off the property.”

“Thank you,” I muttered, sitting back while the driver patiently gave over his ID.He wasn’t nearly as starstruck about the mansion, and he wasn’t half as nervous as the last driver had been on Saturday.It was likely he had no clue who lived there, or if he did, he didn’t care about MMA or celebrities in general.

After he dropped me off at the front steps, I watched him disappear down the long driveway before walking to the door and ringing the bell.A minute passed before one of the maids in a black skirt and a button-down with a white apron around her waist answered.

“May I help you?”she asked with a blank face.She had a sprinkle of gray through her dark hair that was pulled back into a bun so severe, it seemed to give her aging face a bit of a lift.

“I’ve got it,” Paxton’s smooth, deep voice said from behind her.

Every muscle in my body clenched, heat spreading through my belly and out to my limbs.Trying hard not to shiver, I watched as the maid stepped back, dipped her head to the beautiful man who appeared in the doorway, and quickly walked away.

Paxton smirked down at me, and I had to assume Percy had called ahead to let him know I was coming.There was no way this man answered his own front door on purpose.

I tried not to drool over the sight of him in dark-wash jeans and a retro band T-shirt stretched impossibly tight over his hard chest and massive arms.I was small, but his all-around largeness made me feel delicate, though not fragile.It was a little disconcerting, but scorchingly hot.

And then he opened his mouth.“Does this mean you’ve thought about my offer?”

ChapterTwelve

Brooke

My anger was reignitedat his smug tone.“You’re despicable,” I seethed.“How dare you play games with my life?”

“Offering you a job is despicable?”he asked with a laugh, but I saw the flare of unease in his eyes.

“My boss fired me this afternoon.And then all three of my clients who had birthday parties scheduled for the coming weeks canceled.”I glared at him, not trying to hide the accusation in my face or my tone.

He winced.“Ouch.That sucks.But how is any of that my fault?”

“Are you really going to stand there and pretend you had nothing to do with this?”Hands on my hips, I tipped my head back.He was so tall, I got a cramp in the back of my neck looking up at him.

“Yes, because I didn’t.”

There was a ring of sincerity to his voice, but I refused to acknowledge it.I was angry but also hurt, and I hated that he’d been able to elicit so many emotions from me.He’d taken care of me when I was at my most vulnerable.My walls had been down, and he’d worked his way inside—the sneaky jerkface.

“I get why you want someone Bella is comfortable with to be her caregiver, but disrupting my life, taking away my sources of income, was a dick move.And definitely not the smartest course of action to get me to fall in line.”My frustrated tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.“I worked my behind off to become financially stable.And now, if I don’t figure something out soon, I’m going to be back in a homeless shelter.”

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