Page 2 of Finding Redemption

“Leia.”

A surprised giggle bubbled out of me.“What?Are you for real?”

Sariah nodded, her beauty only more enhanced by her beaming smile.“I know.She’s such a little science fiction geek.”

“Why not give her a Star Wars theme, then?”

Her smile faded.“I didn’t know until last night, but apparently all the girls in her class were giving her a hard time.So she’d given in and told them she was having a princess party.By the time I knew she preferred Leia, it was too late for Paxton to change the decorations and cake.”

Anger began to simmer in my belly.Those mean little brats.

“I know,” Sariah said with a groan, seeing the look on my face.“But Bella still insists that she wants everything to be princess-themed.She wants all the other girls to think she’s cool.Cinderella came to her friend’s party a few weeks ago, and after Bella told the others she was going to have Rapunzel visiting for her birthday, everyone wanted to attend.”

“That’s because Cinderella is boring, with a weak prince.”I smirked at my friend.“Blondie got an adventure and a guy who loved her so much he was willing to die to keep her safe.”

“You have a weird crush on Flynn Rider,” she said with a snicker.

“I prefer the name Eugene, thank you,” I said with a playful glower.

Laughing, she tugged on a lock of my hair.“You’re adorable.”She stood but then paused and looked down at me with warmth in her expression.It made her eyes so much more dazzling than the sadness that was almost always there.“Thank you for doing this, Brooke.”

“You’re my friend, Riah.I might not have a lot of experience, but I’m told friends help each other.”

ChapterTwo

Brooke

I was still lookingthrough my bag when the Uber paused at a gate.Beside me, Sariah powered down her window, and I finally lifted my head.Only for my jaw to drop to my chest.

My clients had all been well-off, but none of them had been gigantic mansion surrounded by a huge fence with a guard shack at the end of the driveway rich.“Riah, is your friend Daddy Warbucks?”

She gave me a grimace.“I forgot to tell you.Bella’s dad is Paxton Foster.”

“Okay…and?”While that name did sound familiar, it didn’t ring any bells except from the few times Sariah had mentioned “Paxton” earlier that day when we’d talked about the party.

A bemused expression fell over her face at my ignorance of her friend’s identity, while the Uber driver turned in his seat with a grunt.“You don’t know who Paxton Foster is?”

“Not off the top of my head,” I said with a shrug.

“Paxton Foster,thePaxton ‘Deathstroke’ Foster.MMA world champion.Hall of Famer.”I sat there staring at the man like he was speaking another language because, to me, he was.Muttering something under his breath, he gave me a disparaging shake of his head.“You’re not from around here, are you, honey?”

“I’m not your ‘honey,’ a-hole.”I gave him a withering look until he shrank down and turned back around in his seat.It didn’t take as much effort these days to hide my revulsion of anyone calling me what the world deemed endearments.But I still couldn’t stop the mental shudder.

“Miss Grant.”A guard stepped out of the shack with a clipboard.“We were expecting you to arrive with Mr.Foster’s driver.”

Sariah pressed her lips together at the obvious admonishment in the man’s voice, remaining silent.A muscle ticked in his jaw before he knocked on the Uber driver’s window.“Here’s what’s going to happen.You will leave your license with me.Drop Miss Grant and her guest at the front of the house.You have five minutes.If you do not return by then, my colleagues will escort you off the property.”

Our driver fumbled around for his ID, his hand slightly shaking as he handed it over to the guard.

“Okay, Cezar Vargas, sign here.You will get your license back when you leave.”Stepping back, the guard gave the driver a hard glare.“Your five minutes begin now.”

Face gray, Cezar carefully pulled forward.I lifted my brows at my roommate.“Should I expect to be patted down when we get out?”

I was only half joking.The guard had been…intense.

Sariah slumped down.“I’m just going to apologize for Paxton now.He has fans trying to get in all the time, but mostly, he’s just overprotective of those he cares about.Bella’s safety is his number one priority.”

“Don’t apologize.”I grasped her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.“If every little girl had a daddy to protect them like Bella does, the world would be a much better place.”

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