The fury rising caused my hands to shake, and I crossed my arms over my chest to conceal my weakness for Mia, and the lengths I’d go for her. I didn’t have it in me to kill another human. Murder was a job for Ethan. Not me. “I’ll do it. I’ll kill Ghost,” I lied, buying myself time to figure this out.
“I know you will, and I have a little friend here to help. Consider it my gift to you and your way in with Ghost. She was quite forthcoming when she found out she’d be working with you. I think you have yourself a fan.” Dex blew out a whistle, the door behind me opened, and seconds later, fingertips gripped the side of my arm.
In my peripheral, blonde hair soaked my vision. Leigh. “What are you doing?” I whispered to her. She was innocent in all this.
“Leigh claims she’s a virgin,” he laughed, and my head jerked back toward him, “No, seriously. I can’t believe it myself either. And rumor states Ghost fancies pretty young virgins.”
“She’s a child,” I gritted out.
“I’m seventeen,” Leigh argued.
I turned to her and clutched her shoulders. “This is ludicrous. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”
Dex interjected, “Calm down, Oliver. You’ll kill Ghost before the exchange happens. Leigh will be safe, but you have to check her.”
“Check her for what?”
Dex lifted his palm from the hot tub. “Well, her virginity, of course.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
“Either you will, or I’ll make James do it, and I’m afraid James may take more than what’s needed. Trust me, baby O, you don’t want your virgin corrupted. She’s your easiest way in, and with or without her, Ghost still has to go.”
I grabbed Leigh’s hand and yanked her back inside through the door, slamming it behind me. “What the fuck have you done?”
Leigh’s hand rested over my bicep, and she looked up at me through sincere eyes. “I want to help you.”
“You could get yourself raped or killed. You don’t know what these people are capable of. And how did you end up in this mess?”
Leigh seemed insulted, and she dropped her arm. “I was looking for you! The last time I saw you was here and Dex promised you’d come back if I helped him. And you’re back. You came back.”
“Check that pussy, Oliver,” James called out, coming through the door with a gun in his waistband.
I snapped my gaze at him. “Are you his bitch now?”
Ignoring me, he slapped a pill over the counter and shoved an open beer into my chest. “This is to help you through the night, mate.” And I contemplated my options, which was close to none. I slammed the pill into my mouth and chased it with the beer. James slapped my shoulder before leaving, and I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You really want to do this?” I asked, turning to Leigh and raising a brow. “You’ll let me touch you? You’ll let me drag you into this mess? Risk your life? All for what?”
“I trust you. You won’t let anything happen to me.”
We walked into the bathroom, and I locked the door behind me and took out my phone, scrolling through Google search. “Take off your bottoms,” I ordered Leigh, typing a question I’d never thought I’d ask into my phone and wondering how the fuck I was going to explain this to Mia.“How was your day?” “Great, babe. Had to check a girl’s hymen, how was yours?”
After reading over the two-finger test with vision already blurring, I turned back around and glanced up from my phone to see Leigh standing shyly, completely naked. A perky set of breasts stared back at me, hard pink nipples, and teenage curves. “You didn’t have to,” I clutched my hipbones and dropped my head. “Never mind, just come here.” I tucked my phone back inside my pocket.
Leigh stepped forward, her head coming to my chest. I wanted to get this over with, and picked her up at the waist and set her over the sink. Looking over her young skin, I shook my head. “Fuck, I can’t do this.” I backed away and pinched the bridge of my nose. It was wrong on so many levels. Mia, first and foremost. Legal, but still only seventeen. And a virgin, nonetheless. “I need to make a call,” I mumbled, shoving my hand into my pocket.
Dialing Mia’s number, she answered on the second ring, “Picasso, here.”
“I’m in trouble,” I admitted.
“What’s wrong?”
For starters, a naked girl was staring at me. “It’s not over, Mia.” I wanted to scream as soon as the words tumbled out. “Fuck, I have this girl here. They want to use her because she’s a virgin—”
“Leigh,” the virgin piped up, and I narrowed my eyes.
“What does he want you to do?” Mia asked on the other end.
