The bulky guy releases my mom instantly. She holds her neck, rubbing the scratches and bruises.
“Hi, Firefly.”
Firefly?I swallow the acid that has risen in my throat. I have a bad feeling about this. If he’s one of Mom’s regular visitors, maybe he knows my name but even if he doesn’t, he already has a nickname for me? I hate pet names.
Goose bumps cover my spine and my gut tells me to be calm, collected, careful.
“What’s your name?” I ask quietly.
“I’m Charlie, but don’t call me that. I hate my name and hate my dad for giving it to me. It’s so neutral. The only reason I haven’t changed it yet is because I found out it means ‘free man.’”
Whoa. His voice is heated and threatening at the mention of his dad.
He rubs the back of his neck. “I talk too much… around you.” His smile is innocent, not quite reaching his eyes. I almost think it’s a genuine smile, but then his face falls and it’s inscrutable. His gray eyes never change their color. They’re devoid of any emotion—frozen and withdrawn.
“I’m a businessman, and your mom and I conducted business earlier but she hasn’t paid for the… goods she’s received, so we have a problem.” His smile turns into a nerve-needling one, causing goose bumps to prick on my neck.
I’ve seen him in the apartment a few times before, but I always dashed for my room. He’s different from the other strangers who invade our home. He’s young, much younger than the others, and although he’s lean, he stands straight and strong. None of the other bums coming in here wear a suit like Charlie. The sleeves of his white button-up shirt are rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong forearms.
If I saw him on the street for the first time, I’d never think he was a drug dealer. I might even think he was handsome.
I swallow the uneasiness in my throat. Charlie is charming in his unique way, and I wonder if he often traps young girls with this allure.
I shake my head and think about the recent Googling I had done about famous and handsome serial killers. The way they seem so normal, so intriguing. And the worst thing is that most of their names start with the letter “C”—they have a similar charm that this Charlie before me seems to possess.
“What do you want?” I cross my arms around my chest.
Don’t show him your weakness.
Don’t show him you’re afraid.
Don’t show him your vulnerability.
His eyes dart from my mom to me, the wheels in his brain spinning. Eventually he says, “Your mom owes me eleven thousand dollars.”
I gasp.Ohmigod.She must have been doing business with him for a while. My skin prickles.
“She can’t pay it, so there are two options. The first one is…” Charlie nods to the other guy, who puts his hands on my mom’s neck again and almost lifts her up from the couch. I have no doubt with his meaty hands he could snap her neck in two.
“And the second option?” The words rush out of my mouth.
Charlie steps closer to me and I ball my damp palms.
“We can make an arrangement. You can pay off your mom’s debt.”
“I don’t have the money. I can’t help you.”
I glance at my mom and her eyes are pleading with me.
“Oh, you can definitely help. All you have to do is… date me.”
“What?”
I try to slow down my pulse and take a deep breath.
“What does the dating entail?”
“Dating… you know. What couples do? Don’t tell me you haven’t dated anyone before?”
