“Wow, okay. Did he have snapping turtles?”
“No, Ace, he didn’t because he wasn’t fucking insane. He had red eared sliders. Now that thing you’ve got, I presume it’s a baby, because fully grown, they’re huge. They also bite. A lot. Once it’s full grown, it will take off your entire fucking ear the next time. So, get the damn thing patched up and release it back into the wild. And no more reptiles, okay?”
I throw him a salute. “Sure thing, boss.”
“Or snakes, or spiders.”
“I wouldnever.” I cross my heart. I mean it about the spider part, too. Ugh. I shudder.
He shakes his head and starts to walk away, calling back over his shoulder. “Meet me in my office in a couple of hours.”
28
CAMILE
I’msore between my thighs. Just a little, but each time I turn over on the couch and squeeze my legs together, I experience a tender ache. I like it, because it reminds me of the previous night, which makes me tingle all over, but then shame washes over me, and I feel like shit.
The rollercoaster of emotions is making me want to scream. I don’t know how long I can go on like this.
Ace came to see me this morning, but I just couldn’t be the happy girl he probably wants. He’s that kind of a man, the kind who pushes everything down underneath jokes, and smiles, and sex. I’m right out of jokes and smiles, and as for sex… well, I almost went way too far last night, so I should stop that, too.
Turning over again on the couch, I bury my head in my arm and let myself cry once more. The tears sting my sore eyes, tracking down my cheeks and making my already tight skin feel even more so. I am surprised I have any water leftin me, I’ve cried that much.
I had one text from my mom last night. It was brief and said they were safe but had to keep communication to a minimum. I asked if I could join them, and she’d said not yet.
Not yet. How long am I going to keep getting that answer?
I’m basically homeless. What if Jack finds out I let some stranger finger fuck me last night and throws me out? Would the college let me back?
A new fear had hit me as I tossed and turned in bed, and now I can’t get it out of my head. With my father dead, who is paying my fees, which I believe are exorbitant? Will I even be allowed to graduate? Imagine if all my years of study are for nothing.
Fuck it. I can’t go on like this. I am simply being blown about like pollen on the breeze, and I must be the one to take control and find my direction. Feeling determined now I’ve cried it out, I push up off the couch and scrub my hands over my eyes.
First, I’ll clean myself up, and then I’ll go find Jack and talk to him. We can’t carry on with me simply sitting around in his club while my entire life outside of it falls apart.
How did it come to this? My father was one of the most feared men—not only within his own nation, but the world. Even the Vipers backed down when I told them to fuck off because they knew to mess with my family meant certain death.
I’m the daughter of the most ruthless cartel leader to ever exist. Standing straighter, something new washes through me. An anger, but also a pride in who the hell I am. I might not think what my father did for a living was a good thing, but I must admit he washorrifyingly good at it, and his name alone invoked fear.
I carry that name. Yet here I am, letting a piece of shit like Ledger keep me hiding out in a biker club. No more. These men will listen to me and let me have my say.
An hour later, I’m washed, my face is clean, and I’ve applied subtle makeup and my hair is brushed. I’m wearing jeans and a silk shirt. I look and feel more like the old me, the pre-the-date-with-Ledger me, than I have in ages.
Ace and others keep telling me how different I am. Well, today, I want to wear that difference as armor. I want them to see the real me, the well-brought-up, wealthy daughter of a very dangerous man.
The first place I try is Jack’s house, but he doesn’t answer. No matter, I’m pretty sure I know where to go next.
I find the clubhouse almost empty, which isn’t odd given the time of day. It smells like stale booze and old cigarettes, and I push away the memory of last night as it threatens to resurface. I’m trying not to think about it too deeply. Even though I want to believe the man who touched me last night wasn’t a complete random, I’m perfectly aware that it could have been. The experience was still incredibly hot, though, and even though I’m ashamed of myself, my pussy definitely wants a rerun. Would the man be there again if I went back another night? Would he be watching out for me, hoping for my return, too?
Behind the bar, a woman with curly black hair is restocking the undercounter refrigerators. She’s bent over and has her back to me, so she doesn’t notice me coming in. Grateful for that, I slip through the door justbefore the bar. It takes me into a dimly lit corridor which leads onto multiple rooms.
One of them probably contains Jack.
I stop at each door, trying the handle. The first two rooms are empty. The third is locked, but the fourth door has voices coming from behind it.
Jackpot.
My fingers find the handle, and I brace my arm, and my nerves, ready to throw the door open and storm in?—
