“Done.”
It wasn’t ideal, but the money I made from the fights would be more than enough to save up and get us a place with no strings attached.
At this point, whatever I could do to get my omega out of this hell wasexactlywhat I’d do.
Chapter
Two
Aries
“There you are,” David called out as I walked into the diner. His voice was a familiar smoker’s rasp that felt like home more than my trailer ever did.
The gray-haired alpha stood behind the grill flipping burgers. When he heard my footsteps he turned, then cursed.
“How the fuck am I going to have you up front looking like that?” he growled, though I knew the anger wasn’t directed at me. He’d never once raised his voice my way, just at my situation.
“Sorry, David. My designation hit. Mom didn’t take it well.”
Understatement.
“That woman is the fucking devil,” he added, yet another understatement. Even the devil wouldn’t want my mother.
He tried everything he could to back me up, even going as far as reporting her for neglect and abuse… with pictures. But Mom had once again used her designation like a weapon, and they had given in. It was disgusting. And not the first time someone tried to step in. I’d given up on that dream long ago.
“We’ve got dishes that need washing,” he said, shaking his head and hooking a thumb at the sink that was already piled high.
I knew he wished there was more he could do, but this was exactly what I needed from him. He gave me an escape.
I washed the dishes, avoiding eye contact with the other waitresses who were annoyed that I had to hide out again. David’s stern presence kept all of them from saying a word, and I appreciated him for it.
When the crowd started winding down and orders stopped coming in for a minute, David wandered back to me. I braced myself, knowing this conversation was unavoidable.
“You’ve gotta get out of there, girl.”
“Nikolai said he’d take me tonight,” I whispered back, finally meeting his eyes.
He nodded, looking relieved. I swear I was responsible for half the gray hairs on his head. “I’ll have your paycheck ready if you can man the grill for a minute.”
It wasn’t something he usually allowed. David wasn’t the type to let anyone run his shop for him.
I did as he asked, scraping off the remnants from the lunch rush and cleaning it for the next round of orders.
When he came back, he handed me an envelope.
“Is he picking you up from here today?”
“He is,” I confirmed, swallowing hard at the bulk of the envelope. Far more than one paycheck was in here.
David clocked my worry. “I’ve got a little bit more in there for you. You get somewhere safe. Today, you hang out as long as you need. Here’s my number, too. You call me if you run into trouble.”
“Thanks, David,” I croaked out as I took the paper from his hand.
I tucked the thick envelope into the front pocket of my jeans. The weight of it pressed against my thigh, a constant reminder of my impending escape.
Hope finally took hold, filling me up from the inside out. Just a few more hours, and I’d be free of this town forever. Truly, David was the only one I would miss. He was the closest thing I’d had to a parent all these years.
“I’m taking out the trash,” I called as I gathered up the kitchen garbage. My body protested the weight of it and I let out a low groan before swallowing it down and moving toward the door.
