Page 31 of Devil Within

After that first night with Jade, Shiloh finally relaxed. She’d passed the test on whether or not she could have a normal relationship again, and she was pleased her strategy worked. Her old life was done and buried, and Lawrence couldn’t hurt her now. Days revolved around work and Jade. Most nights, she went home with him, but at least once a week she went back to Vette’s. Her friend was officially dating Nick, so each understood the other’s need for time with their boyfriend.

Although calling Jade a boyfriend didn’t mesh very well with his bad-boy biker image. She was falling in love with him, and she knew that was a problem. One day, he was going to grow tired of her, and when that happened, she was going to lose her heart and her job all in one painful thrust.

The following Saturday night, rock music was playing, and she was singing along when the door opened. She lifted her head, intending to greet the new client, but the words died on her tongue when she saw who it was.

Him.

Everything froze. Her heart. Her breath. Time. It all stopped as she stared at Lawrence, her step-father. Her tormentor. Her nightmare. For a split second, she was back in the home she’d grown up in, trapped against the wall as he pressed into her body. All she could do was close her eyes and project her mind somewhere else, far away from the pain and degradation he inflicted. His fetid breath had washed over her face as he grunted with his thrusts. The hand over her mouth prevented her from screaming.

“Stay away from me.” Jumping to her feet, she meant for the words to come out strong, calm, and decisive, but they almost faded in the warbly tone of her voice.

“I’m sorry?” he asked, cocking his head. Looking confused.

He took off his sunglasses, and she realized it wasn’t Lawrence at all. Just some random guy who had a minor, passing-glance resemblance. The damage, however, had already been done. The dam holding back all those memories she’d tried to contain by plugging her fingers into the leaking holes was no longer sufficient. It cracked apart in bright, brilliant fashion. The fear. The hatred. The shame. It all tumbled forth, too strong to ever be put back into the void of nothingness.

The scream that burst out of her had been a long time coming. She collapsed, just as strong arms caught her, lifting her up. In some far corner of her mind, she recognized Jade’s scent and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against the warmth of his skin. Tears fell as her carefully constructed world fell apart.

The genie was out of the bottle, without a wish to put it back where it came from.

****

Sometime later, although she had no idea how much later, Shiloh lifted her lashes. When the memory of what happened blazed in technicolor, shame engulfed her. Her body was drained of any energy as helplessness filled the gaping wounds left behind from her meltdown. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

“Shiloh?” a feminine voice asked.

Blinking, she turned her head far enough to see Kira sat next to her. Relief swamped her because she wasn’t ready yet to face Jade and what was no doubt his disgust. In one fell swoop, she lost everything. She rolled to her other side and saw that the other woman sat in a comfortable recliner next to a queen-sized bed. In fact, she had no idea where she was because this wasn’t Vette’s house.

“Where am I?” she asked, scrambling to sit up. Her voice felt scratchy, probably from when she screamed her head off. Embarrassment swamped her on top of everything else.

“The clubhouse,” Kira replied. “Jade’s room. All the men have a room here to crash after drinking or partying.”

“Why am I in Jade’s room?”

“Because this is where he took you.”

Well, duh. Obviously. “I should leave so he doesn’t feel uncomfortable.”

She went to rise, but Kira quickly touched her shoulder, halting her.

“Stay. Please. We have some things to talk about.”

Shiloh didn’t like how that sounded at all. The last thing she wanted was to be berated, but it seemed like she couldn’t escape the lecture coming.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She clasped her hands, fisting them tightly in an attempt to keep herself from shaking. Waiting for the shoe to drop. Shiloh didn’t think Kira would hit her, but words were just as deadly.

“For what?”

She glanced over. Kira’s head was tilted to the side as she stared in confusion.

“For the spectacle in The Inkpot,” Shiloh replied. “You can tell Jade I—I won’t bother him again.”

“I’m starting to think we’re communicating on two different wavelengths,” Kira said. “Do you honestly think Jade is mad at you?”

She asked sincerely, without any malice.

“I probably lost him that client.”

“Fuck the client.” Jade’s suddenly deep voice from out of nowhere had both women jumping.