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“No,” she yelled. “I can’t leave her with him.”

Oscar took a step toward us and I shoved the girl behind me and used my other arm to pin him to the wall, digging my thumb into the soft tissue below his collarbone. “Get out.” I gave my most menacing tone, using every inch of height and pound of muscle to intimidate him.

“No,” Leah whined behind me. “Don’t hurt him.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Oscar challenged. “She wants me here.”

I moved my hand to his throat and squeezed, finding satisfaction when his eyes bulged and his hands moved to rip at my fingers. “If I ever find out you hit her again, I’ll rip your limbs from your body and beat you with them until you bleed out and die.” I knew I couldn’t keep him away if her sister wanted him here, but I could put the fear of God in him.

“Whatever,” he choked out but managed a nod too.

I let him go and he fell to his knees, gasping for air. Leah came over and cradled his face, whimpering.

“Let’s go,” I said, looking away from the drugged couple.

I gripped the girl’s arm and dragged her out of the house despite how much she fought me. I ignored her shrieked protests because nothing was going to keep me from removing her from that mess inside. When she began slapping at my arms, my patience snapped and I swung her around until her back was pressed to the passenger side of the car.

“I said I didn’t want to leave her,” she growled up at me, shoving hard.

I gripped her hands and pinned them by her head, using my hips to pin her legs. I should have been ashamed of the way heat flooded my cock when it pressed to her soft curves. Ignoring my reaction, I sneered, “What are you going to do? Did you have a revelation that shit will change for you? Did you figure out how to make your life better than the reality in there?”

Her chin came up high as she tried to burn me down with her eyes. “I’ll be safer next time I try to make money. I can figure something out that will work. I can’t just leave her to suffer. I was going to at least give her a chance by leaving her some of the money.”

“Did you really think she’d buy food? Are you that naive?”

“I had to try. I could at least leave with a clean conscience, knowing I didn’t abandon her like you’re making me do now.”

“How much?”

“What?”

“How much would you have given her from the money?”

She swallowed as she studied my face, probably trying to figure out why I wanted to know. “One thousand.”

I stepped back and pulled my wallet out. She stayed pressed to the car and watched as I peeled off a wad of bills and stormed back to the house. I stepped just inside to drop the bills and got the fuck out.

“Your duty is done. Now get in the fucking car,” I said, pointing at her as I walked past to the driver’s side. “I’m hungry.”

She stared with wide eyes, but when I glared over the roof, she gave a single nod and got in.

Thank God. I didn’t want to explain why I needed her to get in.

Because I couldn’t. I just knew I did.

5

Alexandra

I barely saw the streets pass by as I stared out the window. My mind was a tangled mess and I used the drive to try and place it in some order. I tried to organize the events and predict the outcome. I wanted to ask questions, but every time I glanced over, I took in the way his fist squeezed the steering wheel and I lost my nerve. Instead, I kept my mouth busy by chewing on my nails.

I’d moved on to nail number three by the time the city disappeared behind the walls of the parking garage. When he parked, I didn’t move. I didn’t know what to do. None of this was normal and I had no idea the protocol for going home with a stranger. One you planned to sleep with or not. At least if I had planned to sleep with him, I could make an educated guess on how to act.

But apparently, I wasn’t losing my virginity tonight. I swallowed a laugh at how the night had changed. Had it only been a few hours ago I’d opened the door to him, expecting—hoping—for a wham-bam, thank-you-ma’am? I felt like a whole new human by this point.

Finally, I couldn’t take the silence in the car anymore and I was too terrified about what I’d find if I looked over at him, so I reached for the handle but froze at his voice.

“What’s your name?” He breathed a laugh. “The whole time in the trailer, I kept almost calling your name to realize I don’t know it.”