Page 44 of Crave

“Fuck you!” I screamed and slammed my fist on the door. “Do you hear me?FUCK YOU!”

The faint sound of the music throbbed, echoing through the door.

I spun around, my vision blurring before it sharpened…fixing on my black Audi.

“Fuck you.” I croaked and made my way forward. “Fuck you all.”

I wanted out of this fucking dump anyway.

I had better places to be.

Places where I could drink the memory of my goddamn adopted sister out of my head.

Or try to at least.

Chapter Eleven

ANGELICA

There wasonly silence outside my door. I strained to listen for any hint anyone was out there at all. But there was nothing. Just an emptiness. A hollow void where salvation lay in wait. Would I dare make a run for it? I’d be out of the rear door in an instant. Forget about the shelter, I’d just run and I’d keep on running. The only question was, did I dare do it now?

Open the door. Find out for sure.My hand trembled as I twisted the handle and cracked open the door, finding only darkness.

My pulse pounded as I opened it wider and stepped out, rolling my feet as I crept along the hallway.

“Need something?” Jude lifted his gaze from the end of the corridor, then pushed against the floor and rose.

I froze, glancing at Gabe’s closed door just in front of me and turned back to him. “No…I, ah.”

But he kept coming, heading along the hallway toward me.

Fear kicked inside me, leaving me scrambling back to the safety of my room once more. I grabbed the handle, pushing the door closed before Jude stopped it with his hand.

I jerked my gaze to his hand and moved backwards, as he entered. He looked around, his eyes adjusted to the gloom as he looked at my room like it was the first time he’d ever been in here. Who knew, maybe it was.

“We went too far last night.” He said carefully and looked my way. “I want to make sure you’re not about to run screaming to the authorities.”

I said nothing, my senses screaming at the careful, dangerous tone he was giving.

“Are you?”

I swallowed hard. “Am I what?”

He narrowed in on me and strode forward, pushing me backwards until I hit the far wall and stopped. In the faint spill of moonlight his eyes looked demonic black as he lifted a hand placing it against the wall, blocking me in. “Going to cry rape and run to the police.”

I did that and I was over. I knew that without hesitation.

Jude was the quiet one. The Ares son who wanted nothing to do with the business.

“Because if you did, that would cause problems for my family. In particular Silas who is under a great deal of pressure right now. We don’t want that now, do we?”

His black eyes sparkled. I understood at that moment just how dangerous this family had become for me. At first it was mysalvation from the cruel orphanage where I was raised. A beacon of hope and love, especially in the arms of the woman who became my mother. But now she was gone…and that light of hope was now gone, leaving something dark and hostile to move amongst the shadows.

“No.” I whispered. “We don’t want that.”

“Jude?” I turned my head as Gabe stood in the doorway. He looked at his brother, then me. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing little brother.” Jude pushed off the wall and took a step backwards. “Just making sure our sister here was on the same page.”