Page 31 of Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn #1)

“I have, they’re calling off other numbers,” she bit out, powering off her phone again, deciding they weren’t worth it.

“My money’s on it being Jensen. Caden wants to kill me, Tyler won’t go behind Caden’s back unless he’s intoxicated, and Lukas is a fucking pussy.

I’m going to have to get a new number at this rate. ”

“Are you going to let me have it?” That made her frown, her blue eyes burning into me as I pulled into the driveway of the address she’d given me.

“My phone?”

“Your new number,” I corrected, shutting the engine off. Most people would be stupid to drive a nice car in this neighborhood, but everyone knew who owned this car, so they’d never touch it. “You know, so when you kill those academy brats, I can come and help you bury the bodies.”

“I wouldn’t do that to Josie. It’s not her fault her son’s an asshole,” she sighed as if it pained her, opening the door and climbing out, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Thanks for the ride.”

I couldn’t help myself.

“Want to choke on my dick as a thank you?”

“I’d bite it off.”

“You’d tap out before me, baby girl,” I laughed, making her grin.

“Whatever you say. I’ll see you later.” She shut the door and I watched her walk towards the house, amusement filling me as she walked around the side and tried to open the window.

“Don’t you have a key?” I asked as I called out the window, hearing her frustrated huff as she turned to look back at me.

“I don’t have the key on me.” She struggled with the window again, and I climbed out of the car to help her, but it didn’t budge. Glancing inside, the window locks looked new and the carpet was pulled up, leaving behind ugly floorboards.

“Pretty sure the house is under renovations. Where’s all the furniture?” I scoffed, guilt taking over her face.

“Well, technically, it’s not ours anymore, but I can sneak in to stay here for a few days, and no one should know. The neighbors won’t say shit if the cops ask them.”

“You can’t squat in your old house, Aurora. Is there even any power?”

“No. Dad shut that off when we first moved into Caden’s mom’s place,” she admitted, her body tensing as I grabbed her bicep and started dragging her back towards the car.

“Hey! Let me go!” Her body smacked against the McLaren when we reached it, her defiant eyes glaring at me.

“What are you doing? You can’t manhandle me like that. ”

“Sure I can. Get in the car.”

Keeping her close would piss the guys off and possibly get me closer to her pussy, so it was worth a shot. I could act like her hero before turning into the villain.

“Excuse me? I’m not getting back in the car.” The spicy little thing attempted to shove me away, her body going rigid as I curled my fingers around her slim neck, my face in hers as anger coursed through my veins.

“Get. In.”

“You’re a dick,” she spat as she did as she was told, but I could tell she was wary of me as I leaned into the car, letting out a dark chuckle.

“Calm down. You can crash at my place.” Fear flickered in her eyes, and satisfaction rolled through me. “I have power and running water.”

“I’m not stupid. What’s the cost of your charming attempt at hospitality?”

“You keep fighting at the Shed.”

We’d made a killing off her fights last night, it was the only reason Slash hadn’t thrown her ass out. She’d gotten a cut, obviously, but I could tell she’d been there to spill blood, not make cash.

She thought about it for a moment before her face softened. “Do I get my own room with a locked door?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t going to sneak in and fuck her, she’d freak the fuck out and run home before I even got her panties off. I wanted her to come to me, it would be so much sweeter. “Holloway’s boys aren’t likely to find you there either. Here? They’ll probably check.”

That did the trick.

“Okay, but if you kidnap me?—”

I laughed at that, her shoulders relaxing into the seat. “Hate to break it to you, babe, but you’re not exactly Daddy’s little princess. Kidnapping you for ransom would be a waste of time. I have a feeling I’d have to pay Max to come get you, not the other way around.”

“You’re not wrong,” she grumbled as I shut the door.

She didn’t ask questions as I made the stop on the way home for the money from Stanton, the guy that dealt our drugs on the edge of Rawson Grove and Ashburn Valley, but her eyes took in our surroundings as we drove towards my place, mapping the way in case I did kidnap her and she needed to make an escape.

Her lack of trust was smart because I definitely wasn’t a good guy.

“You live in Ashburn Valley?” she asked with surprise as we pulled into the driveway.

I motioned around us, my eyebrow raised. “You see we’re in the shitty end, right? It’s not like it’s a fucking palace.”

“It looks good to me. I’m suffocating in that fucking thing Caden calls a house,” she said with a scowl. “I’m not blind, it’s nice, but it’s so empty. Now this? This is homey.”

“It’s alright,” I answered, grabbing the bag of guns and the money before leading her towards the door.

My house wasn’t the nicest place around, but it was home. I’d bought it a couple of years ago and slowly been doing it up as a project, some of the guys helping me when they could.

It was mine, that was all I gave a fuck about.

Once I’d shown her which room was hers for the night, I dumped my bags in the kitchen and grabbed us both a beer. It didn’t take long for her to wander back out to join me, her suspicious eyes studying me as she took the beer from my hand.

“I don’t understand why you’re helping me out, and I won’t lie, that makes me nervous.”

“You should be nervous, you’re in a stranger’s house.

I could do whatever I wanted to you right now, and no one would know.

” It was impressive how she kept the panic off her face, but her fingers twitched, ready to grab the knife I knew she had on her body somewhere.

“But we’re against the skin trade and I don’t feel like cleaning blood from the carpet, so you’re safe unless you do something stupid. ”

“Hey, I know how to mind my own business, trust me. The Heights’ motto is hear no, see no, speak no,” she said with a shrug, sitting at the table to sip her beer. Her throat worked as she swallowed, and my fingers itched to force her to her knees.

The Heights was full of poverty and desperate people that did desperate things. If anyone asked you, you didn’t hear nothing, see nothing, and you sure as fuck didn’t say nothing, or it would be the last thing you ever did.

“As far as you’re concerned, that’s the motto here too,” I grunted, sitting at the table and reaching for an empty bottle that I’d left there last night, before grabbing my cigarettes from my pocket and lighting one. “Don’t you have homework or something you should be doing?”

“Bite me. It would be a blessing to get kicked out,” she glowered, eyeing my cigarette with envy.

“Don’t you have cigarettes?”

“They’re not as easy for me to obtain here. I had my last one earlier.” Her eyes narrowed as I tossed my pack towards her, her guard going up again. “What do you want in return?”

“I want you to stop looking like a kicked puppy. It’s annoying,” I said bluntly, reaching for the bag and opening it, finding satisfaction when concern radiated out of her at seeing the guns.

I pulled one out, making a show of admiring it before meeting her gaze.

“If I needed something in return, I’d ask instead of dancing around it.

Right now, I need you to have your beer, mind your own business, and let me work. That’s all I want from you.”

“I might hang out in my room,” she said with a forced smile, a low laugh leaving me.

“No, sit there and look pretty for me. Feel free to show me your tits or something.”

“Fuck off,” she snapped, my dick straining behind my zipper at the defiance in her tone. “If you want sexual favors, I’ll leave right now.”

“Chill out. I was only asking,” I replied as I ran my eyes over her.

“We can fight about it if you want though.” She sneered at me but didn’t answer, so I changed the subject.

“Tell me all about your daddy. Does he still have connections, or did they abandon him when he shoved his fortune up his nose and into hooker pussy?”

“I hope you have some time then because I’ll talk shit about that fucker for hours,” she replied, a smirk taking over my face.

“I’ve got all the time in the world, baby girl.”