Page 8 of The First Cut

She leans in, lowering her voice so only I can hear her. “You talk about me being a whore, but you never once asked me why. What makes a girl become a whore? Nobody gives a shit about that, though, do they. As long as they have a tight pussy, who cares what their story is, right?”

I shake my head. “Not my business.”

“No, but then neither was everything else that came out of your mouth. I have to wonder, though—did you ever ask Midas to change for me? Did you tell him not to take any of the other club girls to his room? Because the only difference between our whorish ways is I get paid—and he gives his away for free.” She grabs her water and walks away, making me smirk.

I can’t help it. I like how feisty she is. I like to fuck feisty until it cries. But I have enough shit going on right now without worrying about coming to blows with Midas.

Hoops sets the whiskey down in front of me with a quiet thunk. “Here you go, Hannibal.”

“Thanks,” I say, knocking back the glass in one go. The burn helps—barely.

I go to get up when Lil sits down beside me. One look at her face and I tense.

“What’s wrong?” I bark. She jumps, almost sliding off the stool, before I grab her arm and stop her..

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, Lil.”

I let her go and wait as she takes a deep breath.

“I was doing a shift at the shelter, and a fight broke out. I had to call the cops. I didn’t know what else to do.” She wrings her hands.

“The most important thing is to keep yourself safe. If that means calling the cops, then call the cops.”

“Yeah, but the cops here know me—know what I do,” she whispers as she looks at me. “My boss doesn’t know. I want to keep my work separate.”

“They say something to you? Threaten to go to your boss or something?”

“I didn’t give them a chance. I just left. I need to call her and explain—she should hear it from me before anyone else. But… I’m a chicken.” She shakes her head, “Anyway, I was on my way back here, and I… I thought I was being followed?—”

I lay my hand on her arm. “You were followed?” I growl.

“Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe I just overreacted because I was already freaked out. The cops made it sound like I’m a trouble magnet. So when I saw the headlights in my rear-view mirror, my brain went straight to the worst-case scenario.”

“Lil, you’re the most level-headed person I know. If you think someone was following you, then I believe you.”

“You don’t think I’m crazy?”

I grin, ignoring the way it makes her shiver. “We’re all a little crazy, but no. If you think someone was following you, then chances are they were. What I don’t know is why, and whether it was some asshat from the shelter or someone from Khan’s club. After what happened with G and Amity, we can’t take any chances. I’m going to let G and Havoc know, but in the meantime, I want you to take a prospect with you whenever you go out.”

“They’re spread way too thin as it is. I’m not sure if Dice or Hoops even sleep anymore.”

I tap the bar top with my fingers, knowing she’s right.

“Alright, leave it with me. I’ll get one of the brothers to watch you until we figure it out.”

She smiles shyly at me. “Thanks, Hannibal,” she says, hopping down from her stool.

I nod and watch her walk away. I picture bending her over the pool table and fucking her, but my dick barely twitches. It’s not interested in anyone anymore. And that’s when shit starts to get dangerous.

I’m not the kind of guy that blows off steam by going to the gym when I’m frustrated. I’m the guy who finds a victim to play with. And what do you know? The second I think about watching someone bleed out, my dick gets hard.

I’m a fucked-up mess, and the only reason I’m not behind bars is because I haven’t been caught yet.

So how the hell do I bring a teenager into my twisted world and not fuck her up?

Chapter Two