Chapter 34: Nikki

I stood there in stunned silence, absorbing everything he'd said. The heat from his palms burned through my shirt, searing my skin beneath the fabric. My hands shook uncontrollably as I pushed Ryker away. Every nerve ending in my body frayed, leaving me raw and agitated. I'd worked too hard to stay clean from these people. All I'd ever wanted was to get out of Glendale Heights and Dacon, Illinois. And if what Ryker had said was true, the moment I'd agreed to help Ma, I gave all that up.

Tears pooled in my eyes, and I fought like hell to keep them from falling. It wasn't sadness those drops expressed; it was full-blown fury. My head turned from side to side in utter disbelief as I seethed. No one's mother should ever ask their child for this sort of ransom, yet mine had offered me up as a sacrificial lamb.

Ryker invaded my space against my will. I could hear myself mumbling, although I didn't know what the hell was actually coming out of my mouth. I couldn't make sense of my thoug