First, a stranger had asked her to carry his child, and then her father had tried to sell her. Maybe she really did come across as a pushover.
She wiped the sweat off her brow while waiting outside Andrea’s small office. Andrea was in charge of housekeeping, but she liked to act like she was in charge of the whole hotel. She could have gone to the manager first to ask for more hours, but Andrea would feel slighted and would make her life more miserable. She would even find any little reason to get her fired.
That’s why she had to suck up to her even though she’d pissed her off that morning and with the warning from Human Resources.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket again, and when she pulled it out, she saw her father’s name flashing on the screen. Her father only called her to ask her for money or to pick up more beer on the way home.
Andrea came around the corner talking to one of the other cleaners, so she cancelled the call and made sure she still looked tidy. Sweat dripped down her back again, even though she’d just washed before she had changed back into her clothes. The one thing she was thankful for her mother for was that her skin tanned rather than burned like many redheads; otherwise, Andrea would wrinkle her nose at her again.
“What do you want?” Andrea said when she finally noticed her.
“Can I have a word in private, Miss Roberts?” she asked politely.
“If it’s about removing the warning you had this morning, forget it. It’s already in the system, and it’s final,” Andrea said as she opened her office door.
The other cleaner continued walking towards the housekeeping staff room, but she looked back and smirked. She was one of Andrea’s favourites.
“No, it’s not about that, although I apologise again for being late,” she said as she followed. “I know you’re trying to find cover for the coming weeks, and I was hoping—”
“No.”
Andrea didn’t even wait for her to finish her sentence, and that irritated her more. She tried not to react as she waited for Andrea to settle behind her desk. It was just a power trip. Andrea loved that; she loved making sure everyone knew she could get rid of them whenever she wanted.
“I understand that you might be a bit weary of my offer after I’ve received two warnings already this month, but I promise you, I will work—”
“I said no, Layla. You’re irresponsible and unreliable,” Andrea said with disinterest as she put her computer on and didn’t even look at her.
That statement made her clench her fists. She had been nothing but responsible since the day she’d had to become a mother and father to her sister. Everyone in town knew that, even Andrea.
“I won’t let you down again,” she said instead of what she really wanted to tell the vindictive woman.
“Go home, Layla. If I were you, I’d start looking for another job because I don’t think you’ll last long here.”
She had worked at the hotel for four years, and her work ethic had more than satisfied the previous supervisor. But she could see it would do no good to argue with Andrea because her job was obviously already at risk. Andrea seemed determined to get rid of her.
Panic fluttered in her stomach. What about the debt? What would she do if she had no job? If that man came to take her away?
Britney would be left alone and would have to drop out just before graduating. She couldn’t let that happen. She would have to go over Andrea’s head anyway to secure her job.
It wouldn’t be enough, but it would be a start. She only had to last a few more months before Brit turned eighteen and they could skip town.
Without another word, she left Andrea’s office and made her way out of the building. She was still lost in her head, trying to come up with another plan, when something prickled the back of her head. Someone was watching her! The sun was still out, and the staff parking lot was full after the shift change, but no one else was around.
It was quiet, though. Too quiet. Her instincts had never let her down before, and something told her to run. There was danger nearby.
She quickened her step until she got to her old car and quickly opened the door to get in. She locked herself in and then looked around the parking lot again. Still nothing. Maybe she was imagining things. Perhaps the fact that some strange man expected to receive her as payment for a debt had put her on edge.
Her phone vibrated again, cutting through the eerie silence and startling her. Her heart pounded when she pulled her phone out again and looked at the screen.
“Brit? Are you okay?” she asked quickly when she answered.
“Come home,” Brit whispered.
She could hear loud voices and sounds in the background, and Brit sounded scared. She knew immediately what was going on. Her fingers were shaky as she turned the key and started the car, forgetting about the sinister feeling she’d had just seconds before as she drove out of the parking lot. Her body trembled as fear took her over.
“What’s happening?” she asked her sister.
“I don’t know. These men just came in and started trashing the place and hitting Dad,” Brit answered.
“Get out of there. Open the bedroom window slowly so it doesn’t make any noise.”
She didn’t know how she sounded so calm when fear had taken over her body. That wasn’t the first time their father’s problems had followed him home, but she had always been there to protect Brit the other times. If anything happened to her sister...
She put her foot down to get her piece-of-shit car going as fast as possible, ignoring the speed limits through the well-maintained neighbourhoods and going through red lights. If the cops tried to stop her, they could chase her to her house. That was the only way they would cross the tracks to help anyone on that side. People like her didn’t matter to anyone; otherwise, someone would have saved them from their father when they noticed she was skipping school to care for her baby sister.
“I tried,” Brit whispered. “There are more of them standing outside. I’m scared, Layla.”
Her sister sounded so small, and it broke her heart. How many other seventeen-year-olds had to put up with stuff like that in their town? She was willing to bet that Brit was the only one.
“Hang in there, Brit. Hide in the wardrobe and don’t make a sound. Keep me on the line. I’ll be there soon.”
It was the most excruciating trip she had ever made. She could hear Brit’s harsh breathing and every whimper she made. She could feel her sister’s fear through the phone.
She had just crossed the tracks when she heard Brit scream.
And then nothing.
“Brit?!” she shouted. “Brit!”
The car screeched to a stop near the trailer. Layla didn’t bother switching it off as she rushed out of it. Several vehicles were blocking their trailer and the neighbour’s trailers, and several mean-looking assholes stood around. Two of them blocked her way when she tried to run up their short driveway. “Nothing to see here, kid. Get back in your car,” one of them sneered. She assumed the man she had seen that morning was their boss. Why were there so many of them, and why had he returned so soon? Maybe she should have just taken a chance and called the police, but she hadn’t wanted to hang up on Brit in case she could hear what was happening in the background. She was still gripping her phone tightly, but the silence on the other end ripped her apart. “What are you doing? This is my home,” she shouted. “Oh, there’s two of you,” the man said with a grin. “Then, by all means, please go in.” She didn’t stop to think about what he meant as she pushed past them and wrenched the
Layla’s head was pounding. She winced when her eyes opened against the light and tried to cover them, but she couldn’t move her hands. Sounds of a moving car and quiet sobs filtered through her muddled head. And then it all came rushing back. She forced her eyes open again and found her hands tied behind her. Someone had also tied her feet together. They must have thrown her into the back of a van because it wasn’t just her head that was painful. There was something sharp digging into her back. “Layla?” At the sound of her sister’s scared voice, she turned her head and saw her on her side, also tied up. “Shh. It’s okay,” she whispered. But Brit wasn’t stupid. She would know it wasn’t okay. Neither of them knew who this man was and where he was taking them. They didn’t even know if he would keep them together for much longer. Fear filled her and muddled her thoughts even more. Brit was all she had, and she had failed her. “I don’t know what they did to Dad,” Brit whispered. “I’
She was still bleeding. The metallic scent of fresh blood assaulted Jax's nostrils, and the moment he stopped the car in front of the hotel, he shoved the door open and got out without looking back. She’d been hurt, and all his wolf wanted to do was make her feel better. Take care of her as a mate should. The scent had Jax so wound up he had to ball his fists and concentrate on keeping Cain under control. It had taken everything in him not to chase after the last of the men who had taken her from her home and tied her up. He wanted to rip them apart like the others for daring to touch her. He hadn’t lost control like that in a long time. If he gave in to Cain, the demented wolf would do just that. It would take little effort to hunt them down. The attendants opened the hotel's wide double doors the moment they saw him approach the entrance. But he could sense Layla’s hesitation behind him as if somehow this cursed bond had already taken root even though he had no intention of mark
Layla pulled the folder towards her and then looked back at the man. She didn’t even know his name, but he’d offered her this baffling deal. Brit was terrified. Her little sister was trying to act strong but she could see it. Their lives had changed for the worst tonight. Costas would still try to find them and use them. Going on the run was their only option. But she had no money, and as small as it was, Brit's college fund was sacred. She couldn’t dip into it if she had another option. And even if she did, it wouldn’t take them far. “Please sit down, Layla,” the man said. He was right. He was her only hope to save her sister. But would she give a child away to save another? She sighed as she pulled a chair across from him and looked down at the folder again as she sat. The knife she had commandeered earlier was comforting in her pocket, but she sensed it wouldn’t do much good here, or Jackson wouldn’t have let her keep it. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “I looked into
Layla sat in the back of the car exactly an hour later, feeling like Jackson King had bulldozed her. Everything had happened too quickly. Jackson had come back into the room with a gigantic man dressed in all black, who he’d introduced as the head of Brit’s security. Who was Jackson to pull something like this that fast? Why did he have bodyguards on call? His earlier statement about needing to keep her safe went around in her head until it dawned on her that she’d dropped herself into some deeper shit than merely Costas Markopoulos. When she imagined someone in the Mafia or other criminal organisations, they looked just like Jackson. An air of authority around them and expensive suits that were a world beyond Costas’ cheesy suit, hairstyle, and gold chains. Though Costas had turned their lives upside down, it felt like he was nothing compared to Jackson King. She'd screwed herself over by agreeing to this. She could feel it in her bones. Fear seeped through her whole body as she r
Jackson had already sent a message to Diedre, the pack witch, through his Gamma, so the woman was already waiting in the lobby when he walked into the packhouse. “This isn’t right, Jax. You’d have to confine her to her room or the basement because she would know the truth the moment she stepped out of the house,” Dylan said as he followed behind him. He refrained from rolling his eyes. Dylan had been mindlinking variations of that the whole drive home—he was giving him a headache. But he couldn’t get mad at his Beta for repeating something he had enforced for years since he had taken the throne. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t take long to get her pregnant and maybe by then, Cain would accept sending her back to the hotel. “You should have just let her run off. She’s going to be a handful—” “Enough!” he growled. It was Cain who made that command. Dylan felt it and shut up, but even with that submission, he still had to push his wolf back down to stop him from going after his fri
Layla inhaled a sharp breath when she heard his words. He didn’t even look like the words he’d said bothered him. A prisoner?And then Jackson closed the door. The sound of the locking door spurred her into action, despite how dangerous the whole place felt. She rushed forward and tried the handle, hoping she had just heard things, and this man hadn’t really just locked her in a room. But the handle didn’t turn. She tried it several times before she banged on the door.“Let me out, you fucking bastard! This wasn’t our deal!” she screamed.Panic welled in her chest again. She’d put herself in this situation because she’d been desperate to keep Brit safe. Jackson had known she would agree to anything. He had taken advantage of her. For someone who had claimed to hate people who went back on their word, he was doing the same thing. He’d said she wouldn’t be a prisoner! Jackson had made her think she would be free to come and go.She banged on the door again, ignoring the pain it caused.
Jax couldn’t close his eyes for a single second. He could still smell her. One touch and Layla had been putty in his hands, despite her obvious anger. She’d been turned on, causing an inexplicable hunger to rip through his body. He could still smell how wet she’d been. And all he’d wanted to do was rip her clothes off and bury himself in her body. The need had almost floored him.He punched his pillow several times and turned it over, but he still felt uncomfortable. It felt like he was trying to sleep on a bed of nails just because every cell in his body was urging him to return to Layla’s room.He knew it was the fucking mate bond. It made people stupid, made them look twice at someone they would never have wanted before. When he’d seen what the mating bond had done to his father, he hadn’t wanted that fate for himself. To be at the whim of unreasonable emotions? To put one person above himself? Above the pack? No, that was never something he’d wanted. Learning that leaving an