Once I load my shopping cart with twenty dollars’ worth of unhealthy snacks and a case of water, I head to the checkout counter. It takes every ounce of willpower to stay to my budget, but I make it work. I really need a sale today.
Why is everything falling apart for me? First, my parents sell their house the day I turn eighteen and head out on a road trip in an RV, only to die falling off a cliff. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn they planned it, but since they lived their lives on the whim there’s no doubt that it was truly an accident.
I’m alone, broke, and living in a run-down apartment on the city’s Southside that cost more than it’s worth.
All the way to the south suburb neighborhood, I'm practicing my spiel. "’Hello, I'm with Sunshine Energy. May I have just a moment of your time?’ No. No. No. ‘Hello, I'm Mariana and I'm with Sunshine Energy. Do you have high energy bills? Would you like to save thousands a year while saving the environment?’"
This is a mess. Okay. So I'm going to be living in my car.
A couple hours later, I know that I'm screwed. Two houses that aren’t boarded up remain on the block, and it’s time to call it a night. This area is known for unsavory characters that come out after dark, so it’s now or never. I saw a vehicle pull into the garage not thirty minutes ago, so I know someone is going to be home and that’s my target. I might breakdown and beg for them to sign up. No, that’s not true because I don’t have a saleswoman bone in my body. I read books where women are tough, but I don’t have that mettle.
Taking a deep breath, I walk up the cracked walkway which could use massive repairs. I ring the bell whose housing is broken and open wires are visible, waiting for someone to answer. Then, there's a scuffle and I hear glass crashing, and I jump back, stumbling and hitting the porch beam. It rattles, stunning me for a moment.
What if someone got hurt trying to answer the door? I peek through the window and call out. That’s when a shout of help comes from inside, and I see a man with a gun pointed at the man on the ground. Shit. “Run,” I whisper to myself, but I’m frozen to the spot. The door opens and before I get a chance to run, a pair of hands drag me into the house.
I’m gonna die.
The man on his knees, bleeding from his head while the man with the gun glares at me. He grabs the guy by his ratty-looking shirt and snarls, “See what you did? This girl has to pay for your actions. If you’d have shut your mouth, she could have been safe to carry on.” He presses the gun to the man’s head and I turn my face as the gun goes off. It’s muffled, but there’s no doubt the man on the ground is dead and I’m next.
He’s gonna kill me.
The sexy bastard with a gun is gonna shoot me. Sexy? Have I lost my mind? I believe I have. Suddenly, the room spins as all the blood has left my brain and the room darkens. Strong arms wrap around me before I hit the ground. I barely make out that it’s the guy with the gun and gun-metal gray eyes as I pass out.
I wake up, sitting in someone’s lap. “You’re finally awake.”
I sigh and snuggle a little closer until reality hits me like a ton of bricks. “What happened? Did I just dream everything? Who are you? Where am I?”
I look up into those sexy gray eyes and gasp. I’m in the arms of the guy with the gun. “Oh my Go—” I move to jump off him, but he tightens his hold. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Your actions will determine mine,” he whispers as if I’m a skittish animal, brushing the hair off my face and tucking it behind my ear ever so tenderly. A shiver filled with a mixture of unexplainable and uncomfortable emotions rushes through my body.
“What do I have to do?” What does he want with me?
“What were you doing here?” he snarls, cupping my chin and holding my face firmly in his grip. He’s mad, but then again, I interrupted him. “Were you here to meet that piece of shit? Off up that delicious body?”
“I’m a solar energy sales rep. I came to sell solar panels to the neighbors,” I confess, shaking as my response flows from my lips. His eyes are so pretty that I have a hard time concentrating on the fact that I’m in a monster’s embrace. Did he just compliment me?