Chapter Three
Lacey watched her new friend, Kinley, walk away and she almost shouted out to her to come back. The thought of spending another night in this scary place made her skin itch and her stomach twist in pain. Although she probably itched because she hadn’t bathed in several days, and her stomach hurt because she was hungry. Still, she hated being there, but she was afraid to move to another building in case she was seen.
She pulled back at the last moment. If there were even a slight chance Kinley’s man would take her back, she’d live in the building for months or years if she had to. She knew that was unrealistic, but she’d do anything to keep herself away from her mother.
Tears burned her eyes when pictures of her father popped into her head. God, she missed him so much. She knew he would have protected her and never allow her mother to do what she planned.
In a way, he had saved her, even after he died. If it hadn’t been for him and the demands he put in his will, she would have already been in the hands of the monster. The minute she turned eighteen, her mother would have given her away then. But her father had put it into his will that she was to go to college and finish before her mother could get her part of his estate.
Lacey was supposed to get the majority of the estate, which was one reason her mother was trying to give her away. The man she referred to as the monster would take her, and in return, her mother was supposed to get her part of the inheritance, about three-fourths of it, which was a fortune.
The other reason she was giving her to him was because she owed the man for something. Lacey knew it wasn’t good or even legal, but she hadn’t been able to figure out what.
He was willing to take her and not the money because he thought she was some kind of good luck charm. With her white hair and unusual eyes, it set her apart. The fact she was a virgin made her even more valuable for some reason.
She snorted in disgust. She’d had bodyguards the whole four years she went to college, and her mother had told her it was for her safety. Instead, she found out it was to keep her pure for the man she intended to give her to.
Lacey lay down on a stack of tarps she’d made into a bed by one of the windows, so she at least had the light from the streetlamps. She used another tarp to cover up with because the building got so cold at night.
The night slipped past, and no matter what she did, her fear wouldn’t let her relax enough to sleep. She’d never been so scared, lonely, hungry, dirty, and tired in her life. But she’d take it over the other alternative any day.
The sun was coming over the horizon when her eyes finally slid closed. She didn’t know how much sleep she got before she heard footsteps on the other side of the floor she was on, and it had her running as quietly as possible to her hiding place. She headed up the steps to a floor that was dirty and dark and held old office supplies. No one had ever come up there, so she felt relatively safe.
Her thoughts turned to her new friend. She wondered if she would really come back, and how would she find her? She desperately needed to talk to her, and maybe they could come up with ideas.
If she died before she was twenty-five, her mother would get the inheritance. If she died after that age and wasn’t married, the inheritance would go to her father’s charities. If, by chance, she got married, her husband would be the beneficiary and take control of the estate.
She was twenty-three, and her mother’s time was quickly passing.
Lacey secretly wondered why her mother just didn’t have her killed. Her one hope was that it was a line her mother couldn’t go over because she was her child, and she maybe felt something for her.
****
Eli, Caleb, and Kane watched and followed the trackers they had on the women. When they got to the building and snuck in the back, Eli was shocked.
“Guys, this is Cason and Devon’s new building.”
“Now, what in the hell would they be doing here?” Caleb asked.
“I think we’re going to find out,” Kane said.
Eli pulled out his phone. “Hey, Cason. We’ve got a situation here. Can you meet us down in your lobby?”
“I’ll be right down.”
Eli saw him come out of the elevator and head their way.
He shook his hand. “You remember Kane and Caleb.”
Cason shook their hands. “Yes. It’s nice to see you again.”
“It seems that our women have snuck into your building.”
Cason’s eyes widened. “Why?”
“We don’t know,” Caleb said. “But we’re going to find out.”
“How do you know they are here?”
“We have trackers on them,” Eli told him.
Cason chuckled. “Good idea. Can you tell where they are right now?”
Kane looked at his phone. “They stopped on level two for a while, then they’ll go to the next level, stay for a few minutes, and then move on.”
“It sounds like they are looking for something,” Cason predicted.
“Or someone,” Eli said.
“We don’t have anyone on those floors, and I can’t see them wanting to see one of the construction guys who are usually here.”
“They better not,” Caleb said. “Bella is already going to have a sore ass.”
Eli snorted. “Let’s go get our littles, guys.”