“That’s supposed to make me safe?” I asked him incredulously.
Drake sighed. “Not at first, no, but once you see all of the men that will be protecting you, you’ll change your mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “Highly doubt it,” I grumbled.
Drake just sighed and turned his radio up. I tapped my fingers to the beat of the song, doing my best to distract my mind from the shit my life had become. Before I knew it, we were pulling up outside of his small, quaint house. After pulling into the garage, he turned the engine off and got out of the car, myself following suit.
When we entered the house, I was practically slapped in the face with the sight of a guy snorting a line of coke up his nose. I turned my accusing eyes to Drake. “Right—Lacie was totally getting her fix from another gang, huh?” I snapped at Drake.
Drake narrowed his eyes at me. “Don’t start this shit with me right now, Hayles,” Drake snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously.
But I wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, I was furious. I had fallen into his damn trap so easily, just as Lacie had.
But I would not suffer the same fate.
I had been down the road of drugs and alcohol before. I refused to spiral again.
“Show me my fucking room,” I snarled at him.
He moved past me, and I followed him down the hallway towards a room in the back. “Your room is right next to mine,” he told me, setting my bag on the bed. He stepped close to me, his eyes narrowing on my face. I met his gaze with defiance gleaming in my eyes. The only reason I was staying here was because someone was after me, and I didn’t know who.
I’d rather stay with the threat I was aware of and be able to watch my back, rather than live in the unknown.
“Hayles, I’m a ruthless gang leader, and I can’t tolerate you talking to me without respect. I have an image to uphold, and if my men see you talking to me any way you want, I’ll lose the control I have over them, understand?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring up at him. “I’m not changing my fucking attitude towards you just because you have a fucking reputation to uphold, Drake, so get fucking used to it,” I snarled.
I turned away from him, moving towards my bag. A moment later, I heard the bedroom door slam closed, silence filling the room right afterward.
I sighed, sinking onto the bed.
Lacie, what have you gotten me into?
I walkedout of my room with a rumbling stomach. I was hungry, and I had held out from coming out of my room for as long as I could. But I needed food.
When I stepped into the living room, I instantly halted in my tracks when I saw numerous men covered in tattoos in the room, one red-headed woman seated among them. There was a little boy crawling around on the floor, and the woman was pregnant—pretty far along in her pregnancy judging by the size of her belly.
“This her?” one of the men spoke up, looking at me.
I crossed my arms over my chest, tilting my chin up defiantly. “Her has a fucking name,” I retorted, glaring at the man who had spoken.
The woman placed a hand on his shoulder, seeming to have a calming effect on him. The man slowly turned his eyes from me and looked over at Drake. “Teach your women to have respect,” the man said to Drake.
Drake narrowed his eyes at me. “Believe me, I’m working on it.”
With a roll of my eyes, I stormed back down the hall towards my room, no longer hungry. I slipped on my boots and shoved my arms through the sleeves of my jacket, zipping it up. I walked out of my room, walking right past everyone in the living room towards the front door.
I was not staying here.
Drake was worse than Damien in a lot of ways.
At least Damien hadn’t humiliated me in front of his men. He at least had the decency to take care of that shit in private.
In front of everyone else, he acted as if he had the utmost respect for me, and his men followed suit.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Drake demanded to know as he stood up from his seat on one of the couches.
“For a walk,” I snapped over my shoulder.