Prologue
“Tonight is the night, Keira.”
Keira gasped as Carl walked up behind her. Turning, she glanced around, but they were alone in the back storeroom of Reaper’s Bar.
“Tonight? You mean . . .”
“You know what I mean.” He stared down at her intently. Carl was a tall, thin guy with long, dark hair. At one stage, she’d thought he was good looking. Until she’d gotten to know him better.
He’d once been her hero, the guy who’d given her a safe place to live, found her a job, who’d promised to help her.
How many people had told her they’d help her only to use her instead?
And now she was beginning to think that Carl was just like them.
“I don’t know, Carl, this doesn’t feel right,” she whispered.
He stepped in close, looming over her. She shied back, holding in a cry. Although he’d never physically hurt her, there were times that he scared the crap out of her.
“Doesn’t feel right? These aren’t good guys, Keira. You know what Reyes and the others do to women behind closed doors. They’re abusive assholes, just like your old man. They don’t care about you or your situation. Only I can help you, Little Bird. Only I care about you.”
She swallowed heavily. It still didn’t feel right. Reyes had only ever been good to her. But that didn’t mean he was a good person.
“It’s stealing,” she whispered.
“It’s drug money, Little Bird. It’s going to fund our new life together; don’t you want that? To be with me?”
No.
“O-of course.” Bile rose in her throat.
“And we’ll help your sister, too.”
Right. She let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “What if they come after us?”
“They won’t bother. It’s not enough money for them to worry about. Probably a night’s takings and we’ll be long gone before they notice it’s missing.”
She still wasn’t sure.
“Come on, you can do this. For me.”
She found herself nodding. Too scared to say anything else.
Yelling from the direction of the bar made her jump in fright.
Carl just smiled. “That’s the distraction I set up. Come on. We have to hurry. Don’t worry, Little Bird. This is the beginning of our new life together.”
Yeah. That was kind of what she was afraid of.
1
“Someone is following us.”
Umm.
Surely, he was joking.
Of course they were being followed. She opened her mouth, then quickly shut it, smothering her sarcastic reply.