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Martin was the devil, and I’d just struck a bargain with him. I was going to have to prioritize finding out everything I could about him to keep my soul intact and my sister safe.
His motivations.
His desires.
His secret sins.
It wasn’t just a game anymore between us. It was a matter of survival.
“It’s not so bad.” I tried not to wrinkle my nose as took in the tiny space that was barely large enough for Rachel and me to stretch out our legs.
“We’re together.” She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “That’s what counts. The rest is just details, right?” She gave me a questioning look.
I’d exited Martin’s office with the key to the storage room clutched in my hand like it was a priceless treasure. And for us, it might as well have been. I’d given up my freedom for it, in exchange for a minimum-wage job, and a few magic-bean-like assurances from a man I couldn’t really trust.
“You okay, Addy?” Rachel moved to stand in front of me, her gaze searching mine.
“I’m hanging in there.” By a frayed rope, but yes, I was hanging in there.
“What did Martin say?” She studied me closely. “You look like you’re in shock.”
I scoffed at her. “Our mom just died. Of course I’m in shock. And we’re homeless.”
“Our mom’s been gone a long time, and where we lived was never a home.”
“Well said.”
“So?” Her dark blond brows rose as she waited for me to spill.
“So, I’m working for Martin now.”
She cocked her head. “What position?”
Images came to mind, ones I didn’t share, but me being bent over his desk was the most likely scenario.
“I’m a manager in training. On minimum-wage probation until I pay off debts and prove myself.”
“Is he going to keep our secret?” she asked. Apparently, Rachel trusted his assurances as little as I did.
I sighed. “He says he will. He has some contacts in the police department. He’s going to ask them to bury our case, and he also has a lawyer who can draw up guardianship paperwork.”
“That’s great, I guess.” She twisted a long length of her hair.
“It sounds great.” And very convenient that Martin possessed the very things I most needed.
Rachel squinted at me. “But you don’t trust him. “
“No way,” I said. “But he’ll probably uphold his end of the bargain since he wants something from me.”
“He wants to have sex with you.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “Not sure why. I told him I wasn’t interested, but—”
“That’s catnip for a guy like him who’s used to having whoever he wants.”
Martin didn’t have his father’s approval. I suddenly remembered Miranda sharing that. I’d never met her father, but it was obvious that she and her mother feared him. Maybe his son did too.
A rap on the door startled us both from our Martin-centered thoughts.
