Darkness was beginning to fall when Alton veered off the highway. Heavy hand clamping over her neck, he shoved her down and pinned her torso against his lap. There would be no tumbling from the truck at a light, no screaming for rescue at the window.
As the final nail in the coffin her life had become, Alton began to speak with an earnestness and gravity she’d never expected.
“He won’t take you back, Quinn. You fucked them, let them scent you. No amount of soap is gonna wash that clean. He knows it deep down in his gut. He’ll put you up somewhere, keep you locked up until the kid is born. Then he’ll take it away. He will take your baby away and you will never see it again, Quinn. If you’re very fucking lucky, and I don’t think you are with him, he’ll let you live out your days in a cage. Maybe he’ll come and fuck you once in a while for appearance’s sake, but he won’t care for you, Quinn. You’ll be no different than one of my girls.”
“You don’t know that.” It was desperate, the tremulous quality making the lie obvious.
“He knows each time a cock went into you. Each time you came. How many times you sucked down some other male’s cum. You’ve got bites on you. Maybe they won’t scar, but they’re there. And he fucking knows. He’llalwaysknow.”
Almost tender, he dropped his free hand to her head, dragging his fingers through her hair to scrub at her scalp while stopped at a light. “This isn’t what I wanted for you, baby girl. If it could be any other way, don’t you think I’d have worked that shit out? You’ll be taken care of. You’ll be fine.”
The light changed.
As Alton eased the truck forward into traffic, Quinn began to cry. He didn’t bother to soothe her, just let her get it out. Held her down with that hand on the back of her neck just in case she got a little too desperate as his words sunk in. Things she’d already known but had been unwilling to accept.
Not long after, he pulled the truck into a driveway that was smooth as silk under the wheels of the old truck. The hum was different, the pitch changing to something that spoke of perfection. When Alton let her sit up, she had her first look at what he intended for her.
Quinn’s mouth tried to fall open.
Lips slack, she leaned forward to stare up at the massive house beside them in the circular drive. It wasn’t a fucking house. It was a Gods damned mansion. Glittering crystal shone with clean, white light through the expansive windows lining the front. The long, wide porch boasted matching rocking chairs, a table, even a swing. Bright white siding gleamed in the moonlight and it took her a long minute to realize half of the illumination was tasteful outdoor lighting hidden in the landscaping.
“Alton, where… what is this place?”
“You’ll be fine.”
Nothing about this was fine, wouldeverbe fine, no matter how many times he tried to convince her otherwise. Dragging her with him as he exited the truck, he held Quinn tight to his side as he climbed the steps and crossed the porch. His knock against the door was almost respectful.
“And who the fuck might you be?” The man who answered the door was huge, massive, bigger even than Alton. The thick rasp of his voice skated along jangling nerves. Quinn tried to hide, to run, only to be caught at the scruff by Alton’s hand. Her quick movement caught his attention. Bitter blue eyes pinned their prey.
“I’m here to see Andrés,” Alton said, his golden gaze fixed somewhere south of the other man’s eyes. It was a tempered submission, an acknowledgment of who was the more dominant.
Quinn squirmed, grit her teeth against a squeal as Alton tightened his hold and she felt the small vertebra shift and grind. If Alton wouldn’t look this man in the eye, she didn’t want to be here. Didn’t need to be here.
“And your business?”
The male leaned forward, sniffing at the air in front of Quinn. She froze. Her lungs locked up tight, heart stuttering to a halt as he released a low sound of contemplation.
“He knows my business.”
The man grunted, taking a small step back to reveal a foyer in shades of sparkling white and threaded grays. A casual flick of his fingers signaled them inside. Alton lifted her, taking her by force into the space when she tried to dig her heels in. Chilled marble sucked the heat from her bare feet. Everything sparkled and shined to within an inch of its life. Quinn huddled further against Alton’s side, feeling grubby and awkward in a way she wasn’t used to.
“You will wait here.”
“Just tell that asshole that Alton is here, all right? He’s expecting me—”
“I am not your message boy,” the large Alpha rumbled with a sneer of contempt, hand slapping down onto Alton’s shoulder hard enough to make him spread his feet to keep from swaying. “If Andrés expects you, he will come.”
Others were appearing now, drawn towards the sounds of conversation. It was like she’d been transported through a rift in time back to Alton’s warehouse, only these were not neighborhood thugs. These men were menacing in a way no street side hustler could ever accomplish. The too large male in front of them, his voice rasped and grated from the thick scar running across his neck that disappeared into silvered black hair. Another had ribbons of tight, pale flesh down his face, ruining the boyish charm with a cloudy, dead eye that still seemed to track the movement in the room. A man darker than Alton, his deep umber skin holding a sheen of blue as he stalked closer, bright pink circles adorning his cheek and neck. Others still were just an impression of evil and danger. Alphas all of them.
“I’ll go get him.”
Quinn swallowed her scream as someone spoke behind her, the sound escaping as a pathetic mewl. Freckled and fair, a young redhead ambled his way around Quinn with a wink that didn’t belong on so young a face.
“Iamthe message boy, after all.”
The redhead disappeared up a graceful sweep of stairs, sneakers slapping out a hurried rhythm as he took the steps two at a time. Quinn tried to remain still and small in the presence of all that aggression, but it was a difficult thing to do. How the hell could Alton think this was better for her? They would rip her apart the first chance they got.
It couldn’t have been more than a handful of moments before the kid returned, a wicked grin on his lips as he peered over the banister of the second level and dangled his forearms over the polished wood. “He says come on up.”
