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Prologue
I stood outside the door and checked the crumbled bit of paper clutched in my shaking hand. Room twenty. With a glance down the deserted hallway, I gently knocked. What was I thinking, agreeing to meet him here, at his apartment? I knew nothing about this guy, except that for an obscene amount of money he was going to change my whole life. It served me right if I ended up raped, murdered, and dumped in a trashcan.
I should’ve insisted on meeting in a public place.
But it was too late now.
I swallowed passed the growing lump in my throat as the footsteps on the other side came closer to the door. When it swung open, I stepped back, my heart racing.
He looked like the type of person who was selling fake IDs: creepy and dirty. His stringy reddish brown hair was thinning on top and there was an odor so intense that I had to hold my breath. The edge of his mouth twitched up into a smile. He slouched over and leaned on the door jamb, with one hand shoved in his pocket as he leered at me.
“Well, hello there,” he drawled. His voice sported a strong southern accent. “Come in.” He held the door open for me as I hesitantly slipped inside.
I coughed, the strong stench of body odor and weed almost suffocating me. My mind screamed at me to run. Nothing was worth risking your life for…was it? Silencing the voice, I stepped inside, holding my shaking hands behind my back.
Can he tell how freaking terrified I am right now?
“Do you have the cash?” he asked, shamelessly staring at me.
I nodded, and reached into my pocket to retrieve the envelope.
“You know, there are other ways that you can pay for this,” he murmured, his gaze moving slowly over my body. “I don’t offer that to everyone, either. You should be flattered you make me feel so horny.”
I cringed. Whatever he was thinking, there was no way in hell it was going to happen. I wouldn’t touch this guy for all the money in the world.
“Sixteen hundred, right? It’s all there,” I said, handing him the thick wad of cash, careful not to make contact with his grubby, dirty fingers.
He smirked and shook his head. “Too bad. You’re a pretty little thing.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a passport and birth certificate. “Though I’m guessing you’re not really eighteen. This is a lot of trouble to go to for a new identity. I gotta say, I’m curious. What’s your story, little one?”
I felt sick, and I knew this creep would probably be even more turned on if he knew I was only fourteen. He held the documents out and I reached forward, taking them. Relief rushed through me as I examined my new identity. My heart pounded as I realized how close I was to my new life. So close I could almost taste it.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, backing out.
“Going so soon? Come on, let’s have us a little fun,” he smiled, sweeping in front of me and blocking my escape. I began to panic. What if this was it?
No. Stop it. I was not going to let this creep lay a finger on me.
“Get out of my way or I swear to God I’ll have every cop in the fucking state banging on your door. Do you think I was stupid enough to come here alone? Look out your window. Two very large men are waiting in the black Fiat across the road. How long do you think before they come looking for me?” I challenged, praying to God he didn’t call my bluff.
He backed off, his dark eyes not leaving mine. And then I saw it: a flicker of fear. It wasn’t much—just enough to give me the confidence to fight my way out of this situation. I stalked toward the door, my heart thumping uncontrollably in my chest.
Only once I was outside did I let myself breathe. I folded over, my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Glancing across the road, I smiled at the empty black Fiat, still in shock that my ruse had worked.
Holy shit, I did it.
I was Micah Lawson, eighteen years old, and about to start my life.
Mikayla Hale was gone forever, and so were all the bad memories. I’d let down the only important person in my world, and I was damned if I was going to let that happen again. There was nothing left for me in the past, only the guilt and regrets that had plagued me for so long. I’d experienced things in my fourteen years that people should never have to go through. But, that was all over now.
This was my new beginning.
From here on in, I would only look forward, and I would do everything in my power to experience life, and not just live it.
This is for you, Pete. It’s all for you.
Chapter One
Three years later
Micah
This is it.
I took a deep breath and pushed through the double wooden doors, my three-inch black heels clicking as I strutted across the floor. I stopped in front of them and smiled, trying not to show just how much I was shitting myself—which, by the way, was a lot.
