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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
*Lace*
Sitting on the dusty couch, body and mind numb, my unfocused gaze bores into the wooden door until his footsteps can no longer be heard.
One.
Breathe in.
Two.
Breathe out.
Three.
Breathe in.
Four.
Breathe out.
Five.
When I feel absolutely certain Kal is no longer lingering outside the office door, and not a heartbeat sooner, only then do I allow my psyche to absorb everything he just threw at me.
Kal took ownership of my contract, killed my father, abducted my sister, and has now turned to extortion.
I hate him. I hate everything he stands for. I hope he eats the pavement next time he rides.
My body curls into a ball, and big, ugly, fat tears seep into the musty cracks between the couch cushions. This is my only opportunity to grieve. For now.
Not only does the devastation of losing my family make me want to flatten and fold up to become part of the pullout bed in this couch, so does the loss of my Hell for Leather men. I truly did love them. Kal included. It takes a whole lotta heartbreak for a revelation like that to bleed through, and they well and truly broke my heart.
Well, maybe not all of them, contrary to what I started to believe. Kal is the real villain, I suppose. He and whoever organized the hit on my father.
But even the good guys in this story will be stripped of any potentially happy ending with me, because after all that trust I built with each, I have to use it against them. If nothing else, Kal just gave me all the more opportunity to get the hell out of here as soon as I solve the mystery and a window opens. Not a single one of them will want anything to do with me after I use them anyway.
What did I ever do to the Universe to deserve this? Why is it that some people can coast through life and seldom experience true hardship and heartbreak, yet some of us have to live it minute by minute, hour by hour, no matter how badly we want out.
Feeling victimized and cheated by everyone in my life, worse yet by the fates themselves, I force my heavy and weary body off the couch and drag my feet to the door.
Another day, another dollar. I push down the brass door lever, step across the threshold, cross the hall, and enter the dressing room to tidy up again before officially starting the day regardless of being unsure of the outcome.
