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“Ryth…”Nicholas called through the door.
I closed my eyes as the thunder in my chest gave way to a burn. “Go away.”
Silence came from the other side of the door. I swallowed the throb in the back of my throat and pressed my hand over my breast. My nipple was hard, poking in the middle of my palm. Pain coursed through me, tearing all the way between my thighs as I dragged my finger across the peak.
Mine to play with, mine to have any fucking way I want.
He didn’t mean that. He was just trying to scare me…trying to rattle my cage. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, rolled my nipple between my fingers, and stoked the flames. I’d seen men like him on those sites, seen how they bullied and manhandled those women…like the kids did at my school. Heat flared in my cheeks, drawing my attention to the mark on my face.
Just like the kids at school did to me.
But this wasn’t school…
This was where I was living.
For now.
I waited until the soft thud of Nick’s steps faded before I risked opening the door. The place was quiet…too quiet.I stepped out and hurried to the bathroom before closing and locking the door behind me. Hard breaths tore from my chest and I stumbled for the basin and turned on the taps.
He was a bully…just a fucking awful bully.
Just like the ones I’d dealt with.
I gathered the water and splashed it to my face.
But he wasn’t…he was worse.
I needed to get out of here, out of this house and away from these people. If mom wasn’t going to help me, then I’d leave on my own. I twisted off the tap, dried my face, and made my way out of the bathroom and down to the second floor. My gaze went to Creed’s bedroom door and a sickening wave of dread hit me.
I tried to push the memory of last night out of my mind and instead, went to his study door, where I knocked. “Creed.” And waited.
But there was no answer. I knocked again, only this time louder, then opened the door. “Creed?”
The study was empty, no one was inside. Where were they? Curious, I stepped inside. The room was nice, black bookshelves packed with expensive looking books ran the length of the wall. I moved closer, finding burgundy hardbacks etched with gold.Criminal Justice for the Guilty.
“The guilty?” I murmured, running my fingers along the edges before I turned my attention to the desk.
Who the hell was this guy, anyway?
A lawyer, I got that. Someone who'd known mom years ago. Papers were splayed out on the desktop. I glanced over my shoulder at the door and stepped closer, peering at things I really shouldn’t be. But right then, I didn’t care. I wanted out of here, away from his asshole son…
Bank of Phoenix…
Our bank.
I grabbed one of the statements and lifted it.
Assets frozenfrom the IRS.
“What the hell?”
So they were telling the truth. There was more. All our bank accounts, all our money…gone.He really was helping us.
“Ryth?”
I spun, the statement still in my hand and watched as Creed narrowed his gaze. He glanced around the room, then stopped on me once more. “Everything okay?”
Mom followed him inside, her eyes shining and red like she’d been crying. The floor seemed to open up and swallow me whole. He had been trying to help us. He’d bought me things with his own money,expensive things.
