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Jewel’s gaze flitted over the neatly spread bed, the lamp on the nightstand, the closet, desk, chair and the door to—what she presumed—was a bathroom.
The floorboards creaked as Finn approached her.
Jewel’s breath caught.
A few hours ago, she would have preferred if someone ran her over with a truck than stay in a room alone with a man. Now, she didn’t have time to lament Finn’s gender.
Kross was coming.
“Have a seat,” Finn said, pointing to the chair by the desk.
Jewel shook her head. “I prefer to stand.”
“Suit yourself.” Finn dropped to the edge of the mattress and watched her intently. “I kept my end of the deal. Now, it’s your turn.”
“Before I start,” she sucked in a deep breath, “you should know that just sharing this information puts you in danger.”
He dipped his head. “I’ll accept the consequences.”
Jewel stared at him. There was a different type of intensity in his eyes. Those hazel orbs were burning through her, searing her. She felt exposed and at ease in the same breath.
“Why do I get the sense that you already know what I’m about to say?” she whispered.
He blinked.
The fire sputtered out and he ducked his head so she could no longer read his expression. When he glanced back up, an innocent smile quirked his lips. “I don’t. I’m just trying to process everything that happened.”
“Everything?”
“I came back to ask for your number in case…” He let the words trail. “Then you jump out of your house, shaking like a hurricane, a knife at your feet, acting like someone’s chasing you.”
She nodded. When he put it like that, Jewel could understand why he’d looked so intense.
“Go on.” Finn folded his arms over his chest.
“His name is Kross,” she blurted. She noticed Finn flinch and softened her voice. “He was…” She paused, searching for a word that would properly encapsulate the monster. “He was evil. Pure, unadulterated evil.”
“When did you meet this guy?”
She wilted against the wall, feeling the rush of memories tear at her mind. “I was sixteen. My brother and I were about to be evicted from our apartment. My mom was… who knows where. I needed money. Fast.”
“And Kross offered it?”
“I didn’t know who I was dealing with at the time. A girl from school…” Jewel swallowed. “Anastasia, she offered to help me out. She said I could earn a grand in one night.”
Finn pursed his lips. “Did they tell you what you had to do?”
“No. But I made sure that I wouldn’t be selling my body or something like that. Anastasia swore up and down that no one would lay a finger on me. I was desperate. So I believed her.”
“Where did you meet?”
“A club. It was underground. A real sinkhole. Everyone there was either drunk or drugged up. They led me to the basement and told me to walk into a room. Anastasia and … K-Kross joined me a few minutes later.” Her heart thudded.
“What happened?”
A piercing wail started in her head.
Jewel staggered.
