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Finn breathed roughly and ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything.”
“I hate him more than you could possibly imagine. I would never have walked into that room if I knew how sick he was. Not after everything I’d been through.”
Finn stared at the floor and asked in a resigned voice, “Can you tell me the rest?”
She huddled into her chair. Her head was throbbing and her heart was being twisted like putty. “Another time.”
“Jewel…”
“It’s too much. You shouldn’t even be hearing any of this.”
“Hey.” He stepped away from the bed and knelt in front of her. His hands on either side of the chair, Finn pleaded. “I know it’s hard, but I want to understand you. Trust me, Jewel. I won’t let anything happen to you while I’m here. I promise.”
She searched his eyes, saw the earnestness there and then nodded.
Finn eased himself back on his feet, but he didn’t sit on the bed again. He stood in front of her, his hulking shadow making it hard for her to think.
Jewel closed her eyes. Immediately, she was sixteen again and back in the room where Kross was inducting her into his dangerous game.
“After he’d had sex with Anastasia, he put his hands around her neck.” She raised her own fingers and settled them around her tightening throat. “He choked her until she fell unconscious. I was afraid, but I didn’t know what to do.” She shook her head. “I ran out of there as soon as possible.”
“Was Anastasia dead?”
“I saw her the next day at school. She was wearing makeup to hide the bruises. It was like it never happened.” Jewel shuddered. “Since Anastasia didn’t seem bothered, I didn’t make a big deal about it, but I couldn’t handle going through that a second time.”
“I can’t imagine someone like him would let you walk away.”
She opened her eyes. Her gaze collided with Finn’s. Guilt blazed through her body when she said, “He sent someone to my school with two thousand dollars. They told me it was payment for the last time. That he wanted to see me again.”
“You took the money,” Finn said knowingly.
A tear slipped down her cheek. “I had to. My little brother was counting on me. We were staying with my mother’s friend, but she had a full house of eight children and it was horrible. Juney couldn’t study and they were bullying him…”
“So what happened the second time?” Finn asked
Silence fell as the events of that night played in her mind.
Her eyes fell over the lavish bedroom. It was decorated with heavy purple curtains, a massive bed and a white rug—similar to the one that had covered the floor in the club basement.
“Thank you for coming, Jewel,” Kross said. He wore a white satin robe that hugged his broad shoulders and tapered down to his lean waist. His long, golden legs were exposed beneath the hem.
She shrugged in discomfort. “This is what you paid for so…”
“Yes, I suppose so.” He gestured to a decanter on the mahogany nightstand. “Can I interest you in a drink?”
“No.”
He nodded and moved smoothly to the nightstand. “I apologize for the last time. You must have been frightened.”
She said nothing.
“To tell you the truth, I was a little embarrassed when I saw you.” Kross swirled the amber liquid in the decanter and poured it into a short, glass cup. “Someone so delicate and beautiful deserves better than a front row seat in a basement.”
“Look,” Jewel folded her arms over her chest and forced confidence into her tone, “I’m not going to sleep with you. So if you’ve brought me here with that in mind, I’ll just give you back the money now.”
That was a huge bluff. She’d already spent half the money on rent and new school supplies for Juney.
The man threw his head back and laughed. “That’s funny.” Suddenly, his expression changed and he stared at her with cold severity. “You think you can tell me what I can and can’t do with you?”
