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There I was, worried that after herjobwas complete, she wouldn’t know who I truly was. She would just forever see me as Blake, the sex club performer-slash-secret agent. I wanted to know more about her, but at the same time, I longed to tell someone about what happened to me.
Keeping all those secrets inside me had caused my insides to blacken and rot. Had caused my life there, as happy as it was for me at the time, to dampen.
If I knew Alec’s name would cause her to react this way, I would have never opened my mouth.
“Russell works for him,” I explained, taking in her expression. She didn’t so much as blink. “When we were together, he brought me to work often. Threw me to the wolves more than once. They thought I was stupid, thought I was weak.”
“So they continued on their business like you weren’t even there,” she finished for me.
I nodded.
More than once, I had heard some of the awful things they had done. They didn’t care about anyone’s life, all they wanted was money. They could destroy families, cities, fuck they even jokes about whole countries. They didn’t give two shits about anything other than power and money.
“Alec has this… thing,” I explained. “If you’re high enough, you get initiated into his family. That’s how you get the Crowe last name.”
“And Russell?” she asked. “What’s his rank?”
“When I left, he was vying for second in command,” I said. She let out a curse.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had slipped drugs into his alcohol, hoping for a night of peace, but they didn’t kick in fast enough.
I had been planning to leave for a while, but he pounced and I—
My small, shaking fists pounded into his face. One after another. Blood splattered around us, and I couldn’t stop. Not until he stopped fighting.
I leaned back, realizing what I had done, but instead of horror filling me, I was… happy.
Happy that it was finally over.
I ran out of that room and packed only what I could carry, including the USB I was going to use to secure my freedom.
I passed by the bathroom mirror, my eyes lingering on my long hair. It had been years since I cut it, and before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed a spare kitchen knife, cutting my hair as I began my escape.
By the time I was safely out of the city, I was unrecognizable.
“The initiation is to share something of yours,” I whispered. I had seen the women after their husband’s initiation. Bruises and wounds covered their skins. Some of them would be in bed for days before they were able to hobble out. The men were sick and twisted in their own right, but together? They were monsters. “That’s why I left.”
I straightened my shoulders and looked at her head-on. There was no shame in this.No shamein getting myself to a safe place.
“What did you put on the USB?” she asked. “What does he know?”
I shrugged. “You heard what he said. I have something of his. I don’t know why it took him so long to come looking for it. Though I doubt he gives two shits about me aside from healing his own wounded pride.”
“What’s on there, Blake?” she asked again.
I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t share, especially not knowing exactly who Quinn worked for.
What if she had just been playing me the entire time? Just trying to get all the information from me so she could report to them?
But if so, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to get me away from him.
It wasn’t even a question of whether I trusted her or not, I couldn’t help it. Ever since I saw her watching me in the sea full of people, I was drawn to her. My body and soul knew that Quinn wouldn’t hurt me.
She had had her chance. Many times in fact. I had slept by her. I had been fucked by her until I couldn’t move. At any moment, she could have taken advantage of that fact and ended me right then and there.
But she didn’t.And as much as I kept pushing her for an answer on what she was going to do with me, I had faith she wouldn’t.
“Enough information to guarantee me a new life,” I said pointedly. “I gave it to someone I trusted, and in return, he helped me build a new life.”
