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He strummed a few notes. “Sorry if I woke you.”
“I couldn’t sleep.” I pulled out an Adirondack chair next to him and curled into it, hugging my arms around myself. The air wasn’t cool, but it wasn’t warm either. “Besides, you’re not the loudest thing out here.” The croak of what must have been a hundred frogs filled the air. Maybe some crickets. The noise was like the country nights soundtrack for movies.
“Must be different for you.”
“Sort of, but not how you think.”
His long, talented fingers softly strummed a few strings. He was so damn relaxed, but his chest and stomach still rippled with strength. I could watch him all night.
“Where I lived before was so big no noise could get inside if the hired help didn’t allow it.” His quiet, easy contemplation must’ve been why I kept talking. “I lived with my ex in a mansion, believe it or not. Beverly Hills.” I cocked a brow like I knew the idea of me roaming a huge estate like the lady of the house was ridiculous.
“Moving on up,” was all he said.
“No, I moved backward.” I leaned my head against the wooden back of the chair. “I thought...I thought I knew better.”
“The prince turned out to be the frog?”
“Yes.” Why was it so easy to talk to this man?
I didn’t know him that well, and I should be wary. But I also wanted to tell someone my story. To share what had happened without waxing on about what I should’ve done and how I needed to protect myself in the future.
“I thought he genuinely found me at one of my shows. I didn’t realize he was on the hunt. I was used to men like...” I nibbled my lower lip. No one knew the full story of my life but Thelma, and while it was tragically common, it was still mine. Some days, my past was all I felt like I had. “My mom had poor taste and low standards. I grew up determined to be different. I ditched a guy as soon as he seemed controlling or irresponsible with money, or if he had a temper that could turn into more. I was smart. Street smart. Then I wasn’t.”
He didn’t respond but lightly flicked his fingers over the strings like he knew the ambient noise made it more comfortable for me to speak rather than face silence.
“He was rich. Charming. He seemed to treat the people he hired decently.” If decently meant he didn’t see them. I mistook a lack of outward cruelty for kindness. “And he pretended to be supportive of me, of my hopes and dreams. I didn’t realize I was a mark. I thought there was a chance, and I was cautious, but he lured me further into his web.”
“He fell into the controlling category.”
I let out a long sigh. A light breeze ruffled my hair, and I inhaled a long stretch of clean, fresh air. No exhaust fumes. No human stench. No fake fragrances. This place was real and so different from what I was used to. Just like Cody. “I had to make a new category for him. I’m used to two-bit losers. Small-time scammers and perverts. Frederick is a predator.” I hugged myself tighter, and it wasn’t because I was chilly. “He booked one of the clubs I had a steady gig in and wanted me to perform for his biggest clients—and then fuck them.”
The notes turned into a screech. He flattened his hand over the strings and stared at me. “Tell me that fucker is in a gutter with his balls crushed.”
Rage played over his face, but I remained relaxed. Cody was my safety net. A buffer between me and a cruel world that didn’t care about girls who just wanted a place to call theirs.
“I wish. Thelma saved my ass. Again.” He cocked a brow, but I left it at that. My story was easier to tell than my mom’s. “I had switched my bank and investment accounts to his company and my management to him. I figured I didn’t have much money anyway. It all goes to Mom. But I was saving some, and thanks to his investing, I was earning more, but I’m locked out.”
“You can’t get to it.” A hard twang resonated into the night. “That fucker. Does he know where you are?”
“No. He’s...” I licked my dry lips. “He’s, uh, looking for me. I think.”
“What about your mom?”
“She doesn’t know where I am.” And she couldn’t tell Frederick. “I gave my contact information to the home. I don’t know why he doesn’t just go find another target but then he invested two years in me.”
“To traffic you.”
I nodded. Heat burned the backs of my eyes. I hadn’t cried once about Frederick. A sign I hadn’t cared enough. Yet I had a feeling when it was time to part ways with the Knights, tears would stream down my face.
“He’s a bastard. Anything you need, tell me. My brothers and I might just be dumb hicks from the country, but we’ve got resources.”
He used the perfect mix of righteous protection and humor. I smiled. “Oh? You’ve had to use them?”
“We ran off Aggie’s husband.”
“A different one?”
“Nope. Ansen.”
