I ran and never looked back.

Angel’s words left me feeling spooked.

We were too close to Madam’s for comfort. And I couldn’t stop thinking about that dark-windowed car. It certainly could have been Madam’s hired hand keeping an eye on her investment. Or maybe they were with Angel. Either way, Angel seemed to know what she was talking about, even if it was tough for me to swallow.

My arms pumped as I picked up my pace in a hurry to leave. With the package tucked under my arm, there was nothing more I wanted than to rid myself of its burden.

Realizing it was Lucky who was waiting to whisk me away, I was filled with a renewed sense of hope. Reaching for the door handle, I yanked the back door open and dove inside saying, “If it isn’t my favorite driver coming to rescue me from danger.”

“Ms. Kendra,” he greeted me with a huge smile. “Always so good to see you.”

Buckling myself into the back seat, Lucky put the car into gear and set the wheels in motion.

I couldn’t look at him without thinking about Tonya. I wondered if he had heard the news. And if I had guessed right about her being the woman he was dating, then my heart went out to him.

“Yes, good to see you too, Lucky,” I replied. “But I bet you wish it was that new girl of yours you’ve started seeing.”

When his lips turned downward, I regretted my decision to not just come out and ask him what he knew. It wasn’t my style to beat around the bush. I was direct, but I also wasn’t the compassionate type either. Which was why this conversation was getting off to a rough start.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

“No.” He readjusted his hand on the wheel and kept his gaze forward. “That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?” My stomach flipped, hating myself for having to play ignorant. But I needed to know what he knew—if anything. “Is there trouble in the house of love?” I teased.

His friendly eyes glanced at me in the rearview mirror. They were lined with pain, perhaps even uncertainty. “I haven’t spoken to her since the last time I told you about her.”

“Have you tried calling?” I asked, staring at the knobs on the radio.

“Many times.”

I couldn’t believe he hadn’t heard the news, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him what had happened, either. I shouldn’t be the one. It was too devastating, and I wasn’t known for being graceful when it came to discussing things as sensitive as death.

“She’s probably just busy.”

He let out a visible sigh.

“My boyfriend took me to a nightclub the other night,” I began, hoping to cut through the fluff. “It wasn’t the one you took me to that one time, what was the name?”

His eyes found me in the mirror. “The one with the girls?”

“Yes.” My voice floated to the front of the car. “That’s the one.”

“Echo.”

“Right.” I clenched my side as a sudden chill zipped down my spine. “Echo. Anyway, speaking of the place, have you taken any girls there this week?”

Lucky lifted his gaze to the mirror and eyed me suspiciously.

“Because I called my mom for the first time in forever today, and she asked what it was I did for a living.”

Rolling my eyes, I still couldn’t believe Mom caught me off guard like that. What was I supposed to say? That I was working under a Madam getting paid an incredible sum to sell my body to the highest suitor? Oh, and to top it off, I actually like the man that had bought me?

Mom wouldn’t want to hear it. She wouldn’t understand. But telling her that I had a law degree and wasn’t using my education wasn’t any better.

Lucky slowed to make a turn. “Do they live nearby?”

With thoughts of Dad and his battle with ALS I said, “They do. Just south of here, actually.”

“Why haven’t you spoken with them until today if they live so close?”

I debated telling Lucky that my parents hurt me as a child. That their decisions made it impossible to live at home. I wanted to tell him that when I finally had the guts to leave home, I left full of anger. And those same feelings of guilt and shame still weighed on me heavily today. But, in the end, I didn’t say any of those things. All I said was, “It’s complicated.”

Lucky checked his mirrors and made another turn.

Rubbing my upper arms, I hugged myself, smoothing down my gooseflesh. Memories of the times I was raped filled me with renewed rage. My hands were clammy and I felt numb. And just the mere thought of what happened to me made me not care what I was doing for Madam. She owned me. Held my fate inside her hands. And if I died from this experience, so be it. I had nothing to lose. Sometimes death seemed like it would be a welcome relief.

Silence filled the car as I stared out my window attempting to clear my mind from all the thoughts racing around my head. Lucky kept to himself, even keeping the radio turned off.

We were weaving through the industrial area, crossing train tracks and passing in the shadows of dilapidated buildings. It was dirty, isolated, and gross. The only reminder that beauty even existed somewhere nearby was the smell of the salty ocean air swatting against my nose.

I couldn’t stop from wondering where the hell Madam was taking me today. And who she was having me meet. This was so out of the ordinary it had me filled with jitters.

“Is your family here or still in Africa?” I asked to distract myself from thinking too much into what was waiting for me on the other side. This package, Tonya, and what Madam did to get Kelly to blackmail Parker were enough to make me believe I’d lost my freedom the moment I signed up to be an escort.

“Africa.” Lucky’s eyes smiled. “Four years it’s been since I last seen them.”

My chest squeezed. “That must be hard.”

“Life is full of hardships,” he said quickly.

It was like he was speaking directly to me. Knew what I was struggling with myself and could hear my thoughts rambling on with confusion. Because he was right. Life was a bitch.

“How long has it been for you?” he asked.

“Much longer than that.” I turned my gaze out the window.

My spirit filled with uncertainty. I had lost my wings and wondered when the dark cloud overhead would lift.

Playing with the necklace Kelly had given me, I slid it back and forth around my neck.

I honestly believed Kelly had my best interests in mind. But Angel was right. What was I going to do when our thirty day contract came to a close? She didn’t need to remind me that my thirty days with Kelly was approaching the end. I was keeping tabs myself. Wrestling with the possibility of being forced to move onto someone else the moment Madam decided I was ready.

And it worried me—terrified me.

But no matter what happened, I couldn’t just leave Kelly without letting him know how important he was to me. He had me living inside his apartment. My things were there. We were so much more than when we started, and I liked knowing that I was safe when with him. He was everything to me and that was what made our situation so much more fucked up than it already was.

My lips curled with warm feelings as I thought about all the reasons I was falling for Kelly.

But there were still concerns.

Angel’s warnings about me traveling down the wrong path—the same path Tonya walked—left me feeling exposed and vulnerable. The contract was the moat around our castle. It kept us safe. Sheltered from the threats of war approaching. And with the walls closing in around us, I wondered how we were ever going to survive the attack when it finally did arrive—if it hadn’t already.

Sinking deeper into my seat, I fell into a dark depression.

It seemed as if I couldn’t win. No matter what I did to stop the inevitable, I felt like I had already lost.

Glancing at the package, I realized I knew too much.

Had seen too much.

And with that knowledge ingrained inside my head—and impossible to erase—it was important that I came to terms with knowing that I was now a liability to Madam’s entire operation and she could do with me as she pleased.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the muscles in my face twitch.

And just like anyone with a lot to lose, nothing stood in Madam’s way.

Biting back a scream building inside my chest, I couldn’t stop thinking how Madam chose me. Kept eyes on me. Refusing future deliveries would be impossible. And I didn’t want to discover how she would react if, or when, I did disobey a direct order—especially now that I could safely assume she was somehow behind Tonya’s murder.

But, god, I needed to end this. And soon.

Lucky drove in silence and I could tell he was deep in thought.

I felt sorry for him as Maria’s and Tonya’s faces plagued my thoughts. It was the calm before the storm. And I could only hope that when he learned of Tonya’s death he would grieve and not react—take the higher road.

When our eyes met in the rearview mirror I smiled and turned away with thoughts drifting back to Kelly.

His connection to Madam still baffled me. Their partnership seemed most odd. He didn’t seem like the person to have it in him to work for someone like her. But, then again, who was I to judge? I raised my hand and willingly volunteered to join her ranks before knowing the facts. It was a spur of the moment decision and one I was now beginning to regret.

Pulling my phone out from my tote, I debated texting Kelly just to tell him I missed him. But after a minute of going back and forth in my mind, debating the pros and cons, I chose not to. It wasn’t worth complicating our relationship more than it already was. Not until he could give me some kind of reassurance that we had a chance to remain a couple—that we could survive without the oversight of Madam—even after our thirty days were up.

If that was something he wanted.

I closed my eyes and traced the marks on my body left over from Kelly’s sexual exhibition. The bruises were signs of control, possessiveness, and trust. All the feelings that made me feel whole. I was healing, but I wanted more. Knowing that when I was with him, I could escape all the problems in my life.

Suddenly, I felt the car slow to a stop.

Taking in a deep breath of air, I feared that I’d made a grave mistake when taking over Alex’s debt. It had brought me Kelly, yes. But it had also exposed me to so much more pain than I otherwise would have had.

Lucky put the car in park and turned to glance over his shoulder.

“Keep calling your girl.” I slid to the window. “Don’t give up, okay?”

He nodded. “And you keep talking with your parents, okay?”

I smiled before gathering my things and stepping out. Perhaps Lucky was right. Family could be my saving grace, after all. All I needed to do was keep the conversation alive.