Chapter Nineteen

Layla

I was angry and out of sorts because both Dad and Eamon were doing a damn good job of playing two idiots. I needed to disconnect for a while, to get away from everyone and everything in my life so I turned off my phone right outside of Eamon’s place and I drove.

At first I just drove around the streets of Rocket, gazing at the peaks of the Sierra Nevada in the distance. Usually, I barely glanced at the majestic mountains when my gaze landed on them in one of my mirrors but today, I took in the details. The sharp points and steep dips between the beasts, the snowcapped tips. The range was more beautiful than I ever gave it credit for and it was just the kind of scenery I needed to soothe my racing mind.

Dad was in debt. Major fucking debt and it was all the fault of the Connelly mobsters. Okay yeah, Dad bore some responsibility, too, but dammit he had a problem and they were predators, preying on weaker animals and taking what they could before discarding the carcass. But that wasn’t even what had my foot pressing down on the gas. It was the fact that I’d used my body to pay off his debt and it likely wouldn’t be the last time he racked up tens of thousands of dollars worth of gambling debts.

What would I do then? Definitely not what I was doing now, no matter how enjoyable Eamon made our encounters. It didn’t feel right. It made me feel dirty and worst of all, it made me feel like a prostitute, which meant the pleasure he gave my body wore off fast as the guilt and disgust crept in. All of this could have been a quick and pleasurable encounter, if it had a chance in hell of helping my dad, which I knew now, it wouldn’t.

I still wasn’t sure how in the hell this arrangement helped Eamon, other than the fact he got four straight days of commitment free sex out of the deal. There was still the forty thousand dollars Dad owed, and no amount of earth-shattering sex would bring that money back. So really, what was the benefit of this for the infuriating man? He was gorgeous, powerful and rich so I was sure he had no shortage of women interested in warming his bed for a night or two. So what was his deal?

I had nowhere to go when I reached the mountains but drove toward them anyway, another fruitless gesture that would lead me nowhere but provided a small measure of comfort.

That comfort was short-lived though, as I noticed a sleek looking red car following me. Okay maybe not following me but the car had been behind me for miles, bypassing at least half a dozen exit ramps, rest stops, campsites, RV parks and other points of interest and it had stopped at none. Sure, neither had I but I was driving aimlessly and it was … not.

Not that I thought I was so important that anyone would be following me, but right on the heels of that thought came another. What if the car had more guys my dad owed money to, thinking that a quick kidnapping might force him to pay up? Or worse, what if they wanted to kill me to show him they meant business? Neither of those scenarios worked out well for me, and I stepped on the gas.

At first, I felt silly when the car stayed far behind me, making no attempt to split the distance between us. Then the car sped up but it was so slowly that I might have thought I imagined it, if not for the fact that when I turned onto a ramp that lead to a rest stop, so did the sleek red car.

Without thinking twice, I hopped back to the on ramp and drove another few miles on the mostly deserted road, which suddenly seemed like a horrible idea, so I gunned it toward the next exit and swung around to make my way home.

I had another night of carnal bliss ahead of me, and though Eamon was by no means a good guy, at least I knew exactly what he wanted. Just my body for a few hours.

Nothing more.

And I was okay with that because he felt so damn good.

The red car appeared once more but the driver must have realized that the slow trickle of cars onto the freeway meant we were no longer alone. The downside was hella traffic on the way back to Rocket, but the upside was that I got to live for at least a few more hours.

This thing with my dad had apparently brought out my optimistic side. Or something.

Either way I was happy to head home even if I was less than happy about getting ready for another night with Eamon. Oh, I looked forward to the hours of bliss he provided, but tonight I just wanted to curl up in my pajamas, watch TV and drink some wine until I fell asleep on the sofa with the TV watching me. But that had to wait until next weekend.

Tonight, I still had a debt to pay.