her head that said she w

n leaned against the wall. Her knees were still shaking, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was because of the man'

gotten a hold of some of her personal information, but everyone in Wolfdale knew about her. The kid was abandoned by her mother. The kid w

hose men thought they could throw their money around like that, and she w

feel it. It was a shame he was gay because she was positive he would be great in bed. Her body was still

go

aintain, and silky, dark hair styled to look like he'd just rolled out of bed and didn't give a fuck. He'd turned her knees to jelly and me

e handsome ones that

down her back and cleavage. They were in the middle of a heatwave so intense even the hotel's air conditioning system was

the cold ice-blue eyes that

ed to claw the other guy's eyes out. It was so strong that she had to make a consc

to have unschedul

usual. And it took a special kind of person to look down their nos

she said, lowering her he

s since her promotion, as if that would make her mo

l. Clean yourself up and do something with that hair. We have i

help. Her red, curly hair was just a giant unruly puff above her head, and her pale blue uniform had sweat stain

o be out of his mind to make such an o

id indeed look distracted today, so she supposed she had to be grateful for that because usual

he finally left the hotel that evening, she looked even worse, but she went out through the staff entrance and

the rest of the residents. The difference was stark, but she was used to it. There was nothing shiny on her side, and all the cars were old bangers like hers. E

ady passed out. She didn't have to go near him to know he had been drinking again. The day's mail was on the counter near the do

nd, but she pushed it away. She didn't need

ared with her sister. She carefully opened the creaky door in case Britney was as

eed her sister was worth it. Brit would forge a

would finally

up early to make sure Brit didn't forget to eat her breakfast before school. Her siste

the bills she had to pay. A second job would have been great, but no one was hiring. Another pitfall of livin

leave until Brit

window. In just his pajama bottoms, his long, brunette hair was a tangled mess, and his beard was weeks old. Her father didn't care that the neighbors always saw him like this. He was pacing and s

d Carlisle hadn't been a real fa

lls

pitting image of their father with her brunette locks and hazel eyes. She was also the shortest in

having any?"

t at the hot

h money to feed all of them. Andrea never allowed

e space in the small kitchen. He didn't even bother speaking to them as he went straig

e sofa they had in the house and put t

to school,"

e half-eaten omele

breakfast," s

," Brit said as she wa

acted like he was the only one in the family her mother had abandoned-he'd wasted eleven years pining over

en she came out of their

ai

have gone in the money jar she kept hidden for emergencies or to top up Brit's college fu

ay

thing to eat at sch

e and would probably ask her for money, too. She finished Brit's breakfast w

bout the sweat stains. She just tied her hair up into a neater puff and looked at herself in the small, cracked mirror in the corner of their cramped room. The inspection was brief because, u

and froze when she heard

s shook as she inched the door open to

ble. Gerald tried to get back to his feet, but the man punched him down again. She t

d he do

everal chances, Geral

the back of his blond head, but it looked greasy and slicke

e, but that stupid thing in her head reminded her he was still family. A

opened the door wider and

le more time," Gerald said.

t last time,"

. He wore a suit, but he had a gold tooth and chain around his neck like he copied his sense of style from a terrible movie. She felt a cold shiver down her

ayla," th

nd stranger k

r, he laughed and loo

the man said. "I think you know what you can

ister grin before walking out, and the enor

their car drive off befor

o you owe?"

Just twen

e heard that figure. Not much? That amount wou

amount of money? You haven't paid bills

chair, ignoring the mess the m

ld mumbled. "I would have paid off every

's gambling had landed them in

stop. You said you'd

t fix this myself, so you'll have to think of your si

eyes when he'd looked at her, and her

that, Dad?"

oing to giv