Warped (Dueling Devils 4)

“Thank you, Zen Master.” Pan gave a mock bow. “I so look forward to these enlightening lessons.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ll try to make sure I drop a new one daily.”

“Smart ass. Since you decided not to go on your rampage, I’m going to get back to work.”

“Might be helpful if you want to get out of here on time,” Monster drawled.

“I hate you sometimes, you know?” Pan walked back to his bike.

Monster shook his head. His brother was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t stop picking at this until he understood it. He didn’t understand the fear in his chest that if he looked at it too closely, he’d discover it was all in his head. Pan had always been the more outgoing twin and now, he was the normal one. It’d exacerbated the difference between them. Monster refocused his attention on his work to drown out the river of doubts threatening to drown the joy he’d gained. There would be enough time for reality to come in and set him straight soon enough.

CHAPTER TWO

She walked into the building and flipped on the overhead lights. They hummed as they came to life. The day came on as slightly overcast and the area was dark. She’d been here about two weeks and Chase had finally deemed her ready to go it alone. She wanted to make her girl proud. She’d been her champion from the day they met. Part of her didn’t trust her motives.

No, that’s Taffy talking. You’re someone else now.

She pushed thoughts of betrayal out of her mind. No one, minus Gia, knew about her past. She was free to be whoever she wanted. The hard part about that was, she didn’t know how. For so long, she ate what was given without question, wore the clothes picked out, and acted the way her johns would like best. It left her a soulless person in a wounded body. Locking the door behind her, she walked to the office.

She didn’t mind her job. After a life of being a living sex doll, it seemed like a piece of cake. She’d always been fairly smart. The computer programs came easily and the drawer always balanced at the end of the night. The men hadn’t been as awful as she expected. She felt their stares. She got it. They were curious about her scars. It’d become a normal occurrence she’d grown used to. In today’s society, anything less than perfect was a disappointment and different was wrong. Add in being a black female and the stereotypes widely believed…Then you had a recipe for potential disaster for an ordinary woman. Which she wasn’t. If she’d gained anything from her old life, it was strength. There would be very little she couldn’t endure.

She ran over the sheet for the day and walked over to make a fresh pot of coffee. Normally the first person in the office, she enjoyed the quiet time to get everything prepared. While the coffee percolated, she returned to her small office, turned on the computer, and looked over the schedule. The men had been keeping it by hand since Sarah quit. Squinting, she tried to decipher the other woman's chicken scratch.

The lock turned in the front door. She glanced up and watched as Monster appeared in the doorframe. His massive shoulders and bulky frame should’ve intimidated her, but something in his eyes spoke of a world of pain. A man who knew hurt in a way most people didn’t.

He glanced at her through the glass window of her office and nodded his head. “Morning, Symone.” His gruff voice was at odds with the kindness in his blue eyes. He had a different aura than his twin brother.

“Morning, you’re in early.”

“I like getting a head start before the brothers get in. I think they talk trash more than they work.” His lips curved upward, making the scars on the left side of his face more pronounced. The skin looked puckered, raised and a mottled mix of white and red that must have faded over the years. His gaze grew shuttered.

A pang of guilt burst inside her. Shit, he saw me staring.

“Sorry, I know I hate it when people stare. I’m just not used to having someone else…” She gestured to her face while trailing off.

“Oh, you mean having a twin?” He smirked. “Trust me, I have plenty of experience with that and it’s not always all it’s cracked up to be.”

She snickered and glanced down feeling stunned by the way he’d slipped behind her walls. Humor wasn’t something she’d experienced in—too long to remember.

“I’ll be in the back if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Monster.”

“Mm hmm.” He moved to the back silently. He walked with such grace.

One wouldn’t expect that from someone his size, but she got it. When you looked like they did, you learned to be unseen. You spoke softly, walked lightly, and became an expert at blending in. It made things easier. It saved people the trouble of pretending not to see you. She watched him disappear down the hall and into the bay. She returned to her work, transferring the schedule on paper to the computer program.

An hour later, the rest of the men began to shuffle inside.

Silence and bleary eyes told her it’d been a long night of partying, which seemed to be par for the course with these men.

She pulled up the list of vendors. Today, their laundry guy was due to trade out clean towels for dirty ones. A mechanic gig got dirty fast, all that grease, oil, and sweat. Demon, the M.C. President set them up well. They didn’t even have to clean their jumpsuits.

She pushed to her feet and walked out of her office to the bay. The sound of nuts and bolts turning, tools clanking, and the radio on low greeted her along with the smell of oil and male musk. It wasn’t an unpleasant mixture of scents.

A far cry from the expensive perfumes and body oils her mistress kept her doused with. Thoughts of her time spent in the modern day whorehouse always came back to haunt her. For so long, it was all she knew. In a place where children fell victim to hunger and, sexual exploitation, selling her body kept her from starving. It’d damn near been an honor to be chosen by Mylandra to join her upscale harem. “Laundry time, boys. If there’s anything else you need to put in, you’ll have to do it now. Truck will be here within the hour.” She pushed the bin inside and leaned against the wall. It was the most she’d spoken to them voluntarily.

“You heard her. Get the lead out,” Pan said, flashing her a wink.