“That’s too—”
His fingers slid out from under the elastic band of my panties. He lifted the fabric until it snapped back against my skin. “Tomorrow. Or else I’ll get exactly what I want from you, and I can’t guarantee you’ll come out of it alive.”
His grip loosened and Squeaker stepped back, a satisfied gleam in his dark eyes. “Tomorrow,” he said one more time and turned to walk away, his gait casual like he hadn’t just assaulted and threatened me.
It took a few minutes to get my feet solid under my body, but as soon as I did, I ran toward my car, not caring how crazy I appeared to the people waiting for the bus on one corner or eating on the patio of a pub on the other corner. I ran until I was in the safety of my car and as soon as I was inside, I opened the center console where I kept emergency tampons, which is where I stashed some of my pills and grabbed one oblong white one and placed it on my tongue.
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard, willing away the images and sensations associated with the alley and the last fifteen minutes of my life. I closed my eyes and sank against the driver’s seat until my pulse relaxed and pain started to fade. I wasn’t the disgrace Mother said I was or the junkie whore that came out of Squeaker’s filthy mouth. I was just me. Just Bonnie.
And no one had ever touched me like that.
When I was road ready, I made my way back to Ashby Manor where I popped another pill and got dressed for dinner with Maisie. I tossed my filthy panties in the trash, ignoring the voices of my mother and Squeaker, both painting me with a sin I hadn’t yet committed.
Chapter Ten
Cal
How in the hell did I let Virgil talk me into dinner with him and Maisie? And Bonnie? That was easy; he promised to talk to Jasper about giving me a bigger role in the family side of the business, and I came running.
Talk about pathetic.
“Have any of you heard from Bonnie? I stopped at her room before we left and she wasn’t there.” Maisie knew enough to know something was wrong, but her new job at the casino kept her busy. Answering the oddball requests of excessively rich gamblers was a twenty-four-seven job and no matter how well-intentioned, she had no idea how bad shit really was with her friend.
“Her car was gone when I left,” I said, hoping to ease her mind.
Twenty minutes later Bonnie showed up looking exactly like herself, only different. She wore a pair of black jeans, a black lace shirt buttoned up to the hilt with a black tank top underneath and black ankle boots. It was so unlike Bonnie in color and style but somehow it was still prim and proper, and just a little bit stuck up. She stopped at the table and looked at Virgil and then me before she turned her gaze to Maisie, a giant question in her eyes.
“Sorry I’m late.” That was it, no explanation or wild story, just an apology before she took the chair beside me and hid behind her menu.
“No problem. How was your day?” Maisie smacked on a smile and stared at the menu, willing Bonnie to engage.
Slowly the menu disappeared beneath the table, revealing Bonnie’s face. “Let’s just say it’s nothing to write home about. If I had a home. Job applications. Printed some resume’s and passed them out. Lots of sorry, buts.” She shrugged like it was no big deal and reached for the nearest glass of water.
“Well shit, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I know. Thanks. Anyway,” she said easily, plastering on a smile that was as bright as it was phony. “How is the new job going?” Bonnie was good, choosing a topic that gave her five straight minutes of peace. She was high. I knew the look well. High enough to make it through dinner without losing her shit but not high enough to allow her to check out completely.
“It’s great if you can believe it. Though I’ve had to make some strange friends to fulfill some of the requests.” Maisie then launched into the story of finding natural redheaded triplets who performed Cirque tricks.
Bonnie listened with a ghost of a smile on her pink lips. Chin resting in one hand, she looked in Maisie’s direction but never at her friend.
“Crazy,” she said on a whisper sigh and leaned in. As impressed as I was with her ability to deflect attention, I was worried as fuck because I knew what that meant. Bonnie was in deep. Just deep enough that she wouldn’t get out without help, but not in so deep that she realized she needed help.