the world I’d gladly stepped in when I needed it most. I was trapped, but not like I had been at home. I wanted to be part of the criminal world. I wanted to protect the people I cared about most.
And I refused to let her be one of them.
There was a valley of space between us with no bridge to lead the way.
I knew why I’d come here. I’d come here to prove to myself that I didn’t need her. I’d come to show her that just because I could get to her, didn’t mean I couldn’t stop myself.
I licked my lips, rubbing at my chest as the finality of the situation washed over me. I’d never second-guessed a one-night stand. I’d never given it more thought as soon as they walked out the door. But Luna was different. Which was why I lifted off the brakes, pressed my foot to the accelerator, and drove away, leaving the moments we’d had behind, never to be had again.
CHAPTER 9
LUNA
I could hear the music blasting from the apartment before I’d even made it to the top of the stairs. The thumping beat caused the doors of the other apartments to shake, and I had no doubt the neighbors on either side of us were done with listening to the screaming music. I wasn’t even sure what they were listening to could even be considered music. It was more like a thousand different beats all competing with each other to see which one could be the loudest.
The door to my apartment was ajar, and I cursed at them for letting people in yet again. My rant the other night hadn’t made a bit of difference, if anything, it had made them worse. As if they wanted to prove to me that it didn’t matter what I said, they’d do whatever the hell they wanted to.
Message received. Loud and clear.
I closed my eyes, my palm pressing against the cool surface of the door. I needed to get myself together before I stepped in there. It was becoming too much for me to handle, and each time I walked up the stairs, I just wanted to turn back around and escape the madness.
It felt so much harder now that I didn’t have the distraction of Cardo and Chiara downstairs. I grinned as I thought about their little faces. At least they’d gotten out of their situation. I supposed that was the one good thing about Mateo disappearing on me.
Loud voices echoed past the bass of the music, and I knew that was my signal to head inside. I pushed the door open, jerking back as someone tried to slam it back on me. “What the fuck?”
“Leave,” a man with scars all over his face demanded.
“Not a goddamn chance.” I clicked the door closed behind me. “This is my apartment.”
His lips lifted into a sneer, his body odor getting stronger the longer I stood in the enclosed space of the entrance with him. Jesus. Where the hell did they manage to find these people?
“Hey, Kyle!” he shouted, leering at me. My breath stuttered at the sound of my dad’s name. He blocked my path into the living room and to the stairs. “You didn’t tell me you had a piece of ass living here.”
“Stan,” Dad shouted, rushing from the living room. He looked the most sober I’d seen him since we’d moved here. “Leave her alone.”
“Why?” Stan asked, but he didn’t take his eyes off me. He licked his lips, his rank breath so bad I was sure it’d be green in the air. “You know how we like to share.”
My dad’s gaze flicked between the two of us, but as he tried to move past Stan, someone grabbed him from behind, not letting him through. “Not her.” He stretched his arm out, but it was no use because a second guy wrapped his arm around his neck from behind, effectively locking him in place. “Leave her out of it.”
Stan tilted his head to the side, staring at me with a different kind of interest. “You clean?”
“Damn fuckin’ straight I am.” My nostrils flared. “Now get the hell out of my way.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, a grin spread over his face, showcasing his rotten teeth. “No can do, princess.” He winked, darting forward, and grabbed me around the neck. His dirty fingernails dug into my soft flesh, promising to leave crescent-shaped bruises behind. “Mommy and Daddy dearest owe us.”
“No!” Dad screamed, trying