smiling. Damn, if I don’t have to avert my gaze.
“You’re beautiful, Waverly. I’ve met many women in my time, but none quite as exceptional as you.”
Right.
Great.
Fab.
“Thanks,” I say softly.
He extends a hand and places it on my cheek and for a moment, for a terrifying moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. If he’s going to do something that I’m sure he hasn’t done before, right here in the water, with a girl he’s supposed to be preparing for sale. When he leans closer, and my fears are nearly confirmed, I turn my face away. My cheeks are burning, thankfully, because it only helps when I say, “Oh, oh . . .”
I act nervous, but honestly, it isn’t hard, because I am nervous.
“It’s okay,” he says, stroking a thumb over my cheek before dropping his hand. “I know you’ve had a hard time. But understand something, Waverly. I won’t hurt you. I will not harm you in any way.”
You filthy liar.
I swallow and give him a weak smile, and then in a soft voice declare that I need to get out because it’s cold.
But really, what I need to do is get away from this situation and the mind fuck that it’s currently giving me.
I need space.
Stat.
6
WAVERLY
“Here. I got you another drink.”
I glance over, my head a little light from the alcohol I’ve been consuming to make this situation easier to handle.
Bobbie is standing, glass in her hand, looking down at me. She’s still and not smiling. The poor girl has had a hard life—it’s clear in her face. What has she got to smile about?
My heart twists because I don’t want to sit here and talk to her. I don’t want to hear her story. I don’t want to hear that she’s found some sort of escape in Dax. That she’s going to get a better life. I don’t want to hear it because what if I can’t help her? The odds are against us. What if I can’t do anything to stop the horror that’s going to unfold in her life the moment she is sold?
The chances of the club destroying Dax and his business before these two girls are sold is slim to none.
I feel like I’m watching someone walk to a cliff and step over the edge, only my hands are tied, I’m gagged, and I can do nothing but watch as they plunge to their death.
“Thank you,” I say softly, because I really just want her to go.
Yet I want her to stay.
I feel a little unwell right now.
“How are you enjoying the lake?” she asks me, sitting down.
“It’s nice. I haven’t been away like this since I was a child. I’m enjoying the peace.”
It’s a lie.
I’m not enjoying it.
I want to scream.
“Me too,” she tells me softly. “I’m glad not to be sleeping on the streets, or at a random stranger’s house. It’s horrible when you don’t have a home.”
God.
She doesn’t have a home.
I take a long sip of the vodka she gave me, not even pausing to taste it.
It’s sweet—that’s enough for me.
“I’m sorry things were that bad for you,” I say, staring at her.
“You haven’t slept on a street?”
“Not yet,” I say quickly. “But I have a cruel ex, and no family, and I’m so glad to be here.” I want to vomit.
“I’m sorry. Cruel boyfriends are the worst. I just got away from one myself. He . . . he gave me a lot of drugs. I’m struggling, to be honest. It’s all I can think about. Have you ever had that feeling?”
Please stop.
Sweet girl, please stop.
“Yes,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.
“I’m so glad Dax appeared when he did. He . . . he has given me life again. I’ve met some wonderful people, I have a nice bed to sleep in, and he has given me more food than I could imagine . . .”
Oh.
Don’t.
Just don’t.
“I also like Yates. He seems super nice and wants to take me on a date next week. I haven’t been on a date in . . . well never.”
I don’t know what to do. My body feels stiff and my heart is racing. I turn to her and am about to open my mouth and say something stupid like ‘Yates asked me out, too’ or anything to make her reconsider seeing him.
But Dax appears, and looks at the two of us, smiling. “Are you ladies enjoying your evening?”
“Yes,” Bobbie says, her voice soft. “Thank you.”
“Bobbie, I think Yates is wondering where