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CHAPTER ONE
security
Faith
I didn’t look back at the mansion as I hustled down the drive. I didn’t want to think—I was leaving my new friends and Cassius behind, not to mention the money. Ugh, the money. I couldn’t believe I was running away from so much money!
It wasn’t like me to be irresponsible. Since he’d been born, I’d taken care of my brother Lucas. My mother wasn’t a fit parent. I’d made it my mission to protect my brother and succeeded until he’d gotten sick. My mother couldn’t handle the additional responsibilities brought on by his illness, and she’d imploded. Alone at eighteen, I’d struggled to care for him and keep him not only in treatment but off the streets.
I was being selfish by running from Club 444. But being with Cassius last night had undone me. I’d never had feelings like that before, both physically and emotionally. My encounter with the mercurial billionaire had changed me. I was no longer a virgin, no longer innocent to the secrets of pleasure he’d unlocked inside me. But more than that, I was no longer just a caretaker. Cassius had awakened something—someone—inside of me. A young woman filled with passion, longing, and a desire to explore more of life.
That woman wanted to explore those things with Cassius Blackwood. But that was never to be. The billionaire would never be mine.
So I was leaving her behind, too. I didn’t have the bandwidth to worry about my heart. My brother would die if I didn’t take care of him. My life could wait; his couldn’t.
I shoved my circling thoughts to the side and hurried down the drive. Cursing, I realized I’d also left my cell phone with the Madam. What the hell was I going to do? I didn’t dare go back to retrieve it.
Remembering the security guard at the gate, I decided to ask him to call an Uber for me. I’d figure the rest out somehow…
I kept my bag close, shivering in the early morning chill.It had rained overnight, and a mist rose from the lush grounds. I couldn’t escape the mansion fast enough, but the driveway seemed to stretch forever. The Blackwood brothers wanted their private club hidden from the prying eyes of the public, and they’d succeeded.
I was winded by the time I reached the wrought-iron gate. I glimpsed the security guard inside, filling out a crossword puzzle on his phone. “Excuse me,” I said, lifting my voice. “Can you let me out?”
Startled, he whipped his head at me. He was a ginger in his forties, with a crewcut, tattoos on both sides of his burly neck, and a machine gun strapped to his chest.
My palms started to sweat. “Please?” I added.
He shook his head. “What’s your name?” he asked gruffly. “I have to clear it with Management.”
I licked my lips. “My name’s Mia.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do you have a last name?”
“Um…” I was the worst liar ever.
“She doesn’t need a last name,” boomed a familiar, icy voice from the security post’s intercom. “Let her through.”
The guard jumped to attention. “Yes, Mr. Blackwood. Right away.”
The gate swung open, and I practically sprinted through it.
But a car emerged behind me, large, black, and glossy. Cassius Blackwood scowled at me from behind the driver’s seat.
Oh, fuck.
He pulled up beside me. As he rolled down the window, I saw my reflection; my hair was wild, and last night’s mascara streaked beneath my eyes. I was a mess inside and out.
But, of course, Cassius looked impeccable. He wore his suit from the night before, the onyx-and-diamond cufflinks winking at his wrists. His hair was tousled—probably from me running my hands through it all night—and his peppery stubble was thicker. Still, he managed to look pulled together, ridiculously handsome, and prepared to take on the world. Basically, my exact opposite.
He scowled at me and held up my cell phone. “You forgot something, Faith.”
“T-Thanks.” I reached for it, but he pulled it back.
“Get in.”
I swallowed hard. “I was—I was just about to head back to Boston. Sir,” I added hastily as a matter of habit.
His brow furrowed. “Were you planning on walking there?”
