Page 7 of Splintered Desire

When I was younger, the apartment was just one room, and although it was mine and Dad slept on the couch, his stuff was still in there; that was the only place for it. We shared a dresser and closet, not that it mattered; we didn’t have much. When we finally moved into the house, it had two bedrooms, and even though Dad gave me what they called the master bedroom, it was tiny.

Don’t get me wrong; I was beyond grateful. It made hiding my fighting gear a lot easier, not to mention hiding my bumps and bruises. But everything in it was secondhand. My mattress was still on the floor, and my closet’s rolling mirror door was broken, so it was stuck open. The whole house was run down, but it was in a much nicer neighborhood and leagues above where we started.

I might not be here long, but if I have to be, I might as well enjoy it.

Taking a deep breath, I reach for the handle, push the door open, and almost have to pick my jaw up off the damn floor.

This has to be a mistake…

I look back down the hall, where the guys disappeared a minute ago, despite knowing they’re already gone.

That’s probably for the best. What was I going to say?

Hey, I think you made a mistake; this room is too nice?

No thanks. Instead, I turn back to my new room and go inside, closing the door behind me. I can’t stop the sigh of relief as I find it also has a lock. I flip the lock, turning to press my back to the door as I look around the room in awe.

Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

Thursday

Ilied; it is that bad.

“You know, when Diane told you to show me around, I don’t think she meant for you to take me to the strip club,” I grumble as we pull up to a huge warehouse in what looks like a shady part of town.

Honestly, I have no idea what it is, but with these three, I feel like a strip club is a fair bet.

“Aww, sis, what's wrong? Got something against tits?” Jace says in a fake, sweet tone meant to mock me.

Too bad for him; I can play that game too.

“Nope,” I pop the p. “The tits are fine. It’s the unwanted extras I’m more than happy to stay away from.” I screw up my face, and he barks a laugh.

“I bet you like tits. Everyone likes what they don’t have.” Isaac catches my eye in the rearview, raising his brow as if daring me to argue.

I roll my eyes at his boring ass joke. Like I’ve never heard that one before.

“Don’t call her that,” Kolson snaps at Jace before throwing the car in park. The second the car’s off, they pile out, but I make no move to follow.

Jace hops out, and a second later, Kolson leans down to look in at me.

“Let’s go.” His voice is rough and demanding. I’m sure it makes most people fall in line, but I’m not most people, and I don’t take orders from him.

“It’s not a strip club, if that’s what you're worried about,” Jace calls out from behind him, as if he thinks that will somehow make me want to go with them. I wasn’t kidding, though. I wouldn’t care if it was.

No, my issue with this is my lack of choice. I didn’t want to go with them, and I definitely don’t want to be forced to follow them around, relying on them.

I was supposed to go down to the old fighting building today and get the information about the new location. I’m scheduled to fight opening weekend.

This weekend, I don’t have time for this shit.

“If you don’t get out of the car, I’ll pull you out and drag you in, kicking and screaming,” Kolson tells me, his voice unwavering despite his threat. I turn to look at him, ready to tell him off, but when my eyes meet his, I see the truth of his words.

He’s not just saying that in hopes of making me comply. No, he means it.

Fuck it.

The faster I get in there, the faster we can head back to the house. With any luck, I’ll still have time to slip away before dinner and get the new address. If not, I’m not sure what the hell I’ll do. Finding them isn't easy.