Pulling my hair out of my ponytail, I look in the mirror and watch as it falls over my shoulders in long, rolling waves. It hasn’t been this long for years. I always used to cut it short when I first escaped the Wolf. He would constantly tell me how much he loved my hair. Once I was convinced that he wasn’t coming looking for me, and I felt like I had changed enough from the seventeen-year-old girl he’d last seen, I let it grow again. I take hold of a small section and lift it to my face, inspecting the ends. It’s still in good condition, but I could do with a trim, and I need to speak to the brothers about making myself an appointment at a salon.
I can’t help smiling at my reflection and how much the twins love my long hair. Liam likes to curl it around his fingers and Mikey sometimes likes to brush it. It kind of reminds me of being a kid when my mom would sit and comb the tangles from my hair for hours. Conor and Shane seem to love it too, although thinking about what they do with it makes the heat sear between my thighs. Both of them have a habit of wrapping it around their fists. Conor to make me more compliant when he’s kissing me, and Shane when he fucks me from behind.
Conor eventually went to bed a few hours ago and I plan on joining him shortly, as he suggested. Although, just to sleep. I could do with catching up on some myself.
A loud knock makes me jump. “Yeah,” I shout and spin around as Shane opens the door. I haven’t seen him all day. I’ve been avoiding him. I suspect he’s been dodging me too, but I couldn’t give a shiny rat’s ass.
“What can I do for you, Shane?” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I have something to show you, Hacker,” he says and holds out his hand.
“I don’t have time right now.” I glance at my watch. “I was just going to have a soak in the tub and then head to bed.
“I think it’s something you’ll be interested in,” he replies with that cocky smile of his that practically sets my panties on fire. “And you might want to put on some shoes.”
I sigh and roll my eyes, as though being in his company isn’t going to be excruciating no matter what we’re doing. He ignores the eye roll, which isn’t like him, and waits expectantly for me at the door while I slip my sneakers back on.
A few moments later, Shane and I are in the elevator headed to the basement. I stare at him, looking for clues as to where he’s taking me, but he avoids my gaze and suddenly I get a strange feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Why won’t he look at me?
“Where are we going? Can I have a clue?”
“You’ll see soon. Stop being so impatient,” he snaps, still avoiding eye contact.
The elevator doors finally open and he steps out into the basement garage and walks towards a large Mercedes SUV. I follow him and we both stop in front of the car and I look around. It’s a beautiful car, but this garage is filled with incredible cars. If I was going to choose one to stand beside and admire, it would be the Bugatti Veyron or the Aston Martin Vulcan.
“What’s so special about this?” I ask him.
“It’s yours,” he says calmly and my heart almost stops beating in my chest.
“What? You’re giving me a car?” I frown at him. “Just like that? What’s the catch?”
“Not just a car, Hacker. There are papers in the glove compartment, giving you a new identity. Social security number, passport, birth certificate – the works. And there’s a half a million dollars in the trunk too.”
I blink at him. “What?” I get a sudden sickening feeling that I know where this conversation is headed and I don’t like it at all.
“It’s all yours, Hacker. You get into it right now, and you drive. Your new life awaits.”
“Just like that?” I snap.
“Just like that,” he turns to me and nods. “You will never get a better offer than this, Jessie. This is me offering you your freedom. No strings. No catch.”
“Except I don’t get to say goodbye? And I don’t see any of you ever again, right?”
“Well, that’s kind of the point of a new life, isn’t it? To leave the old one behind?” he frowns.
“Fuck you, Shane!” I snap as I start to walk away from him.
He grabs hold of my arm and pulls me to him, bending his head low so his face is close to mine. “Think about what you’re giving up here,” he snarls. “I am giving you everything you need to start over. I could just toss you out onto the street instead.”
“Your brothers wouldn’t let you!” I hiss.
He laughs softly. It’s not a pleasant sound. It’s mocking and cruel, and it echoes around the concrete basement. “And how exactly do you see your future playing out with us, Hacker? We just go on passing your around between the four of us until we get bored? Until someone else with bigger tits and a smaller ass takes your place?”
I stumble back from him, reeling so hard he might as well have slapped me in the face. I try to wrench my arm free and move away from him, but he holds me firmly in place. “Why are you doing this?” I say as the tears spring to my eyes. I hate myself for crying in front of him, but he is tearing out my heart.
“We’re no good for you. And you’re not good for us either. You distract us, Hacker. You make my brothers vulnerable, and that makes them weak.”
The blood pounds through my veins, thrumming beneath the skin on my wrist where he holds me tightly. I suck in a deep breath and wipe my tears away with my free hand. Planting my feet squarely on the ground, I look up at him, glaring into his fiery green eyes.
“You can say what you want about your brothers and me, Shane. But I love them. And despite what you think, they love me too. I feel it in every part of my being. You think that love makes you weak, and so you run from it. Men like you will never know true strength, because you are too afraid to feel. Love does not make you weak, you jackass. Don’t you see that it’s the most powerful force in the world? So, you can stick your car, and your money, and your new identity up your goddamn ass! Now take your hands off me and let me go back to my room!” I hiss at him.
He stares at me, his jaw working overtime and that vein pulsing in his temple. Then he releases my wrist. I draw in a few shaky breaths and then I turn and walk back to the elevator and leave him standing alone.
