Bound To The Devil From My Past

steps of the New York City Clerk's office were cold, radiating a chill straight through the soles of her shoes, but the sweat o

n the paper. Ge

e air tasting like exhaust fumes and impending rain. She pulled her phone from her bag, the

promised to save the compa

his hair seemingly whiter than it had been just a week ago. The great Bradford

t an option. If she ran, the creditors would circle by midnight. Her fam

ilent purr. It looked absurdly expensive against the grimy street,

breath hitched, a sudden, sh

risp and efficient, and p

rd, so shiny it reflected the gray sky. The cost of that

man unfolded himself from the back seat, rising to his full height. He was tall,

him, turning him into a dark, faceless shape. She couldn't see his features, but she cou

ured, deliberate. The sunlight s

ngs forgot

like it had been carved from granite. Cheekbones that could cut glass. B

o

new that face. She would know it anywhere, even fourteen years l

rth Ma

they had pushed around just because they could. The boy who coughed, who stumbled, who looked at her

k, slow and razor-sharp, curved his lips. I

rumble, vibrating in the space between them. "Or, I sup

s, her knuckles turning white. This wasn't a rescue. This wasn't

to get out, but her throat was sealed shut. She could o

eping over her face like a searchlight. He w

ly cost more than her father's remaining shares. His expression

ve minutes," he said, his

rode toward the entrance, his long legs eating up the distance. He

h wet sand. The reality of her situation crashed over her, cold

She didn't need to look

re? Ashli

e water. She had no choice.

he steps one by one, following the man

mps on her bare arms. The waiting room was fluorescent a

ds, his eyes scanning the pages. He didn't look up as she approached. He didn't acknowledge h

ng worse than his smirk. It was a reminder

d. She stared at the faded pattern on the carp

ber

through the hum of the

stood, smoothing a hand down his tie. Fi

th. But there was a command in them, a

as t

his look seemed to