UNDER HIS PROTECTION

ANT

ng me to a chair. The faint scent of damp wood and mildew filled the air, my head th

d'. ' By who?'. Questions rang through my head, the thought of the worse happening to me causing the throbbing in my head to

liar voice drawled, making my

am. My ex-fiancé. The man i'd once trusted with my hear

raw. "What... what the hell is

lar undone as if he'd been too lazy-or too desperate-to finish dressing himself pr

rk that made my stomach churn. "It'

aping the chair's edges as panic bubbled in my chest. "You tie me up in some godfors

. "Oh, Sammy. You're so naïve. T

ng butterflies in my stomach but now it sounds like da

t you, apparently. Let me guess, t the

rk fading into something colder. "You're not in a position

th him, even started building a life around him. And in return, he'd s

with another woman flashing in my mind. "And then you em

curling back into place. "You think this is about wha

d. "What... what are

sel out of with a payment plan. These people-" he gestured vaguely, as if referring to a distant storm

disbelief and fury battling for domin

is were a casual conversation. "Selling is such

hissed, venom in

no one. No money, no connections, no way out. I'm doing you a f

an escape. But the ropes bit into my skin with every movemen

o?" I demanded, my voice s

ey're not the kind of people you want to keep waiting. And if I were yo

left the room, the sound of the lock c

ry at how pathetic my life turned out. This wasn't the end. It couldn't be. There

ght he could break he