Page 124 of Sawyer

“Oh, you can ask.” She winks at me. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you aren’t comfortable,” I assure her. Although I’m a journalist, I’d never push her for more information than she’s willing to give me.

“Oh, I’m comfortable.” She chuckles to herself. “It’s my own damn fault, really.” She sighs. “Listen, as a gamma, we don’t have the best options, if you know what I mean.” She gives me that look, the one that screams her job wasn’t very honorable.

I slump on the bench and pull my feet up, once more curling in on myself. “I was a stripper at Haven before I got my job with Central Daily.”

“No shit.” She nods. “Never hide an ass like that from the world. Anyway…” She leans back to rinse out her hair, carrying on like she didn’t just compliment my assets. “I turned tricks. Had my own corner and everything.” She finishes up and shuts the water off.

“I’m sorry.” Because what else am I supposed to say to that?

“Don’t be.” She snorts. “I loved my job. I enjoyed being in a secure penthouse. It had everything I could ever want. Hell, I even had my very own channel. If you know, you know.” She winks at me and grabs a towel.

“Designation Hub?” I ask, tapping my chin. “Or Only Knots?”

“The latter, of course.” She sighs wistfully. “I only hope my accounts are still secure and a hacker didn’t steal it all. I hoped my followers would call for help, but even if they did, no one could find this place.” She pulls on her pants with a dramatic sigh. “Anyway, I picked up a john one night, not my usual.”

“You had regulars?” I’m genuinely curious.

“Of course I did, but for some reason, this night, I was horny.” She stands before me topless, wearing a scowl on her pretty face. “This damn vagina is always getting me into some kind of trouble.”

I note the scar above her pubic bone, but I don’t ask about it, remembering Thea’s words.

“I got in the car with the wrong guy,” she scoffs. “I should have known better than to fall for a redhead, but here we are.”

“A redhead?” I question.

For some reason, my alarm bells are going off.

“Yeah, a redheaded beta boy.” She grabs a shirt with too much force and slips it over her head. The top only emphasizes her curves. “Had a camera and everything.”

“Vee.” I feel the panic building inside me, slow and steady. I try to breathe, calm my racing heart, and swallow past my fear. It can’t be. “Did he give you a name?”

“Freddy, I think.” She snorts, utterly unaware of the turmoil boiling inside me. “Yeah, he was charming, but he had this weird vibe.” She points at me. “Always follow your intuition, babe. Always.”

“Yeah,” I reply automatically. “This can’t be real.”

“Girl, there aren’t any ghosts here. Why do you look like that?”

“This is just my face.” I thunk my head against my knees. “I should have seen it. How did I not see it?”

“All right, I can see you are working through some shit, so I’m going to turn off the water and come check on you.” She begins with our shower before heading to the other five.

Freddy.

I close my eyes, feeling broken.

The pictures.

He was always there, popping up at the worst times.

Applying to my brother’s stupid fucking bonding bullshit.

Freddy.

My head swims, and my heart hurts.

“You good, boo?” Vee’s feet slap on the floor as she nears me. “Because we should get back to our rooms for observation time.”

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