Page 38 of Brutal Prince

“Various things.”

“Such as?”

“Like what happened in room twenty three.”

“Are they making you do stuff with other girls?”

“No... not yet anyway.”

There were gaps in his hesitations that indicated that I wasn’t getting the full story. Perhaps it was due to shame. “Wow. This is a lot to take in. So, they have a hold over you?”

“Yeah.”

“What exactly did you do?”

He shook his dark head. “I’m not going into that.”

I dunked a bite of crumbed fish into the dollop of tartare and dill sauce they provided. “Where does Darryn fit in?”

“I can’t speak for Darryn.”

“Sounds like you admitted he’s in the same boat by not admitting to it,” I stated.

“Yeah, well, no one’s perfect.”

“Are you worried they might drag you down with them when the scab is picked off the wound?”

“No. It’s not that sort of blackmail. I mean, I haven’t done anything they can use against me.” He combed his big fingers through his hair. “You really think authorities will bring down the whole fucking organization?”

I hesitated. “Yes and I’m a little freaked out that you don’t.”

“It’s just that every step Mathias takes, an obstacle is placed in her way.”

“So…” I shook my head in confusion. “If you think that Mathias is going to get nowhere, why are you bothering?”

“To protect you,” he repeated, his eyes softened and I knew it was the truth. Except this time when he said there was something the tone in his voice that chilled me.

“Ollie,” I said slowly, “I’m going to ask you a question and I’d really like it if you told me the truth.”

He scratched the back of his neck in anticipation for the freight train. “I’ll do my best.”

I took a deep breath before asking, “Did someone threaten to hurt me, if you didn’t do what they say?”

There was a black and white framed photograph on the wall above our table of KVU in the early days and this was where he decided to focus his attention. Rather than looking at me. That told me everything.

“I’m not surprised, Ollie,” reaching for his hand.

His jaw twitched. “You don’t seem too worried.”

“I’m not.”

His eyes found mine but they were filled with anguish. “You don’t have anything to worry about if I keep bowing to their demands.”

“That’s not what I meant. And I don’t want you to do that anymore. Math-”

“-Fuck, Mathias,” he snapped. “She’s got nothing. The filth is so fucking deep and lined with gold, babe. It’s a dangerous world even a detective has no protection from.”

“I know,” I tried to assure him.

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