Page 52 of Devil's Deal

She shook her head slowly, and when she glanced up, her eyes were brimming with tears. “No, worse. They chewed me out, and my dad took away my car, and I thought that was it. Then one day, I got home from school, and nobody was there. No one was there for three days before these movers showed up saying they were there to pack up the house. I told them there was a mistake, and I didn’t let them in.

“My dad had taken his new family on vacation without me before, and since they were so pissed about me liking girls, I figured missing out again was my punishment. But after the movers came, that’s when I got scared and went into my parents’ room and found an envelope from my dad. He said his new wife didn’t feel comfortable having her girls in the house with me?—”

“Sonofabitch!” Harlow burst out. “That’s total bull shit.”

I didn’t disagree with him. In fact, I wondered what Romeo would have to say about that? What would he do? Would he go after her parents? Did I want him to? Yeah, I thought maybe I did. Good grief. When did I get so dark? So bloodthirsty?

She shrugged. “Anyway, they bought a new house and moved. He didn’t give me their new address, just left me a few thousand dollars in cash. I tried calling both of their numbers for days, but it always went to voicemail. Eventually, it said the numbers had been disconnected.”

Harlow crawled up and sat next to her, draping his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. “Well, fuck them. You’ve got us now.”

“You certainly do. And unless you really don’t want the job, I insist you take it.”

Tears began streaming down her face. “But I only have the clothes you’ve given me, and where will I live? I appreciate what you’re wanting to do, but I have nothing to offer.”

“Sure you do. You’ll be great with the customers, and you can share a room with me,” Harlow said. “One of the perks of my new job is a room up on the fourth floor. We can have slumber parties every night, and during the day, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to run the front desk.”

My heart warmed at Harlow’s generosity. “I think I can do you one better. Charity. You can take a room on the fourth floor, as well. I’ve decided not to reopen that level for now. As far as clothes, I’ll give you an advance on your first paycheck, and your new bestie”—I winked at Harlow—“can take you shopping for everything you need.”

Harlow beamed at me. “That’s a great idea. What do you say, Charity? Will you stay? It’ll be awesome, I promise.”

She stared at me, blinking back tears. “Do you mean it? Really? You and Romeo have already done so much for me.”

“Of course, I mean it. And in case you missed it, Romeo and I are together. I’m gay.”

She smiled shyly. “I know. I figured that out pretty quickly.”

Harlow snorted. “I already told her I’m gay.” I guess the surprise at him being so forthcoming with her showed on my face because he continued, “When you asked me to check on her the other night, I didn’t want her to think I was some creep or whatever, so I led with that.”

“Of course you did.” Was there a sweeter, purer soul than Harlow? Looking at the two of them curled up together, I thought maybe he needed her as much as she needed him. He was a hard worker, but like me, he was a little quirky, and I suspected, a lot lonely.

The older women on staff adored him and had always doted on him, but he’d never seemed to have too many people his own age to hang with. And Charity, she just needed people she could depend on right now. Romeo and I would keep her safe, but Harlow? He’d bring sunshine to her life.

Smacking my hands on my thighs, I stood up. “We can work out all the details later, but for now, I need to go upstairs and lay down for a while. Harlow, make sure you get some rest, too.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

“Charity, maybe don’t leave the hotel until after I’ve had a chance to speak with Romeo.” There was no way I wanted that pimp to get his hands on her again. “You can shop for the necessities online and have them delivered.”

“That’s a good idea,” Harlow said. “Should we use the same credit card number that you gave me to order supplies?”

“Good idea.”

We said our goodbyes, and as I walked toward my little apartment, I rubbed my chest. Why did people suck so bad? How could anyone hurt their child like that? Everything felt too big, like too much, so I dove onto my bed and closed my eyes. Hopefully, Romeo’s meeting with the Buccellis had gone okay, and he’d be home soon.

Chapter

Four

ROMEO

Everything that happenedtoday after I pulled my tongue from Cory’s luscious body had sucked. Vincenzo Buccelli was a pain in the ass, Rocco was a nuisance, and I’d managed to lose Niccolo’s trust somehow. It had to be more than a couple of missed phone calls, but I couldn’t figure out what. Was he pissed that I’d given Dante orders to clean up the Huey mess down in the tunnels?

Whatever it was, discussing plans and objectives with the three of them had been icy and uncomfortable. The only person who’d looked more ill at ease than I’d felt was Dante.

Cory mumbled in his sleep and threw his arm over his face, which was adorable and reminded me why I was going through all this aggravation. I’d do anything for this man. “Why are you staring at me like a creeper?” he mumbled, dropping his arm and peering at me.

Leaning forward, I ran my thumb down his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

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