Page 14 of Twice as Forbidden

Thirtyminuteslater,wepull up to the curb. I thank William for the ride and climb out, watching as he drives away before heading into the building.

As I step into the lobby, uncertainty begins to creep in. Jackson never told me what to do once I got back—no instructions, no tasks, nothing. Do I wait in his office? Check in with someone? The thought of standing around aimlessly makes my skin prickle.

With no better option, I step onto the elevator, exhaling as I press the button for our floor. The doors slide shut, and my phone buzzes in my purse. I pull it out, hoping for some sort of direction.

Noah: Where the fuck are you?

Great. I shoot off a reply.

Me: At work. You?

Noah: Bullshit. Rachel said you left with my dad. Tell me that’s a fuckin joke.

I roll my eyes and shove my phone back in my purse without replying. The elevator dings, and I walk right into Noah’s furious gaze. “What the hell were you doing at the warehouse with my dad?”

“Are you stalking me now?” I try to walk past him, but he doesn’t let me.

“No, I’m looking out for you. Stay away from him.”

“You’re joking, right? I work for him.” I make another attempt to move past him, but he grabs my arm, pulling me into him.

“What else are you gonna do for him?”

“Fuck you.”

“Don’t tempt me, baby. I’d never turn down a good fuck with you—”

I raise my hand to slap him, but the glass entrance door opens, and Rachel sticks her head out. “Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt.” Noah releases my arm, losing his nasty snarl.

“No problem.” He gives me one last glare before plastering on a smile and turning to Rachel. “What’s up, Rach?”

“Your father called. He wanted to make sure Miss Price made it back okay.”

Noah looks back at me, an accusing scowl on his face. “Tell him his pet made it back in one piece,” he mutters, shoving past me, his shoulder jarring mine. He flings open the door to the stairwell and takes off down the stairs.

“Asshole,” I cuss under my breath. Noah’s car is gone. He left me to fend for myself to get a ride home. I shake my head and pull out my phone, searching for my ride app. I text Noah while I wait.

Me: You’re a real prick. Just proves I made the right decision.

Three little dots come across my screen and then disappear. “Ugh!” How the hell did it take so long for me to realize what an absolute dick he is?Oh, right, mind-blowing sex had me seeing rainbows instead of red flags.

Well, no more.

My Uber finally arrives, and I climb in, hitting the first person in my saved Favorites.

“Oh, wow, my big sister didn’t forget about me after all.”

It’s been days since I last spoke to my little sister. Guilt presses heavy on my chest. I hate that I let this much time pass. It’s not like me, but the past couple of days have been consuming.

“Lettie, you know I’d never forget about you.”

I hate that I’m here while she’s stuckthere—under the same roof as a monster.

Going off to college was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, knowing I was walking away and leaving her behind. There were nights I almost packed my bags, ready to throw it all away just to be close enough to protect her. But I knew I couldn’t. I had to get out—I had to build a wayoutfor both of us.

Even taking the internship weighed on me, knowing she’d be alone all summer as well. But I have a plan. Once she finishes high school, I’m going to get her as far away from him as possible. Assuming Bill doesn’t get his hands on her college funds too.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m kidding. How’s Chicago? How’s the internship? How’sNoah?”

---