“No.”
Another small shake of Markus’s head, and I push my fingers into the waistband of her leggings. I pull them down her toned legs, leaving her in nothing but a pair of thin panties.
“Did someone send you to get to me?” Markus’s voice is nothing more than a growl now. He is angry. Really fucking angry. I didn’t think he would go through with this at first, but seeing him now, I think he just might.
“No.” She shakes her head before lowering it slightly. She knows what’s coming, she knows she is lying, the question is why?
I dip my fingers into the sides of her panties and pull them down so roughly, I make her gasp. Her knees are shaking, she looks so weak, and I think she might scramble to the floor soon.
“Get on your knees,” Markus orders, just as I hear him undoing his pants.
My cock twitches in my jeans as I take in Fallon’s naked body. I wonder if he is really going to share her with me. I certainly wouldn’t mind.
I put my hands on her shoulders and push her down gently. She is so scared, I figured she would go easily, but instead of obeying and getting down on her knees, she shrugs away from my hold and lunges herself at Markus. Wrapping her slender arms around his torso, she buries her face into his chest.
“I’m sorry. Please, don’t do this. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she begs, repeating herself over and over again.
For the longest time, Markus doesn’t move. He simply looks at me with conflict in his eyes. This girl has him wrapped around her little finger, and I’m not sure if I should laugh about this or simply be worried.
A moment later, Markus wraps his arms around her small quivering body, engulfing her completely while pulling her closer into his chest.
“Go upstairs to the bedroom and wait there for me. Don’t do anything else. Don’t fucking touch anything else. Go straight to the bedroom and wait on the bed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she blurts out, nodding her head furiously.
She doesn’t bother picking up her clothes. She simply untangles herself from Markus and runs up the stairs without another glance back.
“Wipe that fucking smirk off your fucking face.”
“I knew you wouldn’t go through with it.” I grin.
“Shut up and get out of here.” He points to the door.
“Do you want me to do it? While you’re gone, I mean.” I barely get the words out before Markus pounces on me. His hands wrap around my throat, and he growls into my face like a feral animal.
“Don’t even fucking think about touching her again. This was a one-time thing.”
I laugh and shove him away. “You told me to, stupid.”
“I know!” he roars.
“How would you feel about me offering to take care of Claire?”
My body stiffens, and I wipe every trace of a smile from my face. “Don’t even talk like that. It’s completely different, and you fucking know it.”
The only reason he even knows about Claire is because I had to ask him to check on her when Mike suddenly stopped contacting me. He doesn’t know much about her or my relationship with her, but he knows enough to keep his mouth shut about it.
“Sure, it is. Now get out. I have things to take care of.” He opens the front door, ready to shove me out.
“Whoa, I didn’t drive out here just to help you.”
“I remember. I was hoping you would forget to bring up whatever it was you wanted to talk about.”
“You’re an asshole.” I shake my head.
“What do you need to tell me or better yet, ask me?” Markus grips onto the wooden door like he is about to take a chunk out of it.
“Your brother, Felix. Are you still in contact with him?” I ask carefully.
“Yes,” he replies, a bit annoyed sounding.
“Could you give me his number? I need help with something, and your brother is the man for hacking and tracking down people.”
“First, he’s not cheap. Two, if Julian finds out you’re working with him—”
“He won’t. This is none of Julian’s business, and it doesn’t affect the family in any way. This is for me and me alone.”
“I don’t want to be dragged into this mess, so keep my name out of it. I’ll text you his number, and only because I feel bad for you.”
“You won’t be. Thanks, fucker. If you need anything, let me know.”
“We’re not friends,” Markus growls.
I can’t withhold a snicker. “Sure, we aren’t, asshole.”
Markus slams the door shut behind me, and I get back into the car feeling lighter. With Felix’s help, I’ll find whoever is behind this quickly. And then I’m going to put an end to this once and for all.
5
Claire
“I can do the dishes,” I offer after we finish eating.
“I’ve got it, honey,” Tracy, my adoptive mom, waves me away. “Why don’t you finish your homework, and I’ll clean the kitchen.”
“Do you need help with that project you were talking about earlier?” Steven, my adoptive dad, asks rather loudly. They are always considerate of my hearing, speaking louder when I’m not looking at them.
Turning to face him, I smile. “Oh, no. I’m already done with it, actually. I have some reading to do, but other than that, I’m finished with assignments for the week.”
“That’s great, no wonder you’re a straight-A student. Always ahead.” Tracy smiles. “Maybe tomorrow after school we can do something fun? Get mani-pedis together? Go shopping at the mall? We could take Hope with us,” she offers, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Sure, that sounds fun.” I grin.
When I first came to live with Tracy and Steven, I didn’t know what to expect. I had heard so many horror stories about kids in the system. I figured I would be miserable here until I turned eighteen. My expectations were low, which made finding out how truly amazing they were even more special.
They could never have children of their own, so they were happy to take me in. Tracy quit her job as an accountant so she could take care of my every need. Steven is a car salesman at the local dealership. I don’t know their situation with money, but he must sell a lot of cars because they never seem to worry about funds.
If I just mention my need for new clothes, Tracy takes me shopping the next day. If I simply hint at wanting anything, it’s mine within the week, which is why I normally keep everything to myself. I’m eternally thankful for all they’ve done for me, how they took me into their home to care for me, which is exactly why I don’t want them to have to spend all their money on me. They’ve done enough.
“I’ll head upstairs then to—”
I’m interrupted by a knock at the door. All three of us look between each other, asking without words if one of us knows who could be at the door. I don’t have a lot of friends, and if it was Hope, she wouldn’t knock, she’d just come in.
“I’ll get it,” Steven finally says.
It’s not that late, only seven, but normally no one comes by. Curious, I peek around the corner to the front door. Steven opens the door, and right away, a large figure moves inside the house.