Page 17 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
My fingers flew across the screen as I messaged her back.
Me: Just at my office for a bit. You okay?Mere seconds after sending off that message, there was a quick rapping at my door. Not my office door, mind you. But the main one. The outside one.
Someone was at my office.
“Hope?” I called out.
I stood up from my chair and reached for my mace as the knocking grew furious. Almost like someone was banging their fist on my door.
Nope. Better take my gun.
“Hope! Is that you!?” I yelled.
I quickly scooped up my gun as the banging grew relentless.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!”
I cocked my gun and readied it at my side as I slipped out of my office. The knocking pounded against my ears as I made my way for the front door. I drew in a deep breath and settled myself. My knees grew strong and the trembling in my hands ceased. I feathered the trigger on my gun, ready to strike as I threw the lock on the door.
But nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when the door flew open.
“Joanna! You have to help me. Please.”
My sister’s voice was full of sorrow and tears as her arms flew around me. I held my gun out, quickly uncocking it before wrapping my arms around her. I reached out with my foot and kicked the door closed. But I didn’t have a chance to lock it as Hope held tightly to me.
I was beyond confused right now.
Especially since I didn’t know my little sister was in town.
“Hope. What in the world are y—”
She sobbed against my shoulder. “You have to help me. Please. I don’t know what to do. They won’t let me out. He’s insane, and he won't let me out.”
I shook my head as I locked my office front door. “Who won’t let you out of what? Hope, talk to me.”
Her cries only mounted, and it grew impossible to understand her. I helped her into my office and closed the door behind me, throwing that lock for good measure as well. I walked her over to the chair in front of my desk and sat her down. I placed my gun on top of my desk, then knelt in front of her. She buried her tear-streaked face in her hands. I rubbed my palms up and down her legs. The last thing I heard about my sister was the fact that she was in California living it up in some R.V. park with a guy she’d met.
So, how in the world did she end up in upstate New York?
“Hope, I really need you to calm down long enough to talk with me,” I said softly.
She sniffled hard before she raised her face. And when I saw the bruises beneath her eyes, I froze.
“Please tell me that’s your makeup,” I whispered.
She shivered. “He won’t let me out, Joanna. I need help.”
I blinked. “Okay. Start from the beginning. Who are you talking about?”
“Skeleton. He won’t let me out.”
I paused. “Skeleton.”
“Yes. That’s his name. And he won’t let me out of my contract.”
“What contract?”
Her eyes watered over. “You’re going to hate me.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re going to say, ‘I told you so’ and then leave.”
I shook my head. “Never, Hope. I’d never leave you. But I need specifics if I’m going to figure out how to help you. So, talk to me.”
Her eyes raised and saw my gun. “Are you okay?”
I peeked over my shoulder. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. I’ve had that for years now. Goes with me everywhere, just in case. Single girls like us nowadays can’t be too careful, you know?”
She fell back against the chair. “Travis broke up with me while we were in California.”
“I’m sorry, Hope.”
“No, you're not. You couldn't stand him.”
“Doesn’t mean I want to see you hurt. Stop accusing me of things and talk to me. What is going on?”
She sighed. “I did some things I shouldn’t have and ended up at a bar.”
“What things shouldn't you have done?”
She swallowed hard. “I stole money from Travis’ wallet and pawned some of his things.”
“Oh, Hope.”
“What!? The bastard wouldn't let me have a job. Wouldn’t let me have my own money. I didn’t have another choice.”
I held up my hand. “Okay, okay. I believe you. So, you went to the bar to grieve, I’m assuming?”
She nodded. “That’s where I met Skeleton.”
“The guy you’re with now.”
“I was never ‘with’ him, Joanna. I… had a rebound night. And it was nice.”
“Okay. What happened after this rebound night?”
She sniffled. “He promised he’d get me out of California if I didn’t want to stay. He talked about how New York was better anyway. So, that’s how I got here. I accepted a ride from him, so we took a nice motorcycle trip.”
Motorcycle. Huh. “Okay. Then, what happened?”
She closed her eyes. “We got here and he introduced me to some of his friends. They all rode bikes, too. So, it kind of became our thing. He said he found a job for me that even had a contractual foundation, so I was guaranteed to get paid. So, I signed it.”
