Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Her voice trails off and I give her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay if this is too painful.”
“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just now I look back on it, of course it was too good to be true, but the life I had been living . . . it was like I’d died and gone to heaven. The men I met were kind and generous, and I truly believed that I was going to start a better life.”
“So basically what you’re saying is nothing terrible is going to happen, but instead, quite the opposite . . .”
She smiles, but it’s wounded. “Oh, it’s terrible. You just don’t know it, and that’s what makes it scary.”
I nod, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. “Thank you. I really appreciate you talking to me.”
She stands and looks up at me, her smile softer now. “You’re strong, Waverly. You’re also protected. You’re going to come out of this with no damage. But I do want to thank you for what you’re doing. It really means a lot to me.”
Dammit, this girl knows how to make my heart feel a whole lot heavier than it normally does.
She’s good people.
Strong people.
People like that, you hang onto.
STANDING ON THE BALCONY peering out, I can honestly say it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. There’s a huge lake full of people doing watersports, and big thick trees surrounding the water, and sitting behind beautiful big cabins. There is a little shop overlooking the lake where people are sitting, laughing and enjoying lunch. A large jetty goes out into the water where visitors are putting in boats, and canoes, and jet skis.
It’s gorgeous.
I could vacation here for a good long time.
Maybe forever.
The smell of fresh coffee brewing fills the air, and a cool breeze tickles over my face as the sun begins to warm the day. The sky is blue, the water is fresh, and I want to stay here until I’m forced to leave.
It’s just a shame to be stuck here with a man I loathe.
Dax.
However, there are also two other men and two other girls.
Both girls, who I’ve been introduce to already, are only young. They’re possibly younger than me. I’d guess they’re only about eighteen, if that. It’s a little alarming that at their age, they’ve lived such hard lives. You can see it written all over them, which makes me wonder if I’m doing my job acting as a traumatized person real well.
Bobbie, the first girl, is young and pretty. She has blond hair and brown eyes, and is petite in build. She’s had a hard life though; her skin seems to be struggling against the trauma she’s putting it through by using drugs and drinking alcohol. She’s got premature age lines and her eyes have dark shadows underneath them. When she’s wearing a shirt, I can see marks on her arms to indicate she’s been using quite heavily.
Amy, the second girl, looks similar to Bobbie, except she seems to be holding her age a little better. She’s got blond hair, slightly ashier than Bobbie’s, and her eyes are blue. She’s a little curvier, but also petite. She, too, carries the marks of drug abuse, but mostly she seems quiet, and withdrawn, and if I’m seeing things correctly, there’s a bruise fading on her left eye.
Someone has hurt her.
She has a different kind of story to tell.
My heart breaks for both of them, mostly because I know what’s about to happen to them. They think they’re going to enter a better world, but soon they’ll find out the heaven they’re being promised is actually in disguise—this is hell. The doors will close behind them, and they’ll have no way out.
I’m not going to let that happen.
“What do you think of the lake?”
I jump when Dax comes up behind me and places a hand on my hip. All day, he’s been putting his hands on me in an affectionate manner. In a way that would make me think he’s got some sort of warm feelings for me. I heard him speaking to Bobbie, and while he wasn’t being cruel, he wasn’t using the same gentle tones he’s been using when we talk.
Does Dax see straight through me, and is playing the game?
Or does he actually feel something different when we’re together?
Both options scare the hell out of me.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he tells me, his voice low and gravelly.
I turn to face him and look up into his gaze. He’s a gorgeous man; it would be hard for anyone to overlook that.
I glance away.
“I’m sorry. I was just taking in the scenery. I didn’t hear you come around.”
“That’s okay; enjoy it. Would you like to take a walk with me? The other girls are enjoying some time with Yates and Jack. I think they might like them.”