Between the Cracks and Burning Doors: Book 2 of The Extraction List Series by Renee N. Meland Page B

you’re out here? I would have seen you if you worked for her.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I do too.”
    She leapt out of bed and then thought the better of it, falling to her knees and clasping her head in her hands with a groan.
    I got up and helped her find the mattress again. “Better just stay here for now.”
    She didn’t protest. “What do you do?”
    “Bodyguard.”
    The girl’s smile stretched across her face, mischief twinkling in her eyes. “Real piece of work, isn’t she?”
    I smiled back and found myself glancing at the floor.
    She noticed and her mouth fell open. “Oh my God, you’re into her, aren’t you? Fuckin’ lunatic. Straight up coo coo for cocoa puffs is what you are. Don’t get me wrong, I love her for taking me in, but she’s in orbit, man. Straight up orbit.”
    “Maybe that’s what I like about her.”
    She curled up in bed and threw the covers over her head. “If you like ‘em crazy, more power to you. I’m going to sleep.”
    The girl was snoring in seconds. She was sleeping in my bed (well, Dom’s bed) and she hadn’t even told me her name.
     
    I woke up to the sound of eggs sizzling. When I opened my eyes, the girl smiled at me. “Tryin’ to say thanks. Thanks with cholesterol and fat.” She scooped the eggs onto a plate and handed it to me.
    “Thanks.” I stabbed the fluffy white pieces and shoveled them into my mouth. They weren’t quite cooked enough but I was too hungry to care. “So you ever gonna tell me your name?”
    “Jordyn. It’s Jordyn.”
    She sat back on the bed and watched me eat. Occasionally, she would squeeze her giant eyes tight, and I could tell her head was still bothering her. “So, if you work for Maureen, what were you doing with that guy?”
    She leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms across her chest. “I tried to work at the house, I really did. But I couldn’t do it. I mean, I could do it…but not there.”
    “Why not?”
    Jordyn flexed her bare toes, and I wondered if she realized I could see up her dress. “The denial. I couldn’t deal with the denial.” Suddenly, she crossed her legs into a seated position, and then I knew for sure that she didn’t care that I could see up her dress. “I know what I am. And I’m okay with that. But to be around a bunch of people pretending to be some sort of upper class trophy toys that men get to play with one night a week is ridiculous.” Jordyn seemed to stare into nowhere. “Sure, Maureen said she picks all of us because we’re talented and strong, real prizes—I’m the token ballet dancer, by the way—but those guys don’t give two shits if we can play the violin or recite our ABCs. All they want is between our legs, and to pretend otherwise makes me ill.”
    Jordyn hopped up and stared out the window and into the streets below us. “Anyways, so I asked Maureen if I could still sleep there after I was done working. Still have a bed, but earn my way in places outside the house. That’s how I ended up in that alley. There’s a hotel a couple blocks from there. He followed me. Wanted a second round for free.” She paced back toward the kitchen, snagging my plate along the way. “A real jackass that one.”
    I looked at her. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
    “Don’t be,” she laughed, like almost being raped and having her skull cracked against a wall instead was no big deal. “Part of the job. Better than starvation, I guarantee that.”
    I didn’t know what to say. It saddened my heart to hear such a young girl talk about having sex for money like it was nothing.
    It hurt even more when I realized that if my father hadn’t been so wealthy, I may have ended up a drug dealer, or worse, much sooner.
    I didn’t want to be thankful for anything related to that man, especially since finding out that he had been one of those disgusting men taking those girls behind the curtains at Maureen’s place. The noises I desperately wanted to shut out had once come