Beneath a Blood Moon Read Online Free Page B

which made me smile. When I needed her, she was there.

    The night passed in a blur. After the mysterious amber-eyed man and his elusive smile, none of the men in the club were worth dancing for, and my work suffered from my lack of interest and enthusiasm. Isabella didn’t do much better than I did, and after an afternoon and early evening of lackluster tips, we mutually gave up; she gave the last two hours of her shift to one of the new girls.
    “We’ll go to your place and grab your books,” she said, herding me to the line for a cab. “Won’t be able to take everything, but at least you won’t have to go without your important things. Between the two of us, we can take quite a bit.”
    “I can replace my books. We don’t have to go,” I protested, shaking my head at the thought of returning to my apartment. “This is a stupid idea.”
    If there were more roses and threats waiting on my doorstep, I didn’t want to know about them.
    “Don’t try to feed me that shit. You’ve been working yourself to death trying to go to college. You need those books and your notes. Face it; you can’t afford to blow a single semester or you’ll be sixty before you graduate and can get out of our business. You’ll be wrinkled and old, unable to find a husband—and don’t you glare at me. We both know you want to settle down. Stop worrying. We’ll be together. Your place isn’t in that bad of a part of town. If that ass left something, ignore it. We’ll get in, grab the important stuff, and get out. It’s not too late, and it’s not a long walk to the cab stand near your place. We’ll be fine.”
    I had no idea where Isabella got her confidence from, but I recognized a lost cause when I saw it. Isabella’s dark eyes held no room for compromise, so I sighed and nodded. “I guess.”
    I still thought it was a stupid and dangerous idea, but I didn’t have the courage to fight her on it.
    Isabella smiled at me. “It’s probably some rich fucker who got pissed you didn’t go home with him. Next time, just go home with him and take his money. You’ll avoid a lot of problems that way.”
    In a way, she was probably right. While some girls ran into trouble prostituting in town, STDs and unwanted pregnancies were the most notable risks. Even though I didn’t prostitute often, I made room in the budget for the good birth control—and I was careful about who I went home with.
    Unlike many of the girls I knew, I was clean, and I meant to stay that way.
    To even the scales, I paid for the cab ride to my place, earning a glare from Isabella. I scowled back at her and slid out of the car. Once the cab pulled away, Isabella braced her hands on her hips and stared at my apartment building.
    “Your place kinda does look like a great location for a horror flick.”
    “Thanks so much for that,” I muttered, stomping up the walkway towards my apartment.
    The bouquet of roses waiting for me was excessive; dozens of red blossoms were ringed with white. The flowers rested on a bed of ferns. Golden ribbons bound the whole thing together.
    “Someone either likes you a lot or really, really hates you,” Isabella stated, staring down at the bouquet. “That’s insane.”
    “Welcome to my life,” I muttered, pulling my keys out of my purse to unlock the door. I opened it, stepping over the roses. “Let’s just get—”
    Something sharp stabbed into my side. I drew a breath to scream, but my body refused to cooperate with me. A soft sigh slipped between my lips, and I went numb and limp, my legs giving out beneath me. Moments later, everything went dark.

Chapter Three

    I woke up long before my body acknowledged my control of it. At first, I couldn’t feel anything other than the spasms clenching my muscles. My arms and legs jerked of their own volition, and each movement sent pain lancing up and down my spine.
    If I could have screamed, I would have.
    I had no idea how long I drifted, unable to escape from the pain of my