Fall Gently (Red Light: Silver Girls series) Read Online Free Page B

she hadn't known her strength or determination or the complete loss of control over her fear.
    "Roni?" Dawson stepped away from her. "Can you get me a washcloth?"
    She turned and lunged for the bathroom. Scrambling to fulfill his order, she wet the corner of the cloth under the faucet and hurried back into the room. Her feet skidded to a stop, keeping her body out of his reach and thrust her arm out in front of her.
    Dawson took the washcloth from her. She jerked back her arm before he could touch her and returned to the far wall in the room. The pounding of her heart slowed into a cathartic rhythm leaving her senses numb.
    She'd learned long ago to distance herself from danger. Even while performing blowjobs, she could empty her head of any thoughts. She never pretended she was somewhere else or doing something mundane. She simply shut down. Completely.
    Her thighs quivered. She jerked her shoulders back and glanced back up at Dawson. Her reaction took her by surprise. She couldn't ignore him. She couldn't stop looking. She couldn't stop her stomach from rolling in guilt. She couldn't tune out Dawson or the way he wiped the blood from his face without a care.
    His eyes never wavered from hers, and he went through the movements of cleaning his cheek to stop the bleeding without any hint of pain or anger of what she'd done.
    "Where should I put this?" He held up the rag.
    She glanced at the dirty clothes basket where she placed all the throw rugs after each customer left her room.
    Dawson walked over and tossed the rag on top of the pile. "We don't have much time left today. I hadn't planned for that little accident, so I'm going to send you a text later. I want you to read it, and then I'll come back on Tuesday after your two-day break."
    She stared at his chest unable to meet his eyes any longer. He knew her schedule and would be watching if she ran away.
    If she stayed out on the balcony after two o'clock in the morning, the alarm system would be set in the building. Tiff and the others would believe she was staying in her room for the rest of the night. Once the crowd dispersed from Silver Girls, she'd use the fire escape to leave or maybe it'd be smarter if she tried to get down into the alley while business was open and the crowd would hide her from anyone watching. She hadn't decided which way to go yet.
    "Roni?" Dawson lifted the corner of his mouth on the opposite side of the cheek she'd sliced open and continued to bead with blood. "In less than three months, you'll need to make some decisions on what you're going to do now that Vince is dead. I'm here to help you decide what you want to do next. If you need money, an escort, information...anything, I can help you."
    She shook her head.
    His gaze softened. "Sweetheart, you don't have to hide anymore. You don't have to sell yourself."
    The bridge of her nose throbbed and she realized she frowned deeply at him. Schooling her features, she looked away from him. She'd never go with him voluntarily. He was no better than Vince, wearing the Sparrows head, sweet talking, and using the women.
    His act of showing her empathy, offering her protection, would turn into him putting her up in his home, locking the door, sending her out to blow off his friends, or worse. Men would often say anything to get their way, and their way wasn't the direction she wanted to go.
    Working for the Network gave her the control she needed to sleep at night without fear for her safety. In return, she paid with the use of her mouth. It was a small price to pay for having a roof over her head and the option to leave if she wanted to go at the end of her contract.
    At Red Light, Tiff treated her with respect and because of Dawson finding her, she'd lose all the security she'd built up on her own and would have to start over.
    His coming here bordered on a personal relationship because he wasn't here for sex. If she remembered right, bringing someone connected to her into the bordello brought the