into prostitution and most of them didn’t have the desire or the will to make their escape from that life. But she wanted something different. Despite the abuse she suffered, Gabby still had fire in her heart. He saw it. And he wanted to nourish that flame so that she could do better. If he could help her fight her way out of this muck, it would be a privilege.
She was a flower who could bloom if given the right nourishment. And he wanted to be the man to do so. This had nothing to do with his desire to have her squirm under him (although of course, he did want that), but he genuinely wanted to support her.
Price came over. “Another dance, princess?”
She swung her silky hair. “Sure.”
As they moved on to the dance floor, Nick got back to his beer. Willow sauntered over. “You got your eyes on the girl, haven’t you?”
She knew him too well. “I do.”
“Then make a move before someone else does.”
“This is different, Willow. I need to take it slow.”
She leaned forward. “A turtle moves at a faster speed than you, boy. This one is a keeper. She is hardworking, honest, and gutsy, and that’s more than I can say for most of the girls who come through here.”
He agreed with her. She was right. But still he didn’t want to take a hard plunge just yet. He wasn’t ready for it. And something told him that when he hopped into the sack with Gabby, sparks would fly. “Yeah!” he nursed the beer as he watched her dance with Price.
She had some good moves, that girl!
He admired the way her body swung and shook. He longed to take her into his arms and make wild, passionate love to her. But not right now. There were other matters that needed his considerable attention and he wanted to focus on one thing at a time.
But yeah, Gabby was on his mind. And soon, he would move with her in the right direction.
But his first priority was to find the snitch that dared to mess with their club, and when he got his hands on the traitor, the culprit would scream for mercy and Nick wouldn’t grant it. No one messed with his family and got away with it. He didn’t care who it was. Whoever it was would pay the price for putting two of their men in jail.
Nick was gunning for a fight. And he hoped that soon he would have the chance to vent the temper that simmered deep in his heart.
Soon! Very soon! But until then, he could be patient.
Revenge was a dish served cold, or so he heard. And Nick was going to discover if there was any truth in that old saying.
CHAPTER FOUR
Price was a good-looking man. As he swung her about on the dance floor, Gabby felt giddy with laughter. She was high, no doubt about it. The weed was too strong, and the little pill she popped made her feel as if she was tingling with liquid joy. She didn’t do drugs often even though in her line of work she got plenty of opportunities. If she wasn’t so dejected about the rejections she got, she wouldn’t have done it even now.
But if this was her life, she wanted to suck all the happiness out of any light moment. And this was the best way to go about it.
Sure, Nick could talk about education, but it was only a distant hope. Who the hell would give a job to a former hooker even if she let go of that life? And as he said, there was no shame in what she did. The shame belonged to those who thrust her in this situation. Joseph was the culprit, and if he felt no guilt or remorse, why should she harbor any?
As the crowd thinned, Price pulled her into a corner. Holding her against the pinball machine that didn’t work, he nuzzled her neck.
“You’re hot, baby!”
She smiled. Through the thin strip of mirrored glass that hung on the wall at her eye level, she could see part of the bar. Nick was talking to Willow. She cast her gaze away. He offered too much hope, and she was afraid to take it. If things didn’t pan out as he said, she would be
Rachel Haimowitz, Heidi Belleau