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transported Ari to the hospital where she’d waited for hours in the lobby, terror helping to sober her up real fast.
    When the doctor eventually came out of surgery, his news hadn’t been good. Her mother was stable, but in a coma. They’d done all they could do for her. Only time would tell if she ever came out of it.
    She’d had severe swelling in her brain and they’d had to operate , drilling bur holes into her skull. Along with the head injuries, she’d also suffered two broken ribs, a cracked hip, and lacerations to her face. When Ari entered her mom’s room, she’d nearly passed out at the image before her.
    If the staff hadn’t guaranteed that the person lying in the bed was her mother, she wouldn’t have known who the woman was. She was unrecognizable with her swollen face and the bandages covering her. Ari had sobbed as she’d laid her head on her mother’s bed and apologized repeatedly. If it wasn’t for Ari, her mom would be home, sleeping safe and sound. Ari would never forgive herself for what she’d done.
    Trying to push such heart wrenching memories aside, Ari focused on the road as she pulled up to her small studio apartment. She slowly made her ascent up the staircase, her feet dragging as her mind raced. The papers Rafe had handed her were burning a hole in her purse.
    She got to her door and fiddled with the key for several moments, having to get it into the lock just right so she could turn it. It would probably be faster for her to insert a credit card in the doorjamb to get it open than to mess with the key.
    She’d watched enough movies that she could probably break into a place if she needed to. The thought made her smile as the lock finally clicked and she pushed open the door. Maybe she could find a breaking and entering job. It would be a more dignified profession than prostitution.
    Though the day had started only a few hours ago, exhaustion was nipping on her heels. She sat down on the couch and glared at her small purse as if there were a snake inside of it just waiting for the opportunity to strike. Did she really want to see what he had planned for her?
    With great reluctance, she finally unzipped the bag and slowly pulled the papers out, her gaze a bit cloudy as she glanced down at the words. She fought the urgency to toss them, but reality – and slight curiosity won out.
    With only a week left at the apartment before rent was due, and no other jobs on the horizon, she needed to at least weigh her options. The weight of knowing her mother’s living conditions would worsen without Ari's financial support made the decision about the position even more crucial.
    She’d already sold her mother’s home – the place Ari had grown up. It had broken her heart to pack her mom’s most valuable possessions and take them to storage. She’d pre-paid the unit for a year, not taking chances on losing those items that meant so much to her mom.
    Everything Ari had of any decent value had been auctioned off. She’d done everything she could do at this point. Now, she had to find work – and it seemed no one wanted to hire a college drop-out, even if she had been on the honor role. It meant nothing if she couldn’t finish her degree.
    In the end , she really had no choice but to look at the material before her. With a determined grasp of the papers, she unfolded them and started scanning the words. By the time she got to the end she literally wanted to throw up. She couldn’t do it – no way.

Chapter Three

    Ari was speechless. She didn’t know what to think. Her bright eyes gazed at the words while her mouth hung open in shock. There was no way. She wouldn’t do this. There had to be another option.
    The words jotted down circled in her head, showing her a side of life she never imagined existed. He owned her body? He could take what he wanted – day or night?
    Ari didn’t think so. She’d end up going to prison because she wouldn’t abide by the stupid rules he’d set