The Best Offer

Rhea's POV

The second hand on my battered wristwatch ticks past the hour mark as I push open our front door.

"Seven minutes," Abel snarls from the shadows of our dimly lit hallway. "Seven minutes past when you should've been home."

I clutch my backpack tighter against my chest. "The bus was late. I couldn't—"

"Couldn't keep your legs closed long enough to make it home on time?" His words slice through the air as he lunges forward, his knuckles connecting with my temple. The impact reopens yesterday's wound, and I feel warmth trickling down my face.

"Pathetic," he mutters, stepping back to admire his handiwork. "Clean yourself up. You've got an appointment tonight."

My stomach twists into a knot. "I can't. Marcus is expecting me at the diner in thirty minutes."

Abel's lips curl into something that resembles a smile but contains no warmth. "You'll manage both. You always do."

The stairs creak under my weight as I escape to my room, each step a countdown to whatever horror awaits me tonight. An "appointment" means I'll wake up tomorrow with fresh bruises and fragments of memories I'll spend weeks trying to forget.

My diner uniform hangs on the back of my door – a pale blue skirt that barely reaches mid-thigh and a white blouse with the diner's logo embroidered on the pocket. I strip off my school clothes and catch my reflection in the mirror.

Purple and yellow bruises map constellations across my arms. There's no way I can wear this without questions. I dig through my drawer for a long-sleeved white shirt, pulling it on before buttoning the uniform blouse over it. Marcus might let it slide again – he's noticed before but never pushes when I make excuses about being cold.

My unruly auburn curls refuse to be tamed, so I twist them into a messy bun and secure it with an elastic. The foundation barely covers the fresh cut, but it's the best I can do. My stomach growls, a painful reminder that I haven't eaten since yesterday's dinner shift when I snuck a few fries from a customer's abandoned plate.

I'll add another meal to my tab at the diner. Marcus is kind enough to pretend he doesn't notice how it grows each week.

I grab my purse and rush down the stairs, making a beeline for the front door when Abel steps into my path, blocking my escape.

"We need to have a chat before you go," he says, his tone unnervingly pleasant. My skin prickles with warning.

He guides me – his fingers digging into my arm hard enough to leave marks – toward the kitchen. A stranger sits at our table, his weathered face and cold eyes marking him as one of Abel's associates. The man's gaze crawls over me like insects, and I fight the urge to wrap my arms around myself.

Abel reaches for the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulls down a bottle of amber liquid. He pours a generous amount into a glass and slides it across the counter toward me.

"Drink this," he commands.

I eye the glass warily. "I can't show up to work smelling like whiskey. Marcus will fire me."

"Drink. It. Now." Each word is a hammer striking an anvil.

Survival instinct kicks in. I pick up the glass with trembling fingers and take a small sip, wincing as the liquid burns my throat.

"All of it," Abel demands, his eyes never leaving mine.

I tip my head back and force the whiskey down in three painful gulps. The glass makes a hollow sound as I set it back on the counter.

"Good girl," Abel says, but his voice sounds distant, like he's speaking through water.

The kitchen begins to tilt and sway. I blink rapidly, trying to clear the fog creeping into my vision.

"What did you..." My tongue feels too large for my mouth, my words slurring together.

"Rhea, meet Jared," Abel says, gesturing to the man who now stands beside him. "He paid good money for your company tonight."

Terror shoots through me like electricity. I turn to run, but my legs betray me. The floor rushes up to meet my face, and I barely feel the impact. Abel and Jared loom over me, their faces distorting into grotesque masks as darkness swallows my consciousness.

The last thing I hear is Jared's voice: "She's prettier than the last one."