Chapter 11
Mia watched as Alex’s car disappeared into the night, the soft hum of the engine fading into the silence.
She stood there for a moment longer, wrapping her arms around herself as the cool night air touched her skin.
Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him to stop so far from her house?
She didn’t want to risk any of her family seeing Alex.
The streets were quiet now, with only the faint sound of crickets chirping in the distance.
Every step she took seemed to echo, her heels clicking against the pavement as she made her way toward home.
The neighborhood wasn’t exactly safe, but then again, when had it ever been? Growing up in a place like this, danger felt like an old companion. The kind you could never quite get rid of, no matter how far you tried to run.
As she rounded the last corner, her stomach sank as she stopped walking immediately.
Three men stepped out from the shadows, their movements casual but deliberate as they surrounded her.
Mia’s heart pounds in her chest, her throat goes dry. She raised her hands instinctively, her pulse racing so fast it felt like it might burst out of her chest.
“Are you Turner’s sister?” one of the men asked, his eyes raking over her with an unsettling intensity.
Mia nodded quickly, too scared to speak.
The man tilted his head, his gaze narrowing. “Haven’t seen this one before,” he said, glancing at the others.
“She’s pretty,” another one muttered, his lips curling into a smirk that made Mia’s skin crawl.
“Listen,” the first man said, stepping closer. Mia fought the urge to back away, her legs frozen in place. “We’ve been waiting out here for Ethan, but he’s nowhere to be seen. We had a deal-delivery was supposed to be on time. That bastard thinks he can mess with Don Pedro?”
“I-I don’t know anything about that,” Mia stammered, her voice barely a whisper.
The man ignored her, leaning in until his face was uncomfortably close. “Tell your brother he better not mess this up. If he does, Don Pedro won’t just come for him. He’ll come for all of you. Got it?”
Mia nodded again, her hands trembling.
“Good,” the man said, stepping back. He glanced over her one last time, his eyes lingering too long. “You’re a pretty one, Turner,” he muttered before turning away with his friends.
Mia didn’t move until she was sure they were gone, her body still shaking as she tried to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, focusing on the rhythm of her breathing, begging herself to calm down.
The fear wasn’t new, but that didn’t make it any easier. It was the kind of fear she has grown up with-the fear of being a Turner. Of always having to look over her shoulder because of the messes her family left behind.
Ethan, she thought bitterly. She didn’t even know what kind of trouble her brother was in this time, but it was always something.
When her breathing finally steadied, she opened her eyes and continued walking. Her heart ached with exhaustion, her limbs heavy with the weight of it all.
1/3
Chapter 11
As she reached her house, she let out a shaky breath of relief.
Mia pushed the door open, her eyes adjusting to the colour light inside. The sight that greeted her stopped her dead in her tracks.
Her mother was perched on a man’s lap, her bra was the only thing she had on and she was going up and down on the man. The man had his arms wrapped around her waist, his face buried in her neck as he kissed her hungrily.
“Jesus Christ, Mom!” Mia screams, her voice louder than she intended.
Her mother jerked her head up, her expression a mix of shock and annoyance. “Mia! You’re supposed to be at work!”
“It’s my off day, Mom!” Mia snapped, her voice dripping with disgust.
She tried to avert her gaze, but it was too late. The man turned to look at her, his beady eyes trailing over her in a way that made her skin crawl.
“I haven’t seen this one before, Mary,” the man said, his voice thick and lazy. “She’s gorgeous.”
Mia’s stomach twisted with disgust as his gaze lingered on her, his lips curling into a predatory grin.
“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath, her body moving before her mind could process it. She headed for her room, her steps quick and deliberate, desperate to get away.
“Don’t even think about it, Linus,” she heard her mother say behind her. “She’s not like my other daughters. Just forget about it.”
Mia slammed her bedroom door shut, her breathing uneven as she leaned against it. Her hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms.
She felt disgusted. Not just by the man, but by the entire situation-by her mother, by this house, by her life.
How did it come to this? How had she ended up here, living in a place where she had to fend off threats from strangers and deal with sleazy men ogling her in her own home?
Mia threw herself onto her bed, the mattress creaking under her weight. She grabbed her headphones from the nightstand, shoving them over her ears. Music blasted into her ears, drowning out the sounds of the house, but it couldn’t drown out her thoughts.
The corner of her eyes stung as tears threatened to spill over. She blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall.
It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.
Her mind wandered back to earlier that night, to the moments with Alexander.
The difference between the two worlds, she had a first hand experience tonight, it was almost too much to handle.
With Alex, it had felt like she was stepping into a dream. A fancy restaurant, expensive clothes, the intoxicating thrill of being around someone so confident and powerful.
And now, she was back to her reality. A crumbling house, a mother who couldn’t care less, and a brother who dragged her into danger.
She let out a bitter laugh, though it sounded more like a sob.
“This has always been your life Mia,” she whispered to herself. “When are you ever going to get used to it?”
She closed her eyes, her headphones still blasting music as she tried to block everything out.
2/3
་་
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling of Alex’s eyes on her, the sound of his low chuckle, the way his presence made her forget everything else.
And she hates herself for it.
Because Alexander Blackwell was the last person she should be thinking about.
But somehow, he was the only thing on her mind.
