Warped (Dueling Devils Book 4) Read Free Page B

don’t make sense, you know.”
    “I
do. You just can’t see it.”
    “Thank
you, Zen Master.” Pan gave a mock bow. “I so look forward to these enlightening
lessons.”
    “Glad
to hear it. I’ll try to make sure I drop a new one daily.”
    “Smart
ass. Since you decided not to go on your rampage, I’m going to get back to
work.”
    “Might
be helpful if you want to get out of here on time,” Monster drawled.
    “I
hate you sometimes, you know?” Pan walked back to his bike.
    Monster
shook his head. His brother was like a dog with a bone. He wouldn’t stop
picking at this until he understood it. He didn’t understand the fear in his
chest that if he looked at it too closely, he’d discover it was all in his
head. Pan had always been the more outgoing twin and now, he was the normal
one. It’d exacerbated the difference between them. Monster refocused his
attention on his work to drown out the river of doubts threatening to drown the
joy he’d gained. There would be enough time for reality to come in and set him
straight soon enough.
     

 
    CHAPTER TWO
     
    S he
walked into the building and flipped on the overhead lights. They hummed as
they came to life. The day came on as slightly overcast and the area was dark.
She’d been here about two weeks and Chase had finally deemed her ready to go it
alone. She wanted to make her girl proud. She’d been her champion from the day
they met. Part of her didn’t trust her motives.
    No,
that’s Taffy talking. You’re someone else now.
    She
pushed thoughts of betrayal out of her mind. No one, minus Gia, knew about her
past. She was free to be whoever she wanted. The hard part about that was, she
didn’t know how. For so long, she ate what was given without question, wore the
clothes picked out, and acted the way her johns would like best. It left her a
soulless person in a wounded body. Locking the door behind her, she walked to
the office.
    She
didn’t mind her job. After a life of being a living sex doll, it seemed like a
piece of cake. She’d always been fairly smart. The computer programs came
easily and the drawer always balanced at the end of the night. The men hadn’t
been as awful as she expected. She felt their stares. She got it. They were
curious about her scars. It’d become a normal occurrence she’d grown used to.
In today’s society, anything less than perfect was a disappointment and different
was wrong. Add in being a black female and the stereotypes widely believed…Then
you had a recipe for potential disaster for an ordinary woman. Which she
wasn’t. If she’d gained anything from her old life, it was strength. There
would be very little she couldn’t endure.
    She
ran over the sheet for the day and walked over to make a fresh pot of coffee.
Normally the first person in the office, she enjoyed the quiet time to get
everything prepared. While the coffee percolated, she returned to her small
office, turned on the computer, and looked over the schedule. The men had been
keeping it by hand since Sarah quit. Squinting, she tried to decipher the other
woman's chicken scratch.
    The
lock turned in the front door. She glanced up and watched as Monster appeared
in the doorframe. His massive shoulders and bulky frame should’ve intimidated
her, but something in his eyes spoke of a world of pain. A man who knew hurt in
a way most people didn’t.
    He
glanced at her through the glass window of her office and nodded his head. “Morning,
Symone.” His gruff voice was at odds with the kindness in his blue eyes. He had
a different aura than his twin brother.
    “Morning,
you’re in early.”
    “I
like getting a head start before the brothers get in. I think they talk trash
more than they work.” His lips curved upward, making the scars on the left side
of his face more pronounced. The skin looked puckered, raised and a mottled mix
of  white and red that must have faded over the years. His gaze grew shuttered.
    A
pang of guilt burst inside her.