Wendy Drew clutched the small satchel tight to her stomach. She held it as Freddie pulled open the heavy office door. Then he gestured her inside, a smirk on his thick, flat face.
She ignored it. After all, she’d been coming to this gambling hell for months. Or was it more than a year now? It didn’t matter. Her time here was done, and she felt a surge of mixed feelings at that.
Part of her would miss the excitement of the gambling hell. The thick air, the turn of a card, and the rattle of dice had their own allure. Money, desperation, lustall those intense emotionshad played out a nightly drama before her, enticing enough that she’d been tempted to play as well.
She never did. She was there to work and to pay back her idiot brother’s debts. But now she had the money in hand. All of it.
She and Bernard were finally free of Demon Damon. Or at least they would be the moment she handed over her satchel of coins. So with a surge of relief, she stepped into the luxurious office. Damon was there, his hair dark, his body languid, and his smile like a temptation from the devil himself.
Wendy wasted no time. I’ve got it all, she said clearly. I’m here to pay back everything Bernard owes.
If anything, the man’s smile widened, though there was something horribly feral about the look. Really? he drawled, and Wendy felt a shiver of excited fear skate down her spine.
Yes. Right here. She showed him the small stack of coins.
Then by all means, my Wendy, come closer….”
