Chapter Three
Josie
Darla dropped me off in the middle of a city. I waved goodbye to her and whirled around, taking everything in. I hadn’t been to many cities. We didn’t have a lot of money, and trips to cities where humans lived wasn’t authorized by the alpha.
Before I got out of the truck, Darla pointed to a motel and said that they would not charge me much or nothing at all if I told them my situation. She’d heard the motel was run by people who used it as a makeshift shelter for anyone looking for a place to refuge.
I shook my head, standing there on the concrete corner, wondering what I’d done to deserve this.
That lasted all of three seconds. No way in hell I was going to act like a victim in my own story. Five seconds, at most.
On the way to the motel, which was only a few blocks away, I crossed the street and for the second time that day, almost got run over. Once by Darla and then by a man who gave me the middle finger and called me a stupid slut. For crossing the road.
The city screamed in my ears. Tires on the road. Talking. Laughing. Horns blowing. The bright lights made me squint. I’d slept in the truck with Darla, but maybe what I needed was a good night’s rest. Hopefully the motel had room. Otherwise, I didn’t know what I was going to do.
“Dammit, Josie. You should’ve prepared for this.”
My aunt and I heard the rumors before last night. I should’ve at least packed a bag and had it in the woods. Stashed the little money from the box under my bed.
Then again, how does one prepare for being trafficked in exchange for fungus. The alpha was so desperate to save his pack from financial demise, he would trade a person for that.
I was better off making it on these streets.
Up ahead, the neon lights of the motel flashed, and I was about to head in when I saw a laundromat with several fliers flapping in the cool night air. Hiring. Laundromat attendant.
I’d never lived among humans, but I knew things from books and TV. You had to work to live and have money. They didn’t barter like we did.
A sound rang out, a singsong announcement, as I opened the door.
Inside, the place was spotless. Dryers whirred and washers sloshed as people did their laundry.
Most were busy on their phones, but there was one lady engrossed in a book.
A huge mirror was mounted on the back wall; my shifter vision revealed it was two-way.
Maybe so people could keep watch over the place?
I approached the door in the back marked office and knocked. Waited. And waited some more.
In seconds, I gasped and stumbled backward because what exited that door wasn’t a man. It was a mountain. His biceps were bigger than my hips. Maybe. My aunt said I had childbearing hips. Didn’t seem like a terrible thing.
“Who are you?” The man barked in a voice that dipped so low, I swore it vibrated my whole body. Oh, wow. He smelled like some kind of alcohol and musk. It almost made me dizzy.
“U-um,” I stammered. “I saw the flyer? For a laundromat attendant?” I held one up and instantly wondered if I shouldn’t have snatched their flyer off the window.
“You have experience?”
Fuck. No. I had zero experience. “Not as an attendant, but I know how to clean and make sure no one steals anyone else’s laundry and keep things tidy. Does that count?”
Diesel stepped to the side then two more men stepped out of the back room. One wore a black suit with an emerald-green shirt with the top button open. He had blond hair and blue eyes and a killer smile.
The other moved like a shadow. He wore all black, which didn’t help. A black suit with a black shirt and inky hair that fell over his forehead. His eyes were light brown and piercing.
Again, I took a step back.
“Who do we have here, Diesel?” Oh, the mountain had a name.
“She is inquiring about the laundromat attendant job,” Diesel answered, hanging the flyer on a corkboard behind him. It held signs for lost cats and all kinds of things for sale. One paper had flowers and was handwritten. Babysitting services.
“How did you find out about us?” the shadow spoke, sending a chill down my spine.
“Like I said, there was a flyer. And I only saw that because I was on the way to the motel. I was…dropped off and I need a place to stay.”
The blond stepped forward. “First things first. I’m Carver, this is Aries, and the big guy is Diesel. What’s your name?”
“My name is Josie.”
Aries cocked his head. “And why is it you were dropped off and told to go to the motel?”
I could’ve told them everything but my mental shields went up. “Is this part of the interview?”
Diesel moved his mouth. Discouraging a smile. “No. Just curious. Aries, Carver, what do you think? She says she can clean and keep things tidy. Keep out the riffraff.”
Carver nodded. “It’s fine with me. You can start tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call Thea at the motel, and she’ll have a room ready for you.”
“Y-you own the motel?” I asked.
“We do.” The shadow was still assessing me.
I felt seen and not in a bad way at all.
Most times when males looked at me, I felt grossed out but not these three.
Weird. “You can stay there as long as you like. We don’t charge for people who don’t have a place to go.
It’s only for females, as well, so you won’t be in any danger. ”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you. What time tomorrow?”
“Five,” Carver answered. “And just so you know…” He took a few steps toward me and leaned over to speak into my ear. “That door leads to a storage area where we keep supplies for the laundromat, but beyond the other door is a club. In case you were curious, female.”
“I’m not,” I said, squaring off my shoulders. “I’m just trying my best to survive.”