“Dad! That’s enough,” Ian snapped.
“It’s okay, Ian,” I said. I walked over to the table and sat down across from Richard. “It’s a nickname. My real name is Aurora.”
“Well, that’s not any better,” he chuckled.
Wow, Jordyn was right. This man was a complete ass**le.
“Ian, I need to speak with you. Let’s go into the study.”
Ian looked over at me, but didn’t say a word. He walked out of the kitchen and followed his father to his study. After a few moments, I quietly made my way to the study and listened outside the door at their conversation.
“Who the f**k is that girl and why is she here?” Richard snapped.
“That girl is my houseguest because she was badly injured and she needed medical attention.”
“Is she better now?”
“She’s better.”
“Then get rid of her. You don’t need some lowlife hanging around your house and your money. And you better not even think about bringing that girl tomorrow night.”
“I’m not bringing her, so don’t worry,” Ian said.
My heart broke at that moment. Not because Ian wouldn’t ask me to go with him to the gala, but because he didn’t defend me. I needed to get out of here and away from Ian as quickly as possible. I ran up the stairs to my room and took a quick shower. When I was finished, I sent a text message to Adalynn, asking her if there was any possible way she could drive me to the motel. I didn’t have any money for a cab and there was no way I was asking Joshua. She sent me a text message back, saying that she’d be here within the hour. I quickly got dressed and then headed downstairs.
Ian was walking up the stairs as I was walking down. “Hey. You look great.” He smiled.
“Did your father leave?” I asked.
“Yeah, he just left.”
I pushed Ian out of the way as I continued down the stairs. “Rory, I’m sorry for the things he said to you. He can be an ass sometimes.”
“He’s more than an ass and don’t apologize for him. I’m used to it, anyway.”
“Rory, wait,” he said.
I walked out the front door and sat on a bench that was near a pond in the front of the house. A few moments later, Ian came outside, carrying his briefcase. He walked over to where I was sitting and stood over me.
“I’m leaving for the office now. Maybe tonight, we can have dinner here. I’ll have Charles cook us something nice.”
“That sounds nice, but I think maybe the hot blonde with the huge tits would enjoy it more. You’re calling her anyway; ask her over for dinner and then you can take her upstairs and f**k her. Oh, wait, that would be tomorrow night after the gala. I believe you don’t f**k the same girl two nights in a row.”
“Rory,” he said as he slowly shook his head.
“Don’t you have an office you need to get to?”
He turned away and climbed into the back of the limo that was waiting for him in the driveway.
****
“Seriously, Rory, this neighborhood is not one I like to travel to,” Adalynn said nervously.
“I know. But it’s all I could afford.”
Adalynn pulled into a parking space at the motel and leaned over the steering wheel, looking out the window. “Do we have to get out?”
“Yes, Adalynn, we need to get out. I have to talk to the clerk in the office. I will warn you, it sme1lls pretty bad in there.”
“Gee, thanks for the warning. I never would’ve guessed.” She smirked.
We walked into the motel office and it reeked of cigars. The man sitting behind the counter was overly large and bald and he had a limp when he walked.
“What can I do for you beautiful ladies?” He grinned.
I explained to him that I had left something in the room that my brother and I had stayed in a couple of weeks ago. He glared at me as he bit down on his cigar.
“Sorry, no can do, pretty girl. If you want to get back into that room, you’ll have to pay for it.”
“Are you kidding me? I only need to retrieve something that I left behind. I won’t be more than five minutes.”
“You’re talking two weeks ago, pretty girl. Those rooms have been cleaned and cleaned again. If you would’ve left something behind, we would’ve found it.”
I sighed and put my elbows on the counter. “Listen, you mother—”
“We’ll pay for the room. How much?” Adalynn interrupted.
“Adalynn, no. He’s ripping us off.”
“Now you’re a smart cookie,” the man said as he winked at Adalynn. “It’s fifty bucks for the night.”
I shot him a look, as I knew he was overcharging us. “I only paid forty dollars. You raised your price within the last two weeks?”
“Inflation, sugar. Gotta keep up with that damn inflation.” He smiled. “Now which room was it?”
“Room 205,” I said.
The man stared at me when I gave him the room number. “That’s the room that had blood all over the floor. It stained my carpet.”
“I’m sorry. I cut my foot and I had to go to the hospital.”
“That boy that was with you. He up and left without checking out and he left the blood all over the place. I’m sorry, but if you want back into the room, I have to charge you extra for the mess you left.”
I started to speak and Adalynn interrupted me. “Here’s two hundred dollars. Give us the f**king keys so my friend can get what she left and we can get out of this shithole.”
“Like I said, smart cookie.” He smiled as he handed us the key to the room.
Adalynn and I went to Room 205. She inserted the key and opened the door. “Jesus, Rory. How the f**k could you stay here?”
“I didn’t have a choice. It was all I could afford,” I said as I walked over to the bed. I pulled it away from the wall and stuck my hand behind the headboard. I felt around until my hand touched the tape that I had put there when Stephen and I had first arrived. I ripped off the tape and pulled out an envelope filled with cash. I looked at Adalynn and smiled.
“I can’t believe that’s still here,” she said with wide eyes.
“Do you think in a place like this they actually pull out the bed and clean behind it?”
“Good point.” She laughed.
“I taped it here when Stephen was in the bathroom. I didn’t want him to know that I had it because he would’ve stole it. I didn’t have time to grab it after he stabbed me.”