Broken Pieces

Description

Knights in Shining Armor 1

Ash Clarke knows exactly what survival costs. At twenty-two, he works brutal hours on a Houston loading dock to keep a roof over his younger siblings’ heads and food on the table, all while enduring an abusive stepfather and a supervisor who knows exactly how desperate Ash is to keep his under-the-table job. When that supervisor forces him onto a company cruise and demands more than Ash is willing to give, Ash expects to do what he always does—endure it. He never expects Scott Knight.

At forty-three, Scott Knight is wealthy, powerful, and owner of one of Texas’ largest technology companies. He’s also hiding something decidedly inhuman behind his glamour. When he discovers one of his supervisors has been exploiting a young dock worker, helping Ash should be simple. Instead, Scott finds himself drawn to the stubborn, sharp-tongued man who refuses to be rescued—and Ash discovers that trusting someone can be far more terrifying than surviving alone.

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EXCERPT:

Outskirts of Houston, Texas

February 13, 2025

I didn’t wince. Hell, I didn’t even flinch as my stepfather, Kevin, shouted and cussed two inches from my face. Rancid spittle hit my right cheek, but I didn’t dare wipe it off. Kevin’s eyes were wide and bloodshot, and his breath stank like old, stale booze. His attention, however, remained solely on me instead of Lauren and Zack, both of whom sat on the floor at the end of the hallway in each other’s arms, watching with fear in their eyes.

When Kevin finally staggered away, I glanced at my siblings. Lauren nodded and got herself and Zack back down the hall toward the small room we shared. Kevin collapsed into his battered recliner, grumbling under his breath about useless kids. Hunched over the coffee table, our mother, Trish, ignored the chaos and filth while she lined up her powdered breakfast and cut it with her expired driver’s license.

Disgusted, I left and went to the bedroom. Lauren and Zack were sitting on their beds, neither moving a muscle until I shut the door. Then Lauren leapt to her feet and threw her arms around my neck. Her sobs tore my heart to shreds.

“Please don’t go,” she begged.

I squeezed my eyes shut and held her tighter. “If I don’t, I’ll lose my job.” Then we’d be in even worse trouble, but I didn’t mention that point. “It’s only for a week. Just keep your heads down until I get back. Do everything he says and focus on school.”

Zack sniffled from where he still sat on his bed. “Promise you’ll come back?”

I released Lauren and crouched in front of our younger brother. “I will always come back. I will never leave you—either of you.”

More than anything, more than the air I breathed, I longed to drag them away from this nightmare, but they were both under eighteen. My job barely kept a roof over our heads. Food was a bit harder to come by; thank God for the school’s breakfast and lunch programs. Dinner was generally hit or miss these days, especially if I hadn’t been able to save enough to go buy groceries. The house rent took up nearly everything I made in a month. Thankfully, charities helped a bit with the electric bill. Since I was over eighteen, I technically qualified as my own household, so I’d gotten on food stamps. It wasn’t much since I had no dependents, but every dime helped.

I ruffled Zack’s unruly curls and stood. This trip had been planned for months, so I couldn’t back out. Not that I would anyway. My boss had made it crystal clear it was mandatory—one week of swallowing my pride and letting the asshole touch me, or lose my job. The answer was obvious. I hadn’t told Lauren or Zack anything beyond the very basics. The less they knew, the better.

I pulled out a battered duffel bag and began stuffing clothing into it. Lauren stretched out on her bed while Zack did the same. I felt them watching, but there was nothing I could do. I had no one to go to, no way to get us out of this hellhole. I couldn’t afford a place on my own, and if anyone took Lauren and Zack away, I’d never see them again. That alone made the upcoming cruise worth the torment and humiliation.

A car honked outside, sounding more like a death knell than the blaring of a car’s horn. I sighed and zipped up the bag. Bile rose in my throat, but I shoved back the fear and got hugs from Lauren and Zack. Instead of dealing with the crap in the living room, I went out the back door and around the house.

A Mercedes sat in the driveway, looking ridiculously out of place among the overgrown grass, stacks of rotting wood, and Kevin’s broken-down truck. A tall man got out and opened the back door. Without a word, I got in, and the guy shut the door.

As the car backed out, I caught Zack peering out the bedroom window. He gave me a wave, and I waved back. Then I stared out the car window as we left the rundown neighborhood behind. The drive to Galveston’s cruise port would take about an hour, plenty of time to think whether I wanted to or not. I’d always dreamed of doing something like this, taking Lauren and Zack on a Caribbean cruise, far away from this place. I absolutely hated that my first one came with unbreakable strings attached.