Whispers of a Broken Halo by Abbi Glines

“S-s-so g-g-good. M-more,” I managed to get out between my pants.

“You want it harder?” he asked.

I nodded my head.

He began moving faster, and his thrusts were harder. I clawed at him, pleading for more, and I was sure if he ever stopped, I would die. Nothing in my life had prepared me for how life-altering sex was. There was so much to feel, and my body was wild with trying to take it all.

“My pussy,” Rio said as the vein on his neck stood out, his face red. “Mine. This is mine. I took it. I own it,” he said as his pumping turned as frantic as I felt.

I wanted to scream, yes, it was his. If he promised to do this all the time, he would own me.

“Tell me it’s mine,” he said, looking down at me, then pressing a kiss to my lips.

“It’s y-y-yours.”

He growled, “All mine.”

It broke free inside of me then. The building that I had known was coming. The promise of pure ecstasy. I erupted and screamed his name.

I heard him shout my name as his body jerked against mine over and over.

When my world finally stopped spinning, Rio gathered me in his arms and pulled me to his chest. We were both gasping, and I could hear Rio’s rapid heartbeat under my ear as I lay on his chest.

He slowly ran his hand through my hair over and over.

My eyes grew heavy, and I was unable to stop from closing them. Just for a minute.





Chapter Thirty-Five

Saint was waiting on me when I stepped out of the dressing room after work on Monday night.

When I’d arrived, I’d asked Marley to cut my work days down to two a week, and I had expected Saint to say something about it. I had been the one to ask for more shifts until I was working five days a week. There had been weeks I worked six days straight.

I had money in savings and plenty in my checking account. There was no need to keep working so many shifts. This was about me. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. I didn’t want to make this about Rio. I had barely seen him since Friday night. Our work schedules didn’t match up, and his pops had fallen Sunday night, so Rio was over at their house again, helping with him.

We had only had two really good days together. I wouldn’t be making a job decision because of that. Would I?

“Only two days a week?” Saint said as I closed the door behind me.

I nodded. “Yep.”

He studied me. “Is it because of what I said to you?”

The night in the club last week seemed so distant now. I’d almost forgotten. I shook my head. “I promise you it’s not. Summer is here, and I want to have more time to do things with Cullen.”

Saint didn’t seem convinced. “You’re the best server we have.”

I knew that, and I felt guilty about it. “I told Marley I would work Saturday and Sunday nights. Those are always the busiest.”

He frowned. “When you need more hours, they’re always yours.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Maybe seeing less of you will get you the fuck out of my head,” he said.

I hoped it did, but I wasn’t sure I should say that.

“You have my number,” he added.

I nodded. I did have it, but I would never use it.

“I’ll walk you out to your car,” he said.

I knew he did this with most of the girls if someone else couldn’t do it, so I didn’t argue this time.

Once I was in my car and driving away, I felt relief. My nights working topless were less now. I’d done it. I had saved up the money we needed. I had overcome my fears to make sure Cullen had security. There was no need for me to continue. Maybe, in the fall, I could get a daytime job here in town. Now that people no longer turned me away in stores and I didn’t get glares from strangers on the streets, I could probably get hired doing something here.

Once at Marley’s guesthouse, I crawled into bed with Cullen and went to sleep instantly.



The next morning after arriving back at the apartment, I was making waffles, and Cullen was playing with his new Spider-Man figures when there was a knock on the door. Smiling, I wiped my hands on a towel. It was early, and Rio had texted he would stop by before work if he could get away from his grandparents soon enough. My stomach was all aflutter with the excitement of seeing him even if only for a moment.

Without checking to see who it was, I swung the door open, but the smile on my face instantly fell as I stood there, staring at a police officer. I hadn’t broken any laws.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Are you Bryn Wallace?” the officer asked.

I nodded my head, starting to feel panicked. What had I done that the authorities had to come to my door? Sure, they’d come to our door many times but always because of Tory. I racked my brain as I stood there, staring at him. Trying to think of any reason they would need to come see me.

Understanding slowly started to dawn on me, and fear weighed heavy in my stomach as I asked, “Is it Tory?”

The officer nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid so.”

“Oh God, what has she done now?” How could she get in trouble in jail?

“Ma’am, your sister, Tory Wallace, was found dead in her cell this morning at five a.m. There was a lethal amount of fentanyl in her system. We don’t know who gave it to her, but it was taken between the hours of midnight and three a.m.”