Fighting for Flight by Jb Salsbury Read Free Book Online Page B

story to the papers. But he trusted me.
And the best way to pay him back is to trust him in return.
    “My mom moved here from Colombia with her parents
when she was eight.” I clear my throat. I’m nervous. I’ve only told
this story to Eve and Guy. My palms sweat and I busy my hands
picking at a shop towel. “I guess they came here for the job
opportunities that Las Vegas had to offer. My grandparents were
working at the MGM when a fire broke out in one of the restaurants.
Back then, there were no sprinklers in that part of the casino.
Eighty-five people died, including them.”
    “I’ve heard about that fire. They call it the worst
disaster in Las Vegas history.”
    “Yeah, that’s the one. My mom was fifteen. She had
no family here and wasn’t a legal adult so she had to go live in a
group home. At eighteen she had to leave and find a job and
somewhere to live.” I take a deep breath as I prepare for the final
blow.
    “That’s when she met…” I’m afraid to say his name.
If Jonah knew whose blood runs through my veins, he’d probably
never speak to me again. Deep down I know that our working
relationship will end someday, but I’m not ready to give it up yet.
“She took the first opportunity she could find.”
    “Oh, did she get a casino job like—”
    “My mom’s a prostitute.” Hearing the words out loud
sound so much worse than they did in my head. I drop my gaze to the
floor, afraid to look up and see the disappointment—or worse,
disgust—in Jonah’s eyes.
    Seconds pass. He’s completely silent. So much for
not losing his friendship.
    ~*~
    Jonah
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to just throw it out there like
that.” She laughs uncomfortably and studies the ends of her
hair.
    Hearing those words come from this girl? I’m in shock.
    Living in Las Vegas, prostitution is fairly common.
It’s illegal outside of a licensed brothel, but that doesn’t stop a
few key players from maintaining the business. But to think that
this beautiful woman, so innocent and unaffected, was raised in
that world.
    I shake my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
    She waves her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about
it. I understand. You probably shouldn’t be associating with people
like me, what with your big fight coming up.” She turns away from
the workbench and grabs her backpack. Is she leaving?
    My mind scrambles for the right thing to say, but a
frantic need to keep her here moves my body first.
    She heads for the door and I grab her arm. “No,
wait. Don’t go.”
    She’s silent, her back to me, head drooping between
her shoulders.
    “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or ashamed. I’m
just surprised that someone as innocent and open as you could have
been raised—”
    “By a hooker.” She tugs against my hold, but I don’t
let go. Her head drops even lower. “Just say it, Jonah.”
    Pain twists in my chest at the demoralized sound in
her voice. She sat and listened to me talk about my family and
share my pain, but the second she opens up, I treat her like a
leper.
    “Look, Raven, I’m not good at this . . . relating to
people and sharing. Fuck .” I breathe deep and search for the
right words to keep her from pushing me away. “I think you’re
amazing.” Her muscles tense beneath my hand. “It doesn’t matter how
you were raised or who you were raised by. All that matters is who
you are now.”
    She turns toward me, her eyebrows pinched and her
mouth in a flat line.
    I release her arm and shove my hands in my pockets
to keep from grabbing her and kissing that look off her face. “The
woman I see right now, she’s something special.”
    Her pinched eyebrows dissolve into wide eyes, and a
dazzling smile threatens to send me to my knees.
    “Thank you.” Her words are said in that breathy way
that I want to feel against my lips.
    We stand only a foot apart, lost in the intensity of
what we’ve just shared, giving each other a little piece of
ourselves. I’m balancing on the edge