Free Motown Breakdown (Motown Down #4) by K.S. Adkins Page B

crescent moon,” she says pushing her sleeve up and turning her wrist to face me. “The moon essentially means that you are property of either one male or, the head of a family unit. Any girl with a moon tattoo cannot be sold or traded to another male or family, ever. She was either born or adopted into it and it’s a permanent station outside of treason. Which, of course, is silly because you’d just be dead but whatever.” She says this so easily that it was obvious she’d resigned herself to it. “The star is second which means you chose to become property and that girl could belong to one male or multiple males depending on her owner. The third is the sun, if she’s a sun at best, I can find out if she’s alive. Suns are castaways, scraps I guess. These are the girls picked up off the streets. They are the unruly ones, most use drugs, are mistreated and that’s if they survive the auction.”
    “Luna…”
    “ If I can convince Shade to find her for you, at best you’ll receive a phone call but don’t expect to be granted visitation. You should know any sort of familial interaction is approved by her owner assuming she’s a star. Based on what you’ve told me, it’s the most logical choice.”
    “She wouldn’t choose that life,” I argue but I heard the doubt in my own voice.
    “You’d be surprised,” she says jumping down. “If she did, in fact, walk in the front door like you said she did, then your Evie chose to.”
    “Bullshit!”
    “It serves me no purpose to lie to you, Crews. You asked for my help, here it is. For your sake, pray she’s a star.”
    “Why the fuck are you just now telling me this?”
    Before walking out the door, she narrows her eyes and says, “Watch your tone, Crews. You’re lucky I told you at all. I just committed an act punishable by death so, you’re welcome.” Closing it behind her, I fell into the wall going over what I just heard. Minutes went by and my head was too fucking scrambled to process it. She went in through the front door, if that made her a star…No fucking chance she’d choose that life. To leave and not fucking tell me? I gave her as much of the world as I could. She wouldn’t fucking leave me to suffer like this!
    I couldn’t think about Evie or stars, any of it. And you know what? I was sick of her leaving shit out. Throwing my door open, I don’t even knock on hers, I just charged right the fuck in.
     

 

    Twenty bucks says Crews was over there stewing.  I even left my door unlocked so when he realized I didn’t give him full-disclosure, he didn’t have to knock. Some people can’t handle the truth when it comes to the skin business. Hell, I was raised with it and still can’t handle it. I just pretended to.
    Crews loves Evie.
    I can’t even imagine what it’s like to love someone then lose them.
    Especially to skin peddlers.
    I was pretty certain she was a star, which meant she went through the process willingly . Another twenty says he’s fucked up about that, the possibility his Evie left him on purpose . Yeah, that’s a kick in the nuts for sure.  When my door flew open and Crews stormed in, I braced myself for the explosion but oddly enough I didn’t get one. What I did get was a whole lot worse. Crews was close to falling apart.
    “She wouldn’t choose it,” he says hugging the back of his neck. Letting out a deep breath he looks at me and whispers, “Tell me she wouldn’t choose it.” Saying nothing, I simply wrap my arms around his middle. “I loved her, provided for her best I could. She wouldn’t just leave .” Letting his arms drop he tightens them around me. My words would cause more harm than good, so I shut up and let him work it out. “If she’s a star, did she know what it meant?” Again, silence because the answer was yes, she did. “Evie,” he chokes out. “She was fragile, you know? She couldn’t handle anything… Fuck,” he whispers. “Tell me this isn’t real, Luna.”
    “Crews,” I