Free House of Payne: Steele by Stacy Gail Page A

memories as if it had suddenly become a nightmare factory.
    Screaming and blood.
    Pain and blood.
    Horror and blood.
    Blood.
    She hated the scent of blood.
    Spots of darkness grew around the edges of her vision. Half blind, she looked to Steele, though she couldn’t begin to explain why.
    “Blood,” she croaked.
    As if from far away, she watched him drop the bald man, leaping over him to get to her even as the floor seemed to vanish out from under her feet.

 
    Chapter Six
     
    “For the last time, I’m fine .”
    Steele paused at the head of the narrow back stairwell when Essie’s sultry contralto voice reached his ears. He’d already been around the entirety of her building to check its overall security. It wasn’t awful, but one of the residents had held the door open for him so he could gain entrance. Not to mention both the front and the back doors were made of tempered glass. If someone was determined enough to get in, they could do it.
    “How am I not supposed to worry about you? You fucking fainted .”
    The male voice was one Steele recognized right away; Oliver “Twist” Santiago, Essie’s oldest brother. He sounded about as exasperated as a man could be, and Steele couldn’t blame him. From his position at the far end of the hall, he even cheered him on for being a protective presence in Essie’s life. It was clear that it was this protective stance in Twist that made him not a fan of Steele’s, but the feeling was far from mutual. Steele thoroughly approved of just about everything Twist stood for when it came to Essie’s safety.
    “I didn’t actually faint , Twist. And if you tell Mom and Dad that I did, I’ll rip your head off.”
    Aw. She was kind of cute when she threw around empty threats.
    “I haven’t told them anything. If I had, they’d be here in your face instead of me, and you know it. You know they hate that you’re living in this dump.”
    “ This dump is what I can afford. And don’t worry about my living here. Since this frigging stupid contest has now locked me into yet another two months with no paycheck, I’ll probably be moving into Mom’s and Dad’s place like a total loser.”
    Steele’s brows came together. Damn. He hadn’t thought about money being a problem, but it made sense. Unlike the other two designers who already had jobs in the area, Essie had come up from Texas for a job at House of Payne—a job that Payne had turned into a months-long contest without pay.
    Shit.
    “Goddamn it.” Obviously Twist’s thoughts were going down the same path as his. “Let me at least pay the rent for the next two months, Es. It’s my fault you were dragged up here.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m responsible for my own actions, not you.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “Not to mention you just got married and you’re getting ready to give Angel the biggest birthday surprise she’ll probably ever receive—a surprise that’s going to take a huge amount of money to pull off. You don’t need another expense added to that.”
    “But it’s my fault—”
    “Stop it, Twist. You’ve never been at fault for anything.”
    There was a heavy beat of silence. “I guess I do have a habit of thinking of you in terms of blame and fault.”
    “Yeah, you do, and it needs to stop. I don’t want to be that burden for you, okay? I just want to be your irritating baby sister.”
    Steele didn’t have to guess what they were talking about. It had been Twist’s trusted friend, Zane Hildebrandt, who had attacked Essie, scarring the Santiago siblings deeper than any eye could see.
    “Trust me, you’re still my irritating baby sister.” There was a sound of movement, and he tensed in case Twist moved to the back stairs where he was, rather than using the stairs leading to the front entrance. “And I’m your overbearing big brother, so that means I’m still going to point out to Payne that this setup he’s got going—while great PR for the House—is putting a big financial