Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. 

When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. 

What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. 

Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. 

Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.

Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

Trick

I’m nervous heading to Trick’s shop, but it’s different than it was the first time I went. Our night changed things. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel different as I make my way across the bridge. Today I’ve grabbed a change of clothes and something to put my hair up with.


Shaking my head, I grin, thinking I’ve never seen anyone’s office as bad as Trick’s. It’s part of his appeal – the ‘no fucks given’ attitude he shoves in the face of everyone is like a shield against the world. I’m convinced now, more than ever, that there’s a deeper side to Trick, a side he doesn’t show to many. Tapping my fingers against the steering wheel, I wonder what it takes to see that side. 


Chapter Twenty-One: Let Him Keep Me Warm