Losing Streak

Happiness doesn't come without a price.

Rosemary Young knows the Lane. It's where she grew up, raising a brother barely younger than she was. It's where she served drinks, wearing a gaudy uniform in a low-lit bar to support her mama. It's where she fell for a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Brandon Williams might've had a taste for gambling and been headed nowhere fast, but something about him made her almost forget every promise she ever made.

These days when Rosie walks the Lane, it's on the orders of the man who owns it. The man who owns her—Joshua King. A bet gone wrong ties her to him, serving as the collateral Brandon didn't have. For Brandon the guilt is a white-hot brand, but Rosie can't bring herself to regret it completely. The safety of those she loves is worth the sacrifice.

Now King's called Brandon back to town early and given Rosie one last job to do before they're free. Nothing—not even King—will keep Brandon from Rosie, not after three years of simply existing without her. And before it's all over, everything that had been done in darkness will come to light and nothing in their lives will ever be the same again.

67,000 words