We pull up to a nondescript apartment building in a larger town about fifteen minutes away. We climb out and this time I don’t bother to try and get Hazel to stay behind. I know she’s not going to.
We walk up the short driveway and head inside the building. She lives in 2F, so we climb the stairs and finally stop outside of her door.
“Ready?” I ask Hazel. “This could be big, you know.”
“Let’s do it.” She grins at me then knocks on the door.
I laugh softly and she shrugs. About a minute later, a woman answers the door.
“Yes?” she asks, and then her eyes go wide when she sees me. “Are you…”
“I’m Prince Nolan,” I say. “And you are?”
The woman is tall, blonde, with thick hips and large breasts. I can absolutely see why Julian would be interested in her. I bet he sees her as a younger version of his wife, and probably tries to justify his infidelity that way.
“Muriel” she says.
I pause, surprised. “Muriel? We’re looking for Renee.”
She sighs like she’s not surprised. “One second.” She half shuts the door and turns back into the apartment. “Renee, people for you,” she calls out.
I glance at Hazel, not sure what to make of this. That was probably just her roommate, though. Makes sense, a young woman would need a roommate to afford this town.
A second later, a young girl pulls open the door. She can’t be older than sixteen years old with straight black hair and mousey brown eyes.
As soon as she sees me, she bursts into tears.
“I’m so sorry, Prince Nolan,” she says, sobbing into her hands. “I didn’t want to. He made me do it.”
I stare at the girl before looking at Hazel, my mouth hanging open. She’s just a fucking teenager. That sick fucking bastard.
I have no fucking clue what to say.
24
Hazel
“Sixteen,” she says, and I think my heart breaks into a million pieces.
Nolan glances at me then looks back at Renee. “And how long have you…. known Julian?” he asks.
She bites back years. “Two years,” she says. “But he didn’t touch me until last year.”
That sick piece of shit. He seduced and took on this poor girl as his goddamn mistress, and she’s too young to even drive back home. She’s a fucking child, and no sick bastard should ever get away with doing something like this to her.
Anger flows freely through me and I don’t know what to do. Before, this was all about helping Nolan. I believe in him and think he’s going to make a great leader for this country. I want Nolan to get everything he deserves and more. I didn’t really care much about Julian at all.
Now though, now I want to see that bastard burn.
“It’s okay,” Nolan says, frowning as Renee begins to cry again. “We’re here to help you.”
“I knew you’d come,” she says, sniffling. “As soon as I heard that Julian might become the crown prince, I knew you’d find me eventually. He said that if I talk to you…” She trails off and shakes her head.
“What?” I ask her softly. “It’s okay, you can tell us.”
“He said he’d kill me and my whole family. And I think he meant it.”
I take a breath and look at Nolan, but he doesn’t seem surprised. “Do you love him, Renee?” he asks her.
She shakes her head quickly. “Please, no. This started out as a way to make money for my family. But now… now I’m afraid of him.”
“He used to pay you?” I ask, surprised.
Nolan sighs and looks at me. “Polovia is still a poor country,” he says. “And in some of the worst parts, girls like Renee turn too…”
“I was a prostitute,” she finishes for him. “I’m not ashamed of it. I paid for my whole family to live and survive while so much of my village was out of work.”
I blink at her, shocked. I can’t imagine a girl her age going into prostitution. She’s pretty, though not beautiful. Her figure is okay, but she looks like a girl still, and I can’t imagine any grown man would be attracted to her.
“It’s one of the worst parts of this country,” Nolan says softly to me. “I want this to be a place where girls like you don’t need to do what you had to do, Renee.”
She smiles at him. “Julian used to say that, too.”
“Julian took advantage of you,” I say to her. “That’s the difference. He didn’t mean it.”
“I know,” she says, sighing. “I don’t care about politics, you know? I only care about helping my family.”