Page 142 of Illicit

Only adrenaline could give me the push to move my body. When I roll away, his hand that was firm on my head grips into a fist.

He pulls me to a stop.

My stomach roils from whatever he shot me up with. The only other thing I can focus on is the pain screaming through my skull.

“Don’t even think about it,” he growls in my face. His foul breath washes over me. Old cigarettes and sin permeate my space. No wonder I want to throw up all over him. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re gonna get up and walk out to my car like nothing’s wrong. I had to make excuses to the manager when he saw me carrying you in here. Told him you were drunk off your ass and needed to sleep it off. Then we’re meeting Ricky. If you make one wrong move or do anything to fuck this up, it’s not going to go well for you. You’ll never see him or your fucking family again, got it? You can kiss your cushy life in that big house goodbye.”

I have no idea how he found me. But he knows where we live. All I can think about is my family … and Marley, who’s only a few days old.

My voice is rough and weak, but I know what I have to do. I’m not sure which smells worse, him or the bed I’m lying on. “Just take me back to Rocco. Please.”

His grip on my hair loosens. “How about that? I took you for a fighter. I have a feeling you’ll do exactly as I say. My boy is lucky.”

He’s right and he’s wrong. I’ll cooperate until I don’t have to, because I am a fighter. I’ll do anything I need to get back to Rocco and my family.

I have to catch myself as I wobble when I push myself to my feet. I’d rather be upright and woozy than in that damn bed with Rodney Monroe.

33

I SEE MYSELF

Rocco

There was no time for an op plan, but this is no normal operation.

This is Teagan.

I’ve never been a part of anything that felt like this.

Raw.

Desperate.

Final.

However this ends, there will be a finality to it that cannot be reversed. I’ll die before it doesn’t go my way, and that’s saying a lot.

I’ve lived my entire life in fight or flight mode. Done everything I’ve had to do to survive. Only one time did I fall on the sword and put someone else before me. That was Landyn.

I was a kid.

I’d do it again and fight to the bitter end.

If it comes to that today, it will be tragic for my whole world.

And it’ll be my fault.

My only saving grace is that we pinged her phone, which proves my father was, and always will be, an idiot. We know she’s in the vicinity.

Teagan is close, and I’m going to get her back.

I’m not new to this part of Miami. I was a cop and SWAT officer and spent a lot of time in this neighborhood.

I’m a sitting duck waiting on this damn call. He’s late, which is not a surprise. Hell, he was always late or a no show for everything. Even when I was younger and he liked to pretend to the rest of the world that he gave a shit. That was before I discovered he didn’t give a shit what anyone thought.

He was a no-show in life.

Unless he was creating havoc.

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