Page 18 of Illicit

I don’t like any of it.

“Two years ago, you told me to get my shit together.” She pushes away from the door jamb and holds her arms out low, throwing her new persona right back at me. “You got your wish. Here I am, Rocco. At your demand, I got my shit together. I’m doing something important—something I love to do and something that matters. I have a short amount of time to help the Hayes family. Then I hope to see my niece or nephew born before I move to New York. You won’t have to worry about me again because you’ll be kicking ass in Miami, and I’ll be nowhere near you.”

“Dammit. You’ve shut me out for too long, but you’re here. Let’s talk this shit out, once and?—”

“Stop.” She holds a hand up before taking a step backward into the bathroom. “There’s nothing to talk about, remember? Your words, not mine.”

“For fuck’s sake. It’s been two years. Let’s get this shit settled, once and for all.”

Her expression is void of emotion even as she white knuckles the doorknob. “This is what’s going to happen. I’m going to wash my face with whatever you’ve got in your bathroom, brush my teeth with my finger, pass out on your sofa, and ignore you until you take me back to my car tomorrow. What I am not going to do is talk to you about anything that happened before I saw you today in the Hotel Monteleone. And if you really want to squash all my hopes and dreams for good, you can be a selfish asshole and not give me that phone number. The weight of the world is on you. Goodnight.”

I start to take a step forward, but she slams the door in my face. It’s followed by an angry click of the lock.

“Fuck,” I hiss.

She mutters something from the bathroom, but I can’t tell what she said, because the water turns on full blast.

Teagan fucking Coleman.

What the hell am I going to do with you?

4

CUSSING

Teagan

Twelve years ago

“How long is he going to live with us?”

“Watch your tone, Sammie,” Mom warns. “Brax and Micah don’t have an extra room. We do. Rocco doesn’t have anyone else. He’ll be here until he gets settled at college.”

My older sister doesn’t watch her tone. Instead, she raises it to a level that’s high drama, even for her. “All summer? How am I supposed to make new friends before school starts when some weird guy with his arm bandaged is hanging around with nothing to do. He has, like, two old T-shirts and a pair of jeans. And he doesn’t even have a car. What’s that about? Everyone his age has a car. Does he even drive?”

“Yes, he drives,” Mom snaps, and Mom never snaps. Not even at Sammie, and my older sister deserves it on any normal day. Mom closes her eyes and exhales the way she does when I can tell she’s mad but pretends not to be. When she finally opens her eyes, she shines a fake smile on my older sister. “This will be a lesson for us that not everyone is as fortunate. Not everyone has a home or a family to love them. It’s a new start for Rocco, and we’re going to do our part to get him on his feet. You will be welcoming and kind.”

Sammie hitches a foot and cocks her head. “He’s not the only one starting over. My life is ruined because Dad made us move. I’m starting over, too, and I’ve decided since I have no choice, I’m going to reinvent myself. From now on, no more Sammie. I’m Samantha.”

Being dramatic and rude isn’t new for Sammie, so she’s easy to ignore. I allow my gaze to stray past the sea of boxes and the mess that’s strewn throughout our new kitchen. There’s only one interesting thing in Florida since we got here yesterday.

The boy.

I mean, I know he’s not a boy even though he acts like one, but he sure isn’t a man either. He’s nothing like Dad or Brax or Micah.

Mom said he’s going to college.

Uncle Brax dropped him off last night. Mom handed out pillows and blankets, and we all slept on the floor of our new rooms. Rocco took the guest room. Our furniture arrived today. Our new house looks nothing like our old one in New York.

We even have a pool.

We’ve never had a pool before.

We’ve also never had a live-in guest like Rocco.

As I look out at the sunny afternoon, I could care less about the pool, palm trees, or hot sunny day.

All I see is Rocco.

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