Page 42 of Illicit

I ignore Rocco and stare down at my phone, willing the driver to speed as I try to memorize how I felt right before I was rejected. I need to hang onto that feeling until I can get far, far away from Rocco.

I flinch when his hand touches my shoulder.

“Fuck,” he whispers as he pulls his hand away. “Teagan, please. Come in and talk to me.”

I’m forced to sniff back my tears but can’t form words. I shake my head as headlights round the corner.

“You can’t leave in the middle of the night and drive off with a stranger,” he growls.

I swipe my face and look up at him. I’m past hiding my feelings or my hurt. “I’ll take the chance. There’s no way I can stay here.”

The driver rolls down the passenger window and frowns at me. “Coleman?”

I nod and move for the back door. “Yes, that’s me. It’s a bit of a drive. Thank you for accepting it.”

He frowns and looks between me and Rocco. “You okay, lady?”

“Stay. I’m begging you.”

I look back to the driver. “I’ll be fine. Please, just drive.”

“Teagan,” Rocco calls for me, but has no choice but to move when I slam and lock the door. The driver does as I ask and pulls away. Unlike my current statistics grade, I have an impeccable Uber score, after all.

“Mississippi, huh? You get in a fight with your boyfriend?”

“Not a boyfriend. That door has been nailed shut.” My tears flow freely now as every painful memory sinks in to stain my soul. “But I will miss him with all my heart.”

9

CONTROL

Rocco

Present time

Iwalk into the bar with my hand plastered to the small of Teagan’s back. My fingertips press into the swell of her ass like they spend a great amount of time there on the normal even though this is new real estate for me.

When Robichaux texted the address for the meet, I had to do a double take. It’s not what I expected from the lowlife who likes to diversify his income.

We’re out of New Orleans proper, toward the lake and skirting the burbs. This isn’t a place I would go on any Saturday night for a burger, but it’s also not the worst joint in this area of town. Since we just did surveillance on Robichaux, my supervisor wasn’t surprised when I put in an op plan, though he was surprised since I move in a couple days.

Unlike before, our tech group got involved. A special cell acts as my mic and tracking device. And since I’m here, we might as well harvest phone numbers. If Jules is hanging here, I guarantee there are others we need to look into. I might be on my way out of town, but Taylor was basically drooling when I filled him in on the latest developments of the case that will soon be his.

Teagan is more excited than a kid on Christmas morning, not that I’d know what that feels like. Those memories were not a thing in the house I grew up in. But they were for Teagan. Hell, she’s an adult and nothing has changed since the first holiday I spent with the Colemans.

It’s like she forgot how we woke up this morning. She’s been nonstop chatter all day about the meeting. She doesn’t give a shit that we’re newly reunited and every memory that’s been marinating under my skin like a simmering flame has all of a sudden burst into a four-alarm fire.

When we make our way through the crowded restaurant to the bar, I slide my hand to her hip and pull her front tight to my side. If I could cuff her to me, I would. I lean over the sticky surface and wave down the bartender.

He barely looks up at me from where he’s pouring vodka into a highball. “You gotta wait your turn, buddy.”

“I’m here to meet Jules.” That gets his attention and focuses his gaze across the sticky bar, so I add, “Buddy.”

“Name,” he demands.

“Mack Crowder. He’s expecting me.”

He glares at me before turning to the side and lifting his chin to a waitress. “Go tell Jules he’s got a visitor. See if he wants to take the meeting.”

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