Page 86 of One Spicy Summer

"You better get to him before I do," I say, standing, pacing the room like a caged animal. "There won’t be anything left."

We start plotting, fast and vicious.

"We know Simon’s dead. We need the other bastard," Agatha says.

"He’ll slip up," I mutter. "He’ll panic." The rage is a live wire under my skin. I’d become the goddamn FBI if it meant findingKeifer. "He drugged her when she was pregnant," I add, voice low and lethal. "Killed my son. Hooked Presley on drugs. Stole her life."

Nobody speaks. No one needs to. The war had already started.

"And when Presley’s released," I say, cutting through the silence, "she’s coming with me."

I tell them about the apartment I'd built for her. About the specialist. About the secrecy. "This is happening. End of story."

"You sure you can pull that off?" Rafe asks, not hiding his doubt.

"I can and I fucking will."

"You better," Agatha mutters, protective to the bitter end.

We hash out every detail.Every ugly, brutal step.

Because Presley’s war isn’t over.

And neither is mine.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Presley

June

Summer is only weeks away, but it feels like it’s already here. I couldn’t be more miserable. It’s also the day I’m getting released from the hospital.

Thank fuck. Because no matter how hard I’ve tried to keep my shit together, the craving is a fucking monster under my skin. The meds they’ve been giving me? Child’s play compared to what I’m used to. Clearly, I'm not as strong as I thought. Why can't I just stop? Is it really that hard?

Yes, you idiot. It's that hard.

You don't shoot up for as long as you have and justget over it.

Huh?

I mean, I haven't taken anything since I’ve been in here, and I'm doing alright.

Yeah, because they've been pumping you full of morphine, you dumbass.

“Whatever,” I mutter out loud, glaring around the room.

The sterile smell, the beeping machines, the drab curtains, all of it makes my skin crawl. If I could walk, I’d get up and rip the damn place apart. But I can’t. So I just lay here, head slamming back against the pillow, pissed off and rotting away. Maybe they should leave me here until I rot. At least then I could finally be with Reese.

No sooner do I close my eyes, the door slams open."Rise and shine, Princess. Time to go."Rygaard’s annoyingly chipper voice slices through my skull. "Go away," I grunt, yanking the pillow over my head.

No luck. He snatches it away and tosses it aside. "I will not go away. Today’s averyexciting day," he says with a smirk so punchable I actually ball my fists at my sides.

"It was about to be real peachy if you hadn’t shown your dumbass face," I snarl.

He pouts dramatically, sticking his bottom lip out like a brat. "Aww, someone’s being a sourpuss," he says, bopping me on the nose.

"I swear to God, the second I can get out of this bed, I’m breaking that finger," I growl, trying and failing to look away from his stupidly handsome face.

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