Page 61 of Caught Up

Lauren started to sit up, probably feeling how quickly I’d gone from relaxed to pissed. I tugged her back down, deciding now was as good a time as any to start pushing back.

“I’m tied up,” I said. “And I’ve got to be at the docks soon. Get Alec to handle it.”

Dad hung up on me.

I tossed my phone onto the table with more force than necessary and suddenly wished I’d ordered something stronger than coffee.

“Everything okay?” Lauren asked.

I shook my head.

“Do you need to go?”

“We’ll see,” I said. “I have a few more minutes at least.”

“How’s everything going,” she said, and I could feel her wincing, “with that?”

“With the mob, you mean?” I asked, unable to keep from teasing her.

She flicked my chest again. “With yourdad,mostly.”

I was quiet for a beat. Between our sexting sessions and teenage discussions, she’d probably pieced together how unhappy I was about being forced into the family business. Even back in high school, I’d had to cancel on her more than once, or I’d shown up late covered in dirt, exhausted and needing a distraction to keep from losing my mind. She’d sensed my inner turmoil and asked questions, but most of them revolved around if I was okay, more worried about mywell-beingthan what I had done.

Fuck, I didn’t deserve her.

“Things with my dad are...tense,” I said. “Especially since I’m about to get forced into a position of more responsibility.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

I sighed. “In Italy, the mob has infiltrated the olive oil market. They package and sell what they claim isextra-virginolive oil, but it isn’t really. It’s a shitty mix of other vegetable oils they advertise as the real thing and make a killing exporting to other countries. We’ve brought some of that over here, but our shipments are still small because we’re new to it. Tonight, my dad asked me to head the operation’s expansion. He wants to build an empire. This scheme has already made the Italian mob billions overseas, and he’s hoping to get a slice of that pie.”

Lauren jerked upright. “Did you just saybillions?”

I nodded. “Look up the Agromafia sometime when you get a chance.”

“One sec, I’m making a note to.” She tipped forward to grab her purse from the table, the front of her dress gaping open, and I lost a couple of seconds staring at her cleavage.

She put her phone down next to mine when she was done and settled back into place. “Is it as lucrative here as it is overseas?”

“Yes,” I said. “Unfortunately, my dad still wants to cut as many corners as possible, so there’s just as much illegal shit involved in the operation as anything else he has his hand in.”

Lauren went still, and I could practically see her mind spinning. “Which means that if you’re heading it and something goes wrong, you’ll be the one to go down for everything, not him.”

“Bingo,” I said.

“Let me know if you need a character witness. I wouldloveto lie to a judge.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I told her.

“I’m really sorry,” she said, sobering. “That’s a terrible position for a parent to put their child in, and I hate that he’s doing it to you.”

I held her close, something in my chest tightening. No one had ever said something like that to me before. “Yeah, well, it’s just another reason for me to get out while I can.”

She lifted her head up enough to look me in the eye. “You want out?”

I held her gaze and nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it for years.”

“What are you going to do instead?” she asked.

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