Chapter 8
HAZEL
We spend the rest of the weekend either curled up on the couch watching movies or fucking each other’s brains out.
He’s made it his mission to make me laugh and smile.
They haven’t come easy lately, that’s for sure, but Cash has this way of pulling them from me when I least expect it.
He can look at me a certain way, making my belly flip, and I don’t even realize my lips are spreading over my face.
And when he relaxes, that megawatt smile of his is almost a permanent fixture on his face.
I can’t help but stare at him, which only gets me that damn look again.
It stirs up all kinds of reactions and memories.
I may be beat to hell, but I’m sure as fuck not dead. We’ve proven that over and over again.
For the first time in a week, I feel almost normal.
Cash doesn’t show me pity or constantly ask if I’m okay.
He hasn’t been staring at my bruises or asking if I want to talk about it.
If I wanted to tell him about it I would, and he knows that.
Honestly, I don’t think he wants to know the details, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to explain them.
He already wants to hurt Phil for what he’s done to me.
If I told him all of it, he would rush out the door to hunt him down.
Cash promised to let me in, and he’s doing that little by little.
I’m okay with that. I understand that it takes time to reveal your secrets to people.
Whatever he’s been hiding all these years has really done a number on him.
That’s not something he can work through overnight.
I’ll be here when he’s ready to discuss them, and I’ll remain as he deals with those issues.
There’s nothing he can tell me that would scare me away.
His cellphone chimes, and he leans forward, plucking it from the coffee table. A moment later, he sets it on the table and pulls me back in his embrace. He’s no longer relaxed. His body is stiff with worry. Something happened.
Cash kisses the side of my neck and sighs. “I have a meeting tonight.” He nervously rubs a frayed spot on my pajama pants. “It won’t last long, but I’d like you to come with me.”
A meeting at night? That can only mean one thing.
It’s a drug meeting. We’ve had such an amazing weekend that I pushed all thoughts of his extracurricular activities out of my mind.
His finger picks nervously at the pinhole in my pants as he waits for my response.
I don’t want to go. What if they get busted, and I’m there?
That’s all I need, to have my ass handed to me by the cops after the beating I took.
I don’t feel uneasy being in his home, but I just got here and don’t want to stay alone.
“I’ll feel better if you’re with me, where I can keep you safe.” He searches my face. “This will be the only time. I’ll never ask this of you again.”
“Okay, but this is the only time. I don’t want any part of that shit, Cash.”
He kisses down the side of my face, as if saying thank you repeatedly, and relaxes again. “I know,” he mutters, as he continues to nuzzle my neck. “I promise it’ll be the only time.”
PHIL
Television makes being an outlaw seem like an exciting and interesting journey.
It is far from the truth. Not when you don’t have the connections needed to lead a lavish, illegal lifestyle.
I wasn’t bred to be an outlaw. The past week has proven that.
But I don’t want to be an inmate, either.
I stick to the motel room, bored out of my mind, and attempt to not go crazy trapped in this disgusting fucking box.
I’ve burnt some nervous energy off on the bitch who’s a few doors down.
She enjoys the rougher side of me and begs for me to let it out on her.
After the first time, and the bruises appeared, I started to pretend she was Hazel.
It doesn’t feel the same. It’s controlled, and I’m not sure I like that.
But it is what it is, and she didn’t complain once when I called her Hazel’s name.
She’s fucked up, so I give her what she wants and take what I need.
I refused to pay her. If anyone should be paid it’s me, for giving her what she asked for.
The phone that has been silent lets out a shrilling ring, making Dustin and I flinch. This is what we’ve been waiting for. At least, it better be what we’ve been waiting for. If Samuel backs out on our deal, I will hunt him down and kill him, but not before getting my money back.
“Hello.”
“They are calling a meeting tonight. The rooms will be empty, and you’ll have a short window to get in and out undetected. Be nearby and ready to move. Do you remember the plan?”
Of course, I remember the fucking plan. I memorized that information the night we met and talked about it. I almost yell it at him, but I bite my tongue and roll my eyes instead. “Yes.”
“I’ll text you when it’s safe to come in.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Dustin fidgets as he waits for me to fill him in.
“Tonight,” I tell him as I toss the phone on the bed. A smile spreads over my face as I turn to him. “This will all be over tonight.”
CASH
“I want you to stay in here while we have the meeting,” I tell Hazel as I lead her into Dale’s office. “The less you know, the better.” She nods her head and checks it out. “Here’s the remote for the TV, and a bathroom is through that door. Just relax and I’ll come get you when it’s over.”
“Alright. How long do you think you will be?” she asks, staring out the window into the silent factory.
“Hopefully no longer than an hour. If we’ll be longer, I’ll come check on you and let you know.”
She sits down on the sofa and flips on the TV. “Go, do your thing. I’ll be okay.”
The irritation is apparent in her voice.
I stand in the way of the TV, blocking her view.
We haven’t discussed the drugs. We’ve been keeping our mouths busy doing other things.
I smirk thinking about all the new things we’ve discovered about each other.
Hazel’s gaze drops to my lips. Heat rises up her neck then disappears in the multitude of colors on her face.
It’s enough to make my pants tighter. I’ve walked around the entire weekend with a hard-on.
I lean down, and she tilts her head back on the armrest to keep eye contact. Her tongue wets her lips, and my cock leaps in my pants, raring to go yet again. I press my lips to hers, and she sighs, making me smile against her mouth.
“I want to lick your sweet pussy on my desk later.” I chuckle as her shocked expression, and she glances toward the window. “It’ll give me something nice to think about while I’m stuck at work.”
I place another quick kiss on her lips and go to the open door leading into the factory. As I cross the threshold, I turn back at her. “And, Hazel. No matter how much you want to call Cady, don’t.”
“I won’t,” she mutters, and watches as I go.
I shut the door and walk down to my office as I talk down my erection. Dale and Joseph sit inside waiting for me when I enter.
“She okay being here during this?” Joseph asks.
“Yeah. I didn’t tell her what it’s about. Once it’s over, I’ll explain everything.”
“So she thinks you’re doing a drug deal?” Dale shakes his head. “Not cool, man. What if she tries to run?”
“She’s not ever gonna run. She knows she’s safe with me.” I pull out my desk chair and sit down as they eye me speculatively. “Did you tell Samuel to be here before everyone else?”
“Yep. He should be here soon,” Dale says, checking his watch. “Want to clue us in on what you plan to do with him?”
“Nope. You can be just as surprised as he is.”
Dale purses his lips and laces his fingers together in his lap. “Well, you’ll be happy to know that I used my connections and might have found a buyer.”
Joseph raises his brows. “Oh yeah?”
“After explaining the drug, who the target demographic is, and how much we were estimated to make at the end of the year with our tiny operation, they were excited. With their reach, they can make quadruple what we could in the same time.”
Dale is excellent with money and knows what we can and can’t make out of this deal. Although, it would be nice to get our money back and then some, I’ll just be happy to wipe my hands clean and move on.
“Did he make an offer?” Joseph asks, wondering how much his baby is worth to someone else.
“After hearing how much he could make, I gave him a number to think about,” Dale says, a big grin spreading over his face, not saying a damn word.
“Fucking spill it, pretty boy!” Joseph slugs Dale in the arm, making him jump from his seat and laugh.
“Four million,” Dale states.
Joseph and I are both shocked. Four million dollars? That’s a hell of a lot of money. More money than I would’ve thought Snap was worth. But if someone can push it making more money than we ever could, then why not?
Dale checks his watch again and walks to the door. “We’ve got to head to the meeting room. Samuel should be here soon.”
“Sure, throw out that number then expect us to focus on that dumbass,” Joseph mumbles, and I chuckle.
A few minutes after settling in the meeting room, Samuel appears in the security window on the laptop entering the building.
He walks with confidence, like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Samuel will have lots of reasons to care when I’m done with him.
As he makes his way down the hall toward the room, I minimize the window on the laptop and turn to the guys.
“Showtime.”
Samuel’s steps falter as he walks in. He looks around nervously and realizes he’s the only one to show for the meeting. Peering at the clock, he checks the time before turning back to us and running a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt. I thought the meeting was starting soon.” He glances toward the door and back to us. “I’ll just wait outside until everyone gets here.”