I began to sweat as I entered the building. I’d never had this much to lose before.
Inside the office, I approached the bulletproof glass. I could never remember the name of his receptionist. “I’m here to see Ted.”
“Oh, Ryatt. What happened to you?”
“I wrecked my bike.”
“I’m so sorry. I…I’ll get Ted for you.” Her forced smile sent a tingle along my spine. I slid my hands into my pockets. I had too much nervous energy coursing through me. I was too tense to sit, and I couldn’t stand still. I’d explain that I lost my phone, I’d piss clean, and I’d even confess to having a run-in at Chrome with the Kings.
I shouldn’t have been there, but I hadn’t been drinking. I’d just tell him I wanted to be a designated driver for some friends who’d been drinking. Not that he’d believe me. If he needed validation, Levi would lie for me.
“Ryatt?”
I spun at the sound of Ted’s voice. “Hi.” I croaked the word.
“I’ve been trying to reach you. You’re not answering your phone.”
“I lost it Friday night. But I got a new phone, and I can give you the number.” I pulled the phone from my pocket.
He nodded to his receptionist, and she took my phone from me.
“I swung by Treena’s. She said she hasn’t seen you.”
This wasn’t going how I imagined it. I’d never had a meeting in the waiting room of his office. “I know. I had a rough week.”
He cocked a brow and leaned back on his heels. “Looks like it.”
My brows pinched with worry. “Did an attorney call you?”
“He did.”
I released a breath, but it didn’t ease the anxiety firing through me. Ted was too calm, too measured. I thought he’d throw down the hammer about staying in touch, but with a clean piss test, and a call from Willy, I should’ve been good, right?
“I need to talk to you about my living situation,” I said. “I want to move out of Treena’s.”
“Not a problem. She’s already evicted you for breaking house rules. Your things have been boxed up. They’re in the back.” He tipped his head to indicate the direction of his office.
I exhaled, but my chest was so fucking tight. Eviction wasn’t going to look good on me. “This week was the first time I’d missed a curfew without permission. I wrecked my bike and lost my phone.”
His expression remained the same, hovering somewhere between indifference and ready to pound me into the ground with his big meaty fist.
“I’ve got a room to rent, I’m still making deliveries, and I’ve completed my ninety days of outpatient drug treatment.”
The door swung open and four uniformed officers entered the office. My gaze snapped from the cops to Ted. Fuck no. This couldn’t be happening. I know I fucked up, but there was nothing I could do, and I couldn’t disclose the truth without betraying the Hellers.
“You broke the terms of your probation.”
“I know I made a mistake,” I stammered. “Ted, you’ve known me for three months. Don’t do this.” He had to violate me, go to the courts, and get a judge to rescind my probation. He could give me a warning. Fuck! I raked my fingers through my hair. Oh, fuck. He was going to lock me up.
“You’re cooked, kid.”
One of the officers slipped a pair of cuffs from his utility belt. Like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my chest, my heart pounded painfully. I tried to take a breath, but my ribs burned.
“My attorney was going to work this out.” I took a step toward him. “It wasn’t my fault.”
Instantly, the cop grabbed my elbow and gripped my wrist in an escort hold. With pressure to my side, he took me off balance. I pitched forward, and he twisted my arm behind my back. Fire seared through my torso, and with the damage to my wrist and shoulder, pain ripped through my arms.
“Don’t fight this, Ryatt.”
