Fuck.
It’s Emmett.
He has yet to call me during the weekend, keeping a strict schedule during the week that hasn’t bled into Saturdays or Sundays.
I swing my legs off the bed and make my way out of the room so I don’t disturb the sleeping goddess in my bed.
“Lucas speaking,” I answer.
“I need you for a quick trip. Pick me up in an hour. I’ll text you the details,” he says and immediately hangs up the phone.
Shit.
I move back into my room and take a moment to stare at Jordan’s sleeping form. The woman is exquisite. Last night was hands down the hottest night of my life. I’ve never been that reckless before, taking her bare like that, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted… no needed, to feel every part of her without anything between us. I wasn’t lying to her when I said that I’ve always used a condom. And I get checked regularly for the department, so I knew I was clean. Even if she had told me she wasn’t on birth control, I’m not sure I would have stopped long enough to wrap myself up. That’s how much I want this girl.
Having her under my roof this week has been the icing on the cake. I’ve given her as much of myself as I can, but there’s not much more I can’t say without telling her why I’m really here.
I finally muster up the will to get ready and move around the bedroom quietly.
A ping comes from my phone a few minutes later with the details from Emmett.
We’re headed to El Centro. It’s not a quick trip. It’s a few hours from San Diego and a huge city near the border. The text doesn’t say why we’re going there, but the longer I work for Emmett, the more I understand that asking questions gets you nowhere and to just do as you’re told.
I don’t want to leave Jordan after last night, but I have no choice. I leave a note on the pillow and hope she’s not mad at me when she wakes up.
When I finally reach Emmett's house, he tells me we are picking up Conner along the way.
Why he felt the need to leave that detail out of the text, I have no idea, but the picture he’s starting to paint for me isn’t getting any clearer. If anything, it’s getting more distorted. But the more distorted it gets, the better our chances of figuring out what’s going on at Cahill Technologies.
Conner looks about as happy as an addict getting a drug test when he comes out of his house. He lives in Ocean Beach in a two-story home that’s seen better days. The grass out front is brown, and what looks to be flowers lining the house are all dead. It looks like he doesn’t take care of the place in the slightest. Who am I to judge though?
When he opens the door to the backseat, he surprises the hell out of me and unloads on Emmett.
“This is bullshit Emmett, and you know it.” He climbs in and slams the door shut and I take a moment before I pull back onto the road towards our destination.
“And you know you have no choice. So, stop complaining.”
Conner’s voice drops to a whisper, and I strain to hear what he’s saying. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me. But this is different. This wasn’t our deal. Garcia wasn’t a part of our deal.”
What the hell are they talking about?
Emmett responds. “If you don’t shut your mouth, you’re going to end up like the last guy who tried to cross us.”
“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? I’m forever in your debt? I don’t want any part of this anymore. I want out.”
“You’re done when I say you’re done, you ungrateful bastard. I helped you, now you have to repay me. That’s business.”
“You’re asking shit from me I can’t keep giving you. I have a life. I need to be able to afford to live. And that doesn’t include going to jail.”
“Remember who’ll be in jeopardy if you don’t keep doing what you're told, right? Wouldn’t want dear little Jay to suffer, would we?”
My eyes widen because from my recent discovery, Jay is Conner’s daughter.
“Fuck you,” Conner responds with venom. And the conversation effectively ends.
There’s a lot of information to process, and the closer we get to our destination, the more questions arise. It’s clear Emmett has something over Conner, but what? Also, what did he mean by “deal?” And who the fuck really is Garcia, and what role does he have in all this?
Miller finally got intel on the mysterious businessman from the diner and restaurant. His name is José Garcia. But all we could find is that he’s a rich businessman in the area. He invests in local businesses and helps revive them. On paper, he’s completely clean. The only problem is, he’s been a ghost up until a few years ago. The whole thing is fishy, especially now that we’re hours from San Diego, heading to meet up with a guy who has a name equivalent to John Smith.
