Page 3 of Taken In Trade
“The boss isn’t home,” he says. “You have to go, but if you give me your number, I’ll make sure I hand it off to Moretti when he gets back.”
I played out a million scenarios in my mind before taking the risk of going to Moretti’s. In all the ways I thought it might go, being turned away at the gate wasn’t one of the options.
Emory likes gossip, even if he pretends he’s above all of it. Everything I know about him led me to believe that he would allow me to plead my case, if for no other reason than to have something to hold over my head.
I may not know as many family secrets as my older brothers, but I memorize every detail they talk about in front of me. I wouldn’t be above selling out my family to save myself.
They’re willing tosellme off just to avoid having to pay the penalty for my broken marriage contract.
They don’t deserve my loyalty.
The world of organized crime isn’t kind to women. I’ve seen how it can twist a person, but I’ve never wanted to end up bitter and jaded to that level.
Tears sting my eyes as I drive toward home. Combine that with my shaking hands, and it seems dangerous to be in control of a moving vehicle. Anger and fear war inside me, and for whatever reason, my body thinks now would be a great time to break down.
Pulling into the first parking lot I find, I settle into a spot and rest my head against the steering wheel.
Before the week from hell, I hadn’t cried in years. Once someone goes through the kind of loss that I went through, nothing really compares.
Losing both my biological parents back-to-back, while being left with the father who always hated me, is an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
It left me numb to most things, but it seems like the walls are finally crumbling. Too much stress all at once seems to have broken the dam, and I hate it.
Packs are supposed to treat all children the same, but my family pack never worked like that.
My biological father, Daniel, loved all of us the same, but Julian has treated me like shit for as long as I can remember.
It’s either because I’m a girl, or it could be because Vance and Victor are biologically his sons. With my mom and Daniel gone, Julian stopped pretending to like me.
A loud crunching sound fills the air, and I screech, jolting upright as my vehicle is tossed around.
I took off my seat belt while I was sitting here, and my hip connects with the middle console painfully.
Jesus.
How fast was that asshole going in aparking lot?
I swear, today just keeps getting better and better. Turning off the car, I grab my phone without even bothering to pick up my jacket from the passenger seat.
I’mpissed.
Whoever hit me is going to get an earful.
Tossing open the car door, I climb from the vehicle and frown when I notice the black SUV. It’s fully blocking the back of my car, and the damage to my vehicle is ugly.
As I unlock my phone, I debate who I should call. The head of my security team could come pick me up, but Henry will be angry with me for leaving without an escort.
Not that I won’t hear the same shit from my brothers, because I will. They’ll likely push things a step further, asking why I left with no security and how I ended up on this side of town.
My finger hovers over the button to call Henry, but my head whips up as the doors of the SUV slam one after another.
Oh, shit.
There was a group of guys in the vehicle, and they’re all headed my way. They’re rough around the edges, and that’s saying something. I’m used to dealing with my family’s enforcers, but a damn shiver runs down my spine.
Something feels off.
My instincts scream to run, so I do, but I don’t even make it to the front of my vehicle before an arm wraps around my middle, yanking me backward.
