Illicit (The Agents), page 11
More like I have to prove what I’m not. I have the scar to remind me day in and day out.
The thing is everyone knows I’m tight with the Miami clan. What they don’t know is they’re all I have. And Taylor doesn’t know that I’ve known Teagan since she was eleven. She was right when she said I was emotionally unattached back then.
I gave that shit new meaning, and the Colemans gave me a family.
And for that reason alone, I will not be hitting Teagan, even though the thought has eaten away at me for the last two years. It’s gnawed away so long, Taylor was spot on about a cold spell. There’s been no one since my first kiss with Tim Coleman’s daughter.
I look up at him. “Good luck with the paperwork. This could be your breakout case. I can say I knew you when. I’ll contact Robichaux and set up a meet. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Taylor gives me a shove on the shoulder. “Go get her, Romeo.”
“Fuck you,” I mutter.
His grin spreads across his face. “No, fuck her.”
With two days left in New Orleans, I don’t need the drama of an OPR investigation, so I choose not to punch him in the face.
Look at me … in control. It doesn’t seem to be an issue with anyone but Teagan.
My cell vibrates in my pocket, and when I look at it, I know it won’t be a short conversation no matter how hard I try to make it one. But this is my chance to escape a conversation with Taylor about Teagan.
Even if it is with a phone call from her father.
Karma is hitting me from every direction.
I look to Taylor before I leave. “I’ve got to take this. See you later.”
The moment I connect the call, Taylor yells, “Good luck!”
“Good luck with what?” Tim asks in lieu of a greeting.
“The move,” I lie. “Just wrapping things up before I head out of town.”
“Gotcha. About that. I need a favor.” He sounds busy and distracted, which he should be. He manages five enforcement groups.
“Seeing as how you pushed my transfer through to get back to Miami, I owe you.”
“You’ll never owe me for that, but Annette and I are in a predicament. Sammie is … well, she’s always been an energy suck. You know this. But she’s single and dilated to an eight.”
Again with the vagina stats. It’s like Saturday morning Game Day during football season. This can’t be normal.
I try to keep the wince out of my tone. “Yeah, I heard.”
“And Teagan graduates this weekend,” he adds. “FYI … doesn’t matter how old your kids are, they can still be needy as fuck.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mutter as I push out the door and head to my car.
“We don’t want to be away from Sammie for long. I’ve got a flight in and out just long enough for us to see Teagan walk across the stage. Annette is too busy fussing around Sammie and spending money on baby clothes to worry about details, so I told her I’d call you. I know you’re heading south anyway. We need you to help Teagan get loaded up and follow her so she’s not on the road by herself.”
I start my car and crank up the AC. What I want to say is that Teagan has no problem flying solo when doing sketchy shit, no matter how bad of an idea it is.
When I don’t answer, he adds, “You know Teag. She hardly has anything. Her studio apartment came furnished. Everything she has should fit in her car.
Her car with no windows, but that’s beyond the point.
“Look, I know you two aren’t close like you used to be. If it’s a problem, I can ask Micah if he can fly up and do it—”
I stop him right there. “Sorry, I got distracted. You know I’ll do it. I planned on going to her graduation anyway.”
It’s his turn to pause. “We didn’t know you’d be there.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. I even got her a graduation gift.” I’m forced to adjust my junk when I think about her rainbow of panties. “And we’re both headed to Miami, anyway. Might as well caravan.”
What I don’t add is that she’ll have to pack for a second time since her shit was tossed two nights ago.
Do I feel guilty keeping everything that’s happened in the last few days from Tim?
Hell, yes.
I feel like a teenager, digging myself in deeper every minute I don’t fess up to the parents.
But at this point, Teagan and I are in this together, even though I’m the one aiding and abetting Tim and Annette’s youngest child and taking her on undercover deals.
My only defense is that she started it, which makes me sound like a crabby pre-teen. Not to mention I’m getting more and more comfortable touching his daughter in ways that would make him lose his shit.
On the bright side, I can keep her under my thumb with the full permission of Tim Coleman.
In fact, it was his idea.
Even better.
“You can count on me,” I say. “I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
Tim lets out a sigh of relief. “I knew I could count on you. Can’t wait to have you home, Roc.”
“Me too.”
“Your room is ready for you. Annette insisted on holding off making it into a nursery until after you close on your house. Teagan doesn’t have to be in New York for a few weeks. I’m still pissed about that. But it’ll be like old times. You know, with the addition of a grandbaby.”
Like old times, my ass. It’s been years since I’ve been back to the Colemans with their whole family. Teagan was barely eighteen.
“I feel bad about that. Brax and Landyn are bursting at the seams with my godchild on the way. I’m sure I can bunk at King and Goldie’s or Micah and Evie’s. They’ve got extra room.”
“Not unless you want to hurt Annette’s feelings. She’s emotional enough with the baby on the way. I wouldn’t recommend crossing her right now.”
Even better. Teagan won’t have a chance to avoid me if I’m sleeping across the hall from her.
Even though we haven’t slept that far apart the last few nights. My back is a fucking pretzel to prove it. We had a repeat of the night before on the sofa.
She didn’t ask me why I didn’t go to my room, and I didn’t think about why I refused to go to bed and leave her the whole sofa.
My actions and intentions are in a civil war at the moment.
“I guess we’ll see you at graduation. Appreciate you. Here’s to new beginnings,” he says.
“New beginnings,” I agree as I reverse out of my parking spot as another call comes across the line.
Speak of the woman who’s testing my control.
“I’ve got another call. Tell Annette and Sammie hi for me.”
“Will do.”
Tim barely has time to say goodbye when I click over. “Please tell me you haven’t run away while I was gone.”
“What are you going to do if I did?” There’s a smile in her tone that reminds me of times when she didn’t hate me.
“I’d have no choice but to chase you down.” I don’t add that I’d do it with permission from her father since I’ve been tasked to keep an eye on her.
“I have good news.” She moves the conversation on, so I assume she’s not on the run.
“You found Heath Hayes and are saving me from having to meet Robichaux again?”
“Hardly. Uncle Sam is going to have to pay up for that one. My car has windows! I can pick it up anytime!”
“That’s good since we need to get you back to school to walk across the stage.”
“There’s no we, Roc. I’m going home as soon as you pay Jules. I need to clean up my apartment and pack.”
“You’re not going back there by yourself. I’m coming with you. I just got off the phone with your dad. He asked me to chaperone your way home to Miami. Looks like you’re stuck with me a while longer.”
“Of course he did,” she mutters. “I have two days until graduation, and I need to be out of my apartment the next day.”
“Then the timing is perfect since I have to be out of mine before then. I already promised your parents. They’re stressed enough about Sammie as it is. And, honest to God, does she know your parents are updating the entire world on the size of her vagina?”
There’s a pause over the line before she says, “You know, now that I think about it, it is sort of weird.”
“The baby’s coming, it’s not coming—that’s all I need to know. And don’t call me emotionally stunted or unattached. I’m completely in tune with my feelings.”
“Whatever. I’m just happy my car is done. If it weren’t for my mom insisting I walk for graduation, I’d go straight to Miami. I want to get back before the baby comes.”
“Despite the fact I know the size of your sister’s vagina, I still have no clue when that might be.”
“Again, it’s her cervix. You need to brush up on the female anatomy.”
“I can promise you, I do not need lessons on the female body.”
She laughs.
I actually made Teagan Mariana Coleman laugh.
I can’t remember the last time that happened. It used to be a normal occurrence. One I took for granted. Now that it happened again, I had no idea how much I missed it.
I pull in a deep breath and decide she needs to know. “Missed that, Teag.”
She’s banging around doing who knows what in my apartment. I don’t give a shit because I have nothing tangible in the world that means anything to me. But when she answers, there’s an echo of a smile in her tone. “Yeah? What’s that, Roc?”
As opposed to hers, my tone is sober. “Your laugh. Almost forgot what it sounded like.”
It’s her turn to sober, or at least that’s what it sounds like. The banging stops too.
“You didn’t run away, did you?” I ask.
“No,” she whispers. “I’m here.”
“Good. I’ll be home soon. What are you hungry for?”
I know what I’m hungry for. Yesterday at this time, I wasn’t willing to admit it.
“You’ve fed me the last two nights. But I’ve been going through your kitchen—there’s nothing here even if I wanted to cook for you. I’ll buy dinner tonight.”
“You’re not buying me dinner. Tell me what you want.”
She sighs. “Okay, thank you. You know I’m not picky.”
I flip my blinker fast and change lanes, making a last-second decision. “It usually takes a few hours to process that much cash for an undercover buy. We’ll eat and play the rest of the night by ear.”
“And get my car,” she adds.
“I just got you back. You’re so anxious to leave,” I say as I pull into the parking lot of my favorite restaurant.
“I’m just…” Her thought trails off. All of a sudden, she sounds exhausted. “I don’t know what I am these days.”
“Whatever it is, you’d better be hungry. I’ll see you soon.”
“Mmm, a surprise,” she hums. “You know I don’t like surprises.”
“Touché. I felt the same way when you showed up to meet with Robichaux.”
“The surprise of the year,” she notes.
I turn off my car, grab my cell, and climb out. “Teagan, you might as well be the surprise of a lifetime. If you keep this up, it won’t be good for my heart.”
“I’ll, ah, see you soon?”
“Soon,” I confirm.
“Oh, Rocco?”
“For someone who didn’t talk to me for almost two years, you’re chatty on the phone. I like it.”
“I was just going to ask for beignets—if they have them at your mystery restaurant.”
“Thanks a lot. I’ve known you for half your life. I know what you like. You just ruined the surprise.”
She doesn’t sound the least bit sorry she ruined anything. “I can’t wait. See you soon.”
I end the call and as soon as I open the door, the old woman greets me by name. “Rocco! I thought you were moving to Miami!”
“I couldn’t leave without having your gumbo one more time.”
She beams. “The usual then?”
I stuff my hands in my pockets as she takes my order. “Yes, but double it. And I need a box of beignets.”
“Look at you,” she exclaims. “Gonna go out with a bang, aren’t ya? Lemme go box those up for ya. Be right back.”
That makes me think of the fuse that’s flickered too many times in the last couple days. If I tiptoe closer to the line of no return, it’ll explode with a bang. And it won’t have to do with gumbo or baked goods.
And as the moments click on, I care less and less that she’s off limits to me.
11
GOTH GIRLFRIEND
Rocco
“Your last hurrah in NOLA. You good to go?” Taylor asks.
I look into my rearview mirror to straighten my collar. “I’m ready to get this shit done. Can you hear my mic?”
“Loud and clear.” Taylor is in the tech van on the next block. More agents are on standby in case this goes to hell. But every muscle in my body isn’t tense tonight like they were last night.
Teagan is nowhere in sight.
It took about two minutes for her to realize she didn’t have a choice. By the end of the night, I’ll have the information she’s looking for whether she’s there or not. This is my last-ditch effort to explain to Tim that I did everything I could to protect his daughter. The way this case is turning out, he’ll know about it sooner rather than later since he’ll be my supervisor soon.
I might’ve taken her in with me once, but not twice.
I’m counting on that to save my ass.
Not that he doesn’t know what Teagan will do for a living when she gets to New York. But being an investigative journalist is very different from going undercover with someone like Jules Robichaux.
When Tim and Annette find out, they’ll never sleep again.
When I texted Robichaux when and where to meet me, he didn’t like my location and said the deal was off unless he called the shots. This wasn’t unexpected, but it did require a new op plan for backup.
So here we are, only a mile from the bar where we met last night, though this isn’t a restaurant or a high stakes card game.
This is a warehouse.
Nothing good goes down in a warehouse. I’ve got the scar and six years under my belt in law enforcement to prove it.
“I’m going in.”
“See you on the other side, dude,” Taylor says.
“No need to be morbid, asshole,” I mutter.
“Shit,” Taylor bites. “I didn’t mean that other side. You know what I mean.”
“Just watch my ass,” I say.
“Dude, we’ve got you.”
I disconnect the call from my Bluetooth, kill the engine, and grab the bag of money.
It’s Friday night. Teagan and I didn’t even get to the beignets when Jules got back with me. She vowed to wait for me and then wrapped her arms around me in an embrace that lasted longer than it should have and made me promise her I’d be careful.
I jog up the steps in another business casual outfit. I’m glad this shit will be done soon. I’m running out of clothes nice enough to play the part of Mack Crowder much longer.
I bang on the door three times.
Unlike last night, they don’t make me wait. Two men stand behind the open door.
The short, stocky one lifts his chin. “Crowder?”
“That’s me,” I confirm.
“Get in.” Once I step into the dim and dusty building, the door slams behind me. “Gonna need to frisk you, man.”
I don’t let go of the bag, but I do hold my arms up. The tall lanky one pats me down. Even though all I have is a cell that’s secretly my location and ears, he does a shit job and would be fired if he worked in the jail.
“My-my! He really showed.” I look over and Jules comes out of the small office to the left. “You’ve got balls, man. We were taking bets.”
“He’s clear,” the tall one announces.
Jules looks surprised. “You’re not packin’?”
I lower my arms and grip the money bag. “You’ve been a man of your word so far. I have people who know where I am. There’s no reason for me to fuck with you.”
Jules cocks his head and his cheek twitches. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t come in here packin’.”
“I’d tell you to expand your horizons, but that’s none of my business, and I’m not up for talking. Tell me where Heath Hayes is, and I’ll hand over your money.”
He motions to the bag. “Open it. I need to make sure you’re not trying to fuck me over.”
My stare is heavy and never shifts from him. “You think I’m going to walk in here surrounded by your people and try to fuck you over?”
“Open it,” he stresses.
I rip the zipper open and spread the bag to prove I came with actual cash. The short guy reaches for the bag, but I’m quicker and put a hand out low to stop him. “What the fuck kind of deal is this? I’ve got your payment. Give me the information, and it’s yours.”
Jules crosses his arms and rocks back on his heels. “She must be the sweetest pussy in the land. No one I know would do this.”
“She is,” I confirm. Hell, I don’t know that for a fact, but in my most erotic imagination she is. My thoughts run wild when it comes to Teagan. “Consider me whipped.”
“I’ll say,” he drawls. “Have you even met her pawpaw?”
“Nope,” I tell the truth. The more truths I can tell, the more I can keep my story straight. “He disappeared before I moved here. I know he’s old, has health issues, and Stella wants him home. Is this an interrogation or a deal for money?”
“Trying to see if I trust you as far as I can throw you.”
The lanky guy laughs.
I do not.
I don’t take my eyes off Jules. “Are you backing out of our deal? If so, I’ll take my money somewhere else.”
Jules scoffs. “Fuck, man. You’re standing unarmed, surrounded in a dark warehouse by men who are very fucking armed, and you’re carrying ten Gs. You’re desperate enough to be here. You’ve got no one else to turn to.”
I shrug like it’s no skin off my back, which it fucking is. I’ve had my skin burned off once. It’s damn important to me. “I’ve got the name of the travel agent who booked his ticket. I’ve got airport security in Nigeria that has footage of him deplaning. And I’ve got a hotel in Mozambique confirming he was there the day before he disappeared. Guess how far the US dollar goes in Africa? A long fucking way. But you’re my fastest option. This is your last chance. Do you want my money, or should I take it elsewhere?”
