Slide(Boosted Hearts Book 3)(19)

Curling his fingers into a tight fist, he shoved Lucy out of his head—even thinking about her was dangerous—and dragged his attention back to the reason he was there.

There were several men moving around inside the warehouse. These guys did this for a quick buck, purposely staying clear of the heavy hitters in Los Angeles. And though they were bad news, there was no one there who caused Adam any great concern. If he got in and out clean, the chances of blowback were zilch.

The car was stolen from John three weeks ago while here in LA on business. His cousin had been out of his mind, but the car was rare enough Adam had been confident he’d find it. And there she was, ripe for the picking.

It took a while, but finally he got his shot. Ducking through the gap he’d cut in the fence, he slipped into the yard surrounding the rundown warehouse.

He was back.

And, damn, it felt good.





~ * ~





Lucy stared at the pile of clothes on her bed. What was she going to do? Where would she go?

Hugh had come to talk to her during his lunch break, and her brother had decided to fill her in on a few home truths, like he hadn’t already. He’d made his feelings about her quitting school crystal clear. He wasn’t happy, major understatement, and wanted her to go back. “Now that she’d had her time to blow off steam.”

Her brother wasn’t buying her reasons for leaving, and the more she refused to talk, the more annoyed Hugh got. She’d done such a good job after everything blew up, convincing her brother that Daniel was no longer an issue, going as far as lying and telling him he’d transferred to a different school, that he could see no other reason why she couldn’t go back.

God, she didn’t even know what she wanted anymore, if she was cut out for a career as a child psychologist, which is why she hadn’t transferred schools. She wanted to help kids, instead she’d destroyed two innocent children’s lives, broken up their family.

She felt backed into a corner. Home, her refuge from the big bad world, had turned into something else, somewhere suffocating. Joe’s attitude wasn’t much better.

Her phone started ringing in her pocket. She checked the screen. Daniel.

Shit.

She ended the call without answering. Couldn’t deal with him on top of everything else.

Two minutes later the door to her apartment flew open and Hugh stormed in looking like a demented giant, and she was the unfortunate moron caught holding the goose that laid golden eggs.

“What’s up, big brother?”

“What’s up?” he rumbled back, shutting the door and leaning against it, blocking her only exit. “Are you serious?”

“Um…”

“Have you done what I asked?”

“Well…”

“I left you several hours ago with strict instructions to call school and sort your shit out. You telling me that hasn’t happened?”

Goddamn it. She needed Hugh to be her brother, her supporter, not her surrogate father, a position he’d taken up after their father had run off when they were just kids. That time had sucked for a lot of reasons, and had been the catalyst for her pursuing a career in child psychology. She didn’t need that from him now, not anymore. “Have you at all stopped to think that maybe that’s not what I want?”

“You don’t know what you want, so I’m gonna be the one that tells you.”

“Hugh—”

“No, Lucy. I’m done with this shit. Get over your damn tantrum and get your ass back to school.”

“My tantrum?” God, his words hurt. They struck like an emotional A-bomb, blowing her wide open. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he thought she was capable of throwing her future away on a whim, but she’d truly thought he knew her better than that, despite her past screw-ups. They also made her angry, angrier than she could ever remember being at Hugh. He could be a stubborn jackass at times, but this? He’d taken his role as father figure way too damn far.

“Whatever’s going on, it’s not a good enough reason to throw your future away…unless, there’s a fuck of a lot more to this than you’re telling me.” His expression softened and he shoved a hand through his hair. “You know you can talk to me, Luce, right?”

Dammit. There he went, getting all concerned again.

“I don’t need to talk. And what I do with my life is not your call.” She was surprised when her voice came out strong and not as shattered as she felt.

Hugh growled. “Me and Joe, we worked our asses off so you could go to the school you wanted, but apparently that means jack shit to you, seeing how easily you can toss it all aside.” He shoved a giant hand through his hair again, then pinned her in place with a look that made her want to cry. When he spoke again his voice was softer, and it was way worse than having him yell at her. “I’m disappointed in you, Lucy. Seriously fucking disappointed.”