Too Late(7)

He steps back and releases me from his grip completely. I glance at Carter, who's still standing in the doorway, eyeing Asa like he could rip his head off at any second. He cuts his eyes to mine and for a second they grow softer, but I don't hang around long enough to be positive. I turn and run up the stairs to the bedroom. I slam the door and fall to my knees, hugging myself. The muscles in my arms are throbbing from the pain, so I try to rub it away. It's the first time he's ever physically hurt me, but the injury to my pride hurts so much worse. I never should have questioned him in front of someone. I know better.

But I also know that I don't deserve what he just did to me. No one does. I want to grab my bags and pack everything I own. I want to leave and never come back. I want out. I want out, I want out, I want out.

But I can't leave. It's not just me who would be affected.



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CARTER- 4

Chapter Four



"Sorry about her," Asa says, turning back to me.

I unclench my fists and attempt to hide my disdain. I've known him all of three hours, and I've never despised someone more in my entire life.

"It's all good," I reply. I walk over to the bar and casually ease myself into one of the seats at the table, despite the fact that I want to run upstairs and make sure Sloan's okay. My mind is still reeling from the fact that Sloan is involved in this. She was the last person I expected to run into coming here. Watching Asa kiss her like he did, and watching her respond like she did, made me officially regret taking on this assignment. This just became a hell of a lot more complicated.

"She live with you?" I ask. Asa hands me a beer out of the fridge and I untwist the top, then bring it to my mouth.

"Yep," he says. "And I'll cut your fuckin' dick off if you so much as look at her the wrong way."

I eye him, but he doesn't skip a beat. He shuts the door to the refrigerator and saunters to his seat on the other side of the bar as though the sentence never even left his mouth. How he can physically hurt her like he just did, then act like he gives a shit about her, has me floored. I want to bust the fucking beer bottle against his head, but instead I grip it harder, keeping my temper in check.

He opens his beer and raises the bottle. "To money," he says, clinking the bottle against mine.

"To money." And watching assholes get what they deserve.

Dalton walks in with a beer in one hand and his cell phone in the other, interrupting with perfect timing. He looks at me and nods, then turns his attention to Asa. "Hey, man. Jon wants to know what to do about the alcohol situation. Is it BYOB tonight or are we providing, because we don't have shit."

Asa slams his beer down on the bar and shoves his chair back, standing up. "I told that asshole to stock up yesterday," Asa says, storming out of the kitchen.

Dalton nudges his head toward the front door and I get up and follow him outside. Once we're alone in the middle of the front yard, he turns toward me and takes a swig of his beer, mostly for appearances sake. Dalton hates beer. He's more of a crown and coke kind of guy.

"How'd it go? You think you're in?" he asks.

I shrug. "I guess. He's desperate for someone who can speak Spanish. I told him I was good, but not fluent."

Dalton gapes at me. "Just like that? No questions asked?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "God, he's such a dumbass. Why do the new ones think they're so untouchable? Fucking pretentious prick."

"Yep," I say, in whole-hearted agreement.

"I warned you about this job, Luke. Told you it would be a tough one. It'll fuck with your head having to live like this. You sure you want in?"

I nod, knowing there's no way I can back out now, knowing how close Dalton and the others are to nailing him. "You just called me Luke."

Dalton slaps himself in the forehead. "Shit!" he groans. He kicks at the ground with his shoe and looks back up at me. "Sorry, man. We still on to meet tomorrow? Dixon wants a full report now that you're in."

"Some of us have class tomorrow," I say, rubbing it in yet again that I got the shitty end of the assignment. "I'll be out by noon, though."

Dalton nods and turns back toward the house. "You invite that hot piece of ass from your Spanish class to the party?"

"Nope," I say. "This isn't her style." Not to mention the fact that she doesn't need an invite. She's smack dab in the middle of this shit.

He nods, knowing inviting someone into this lifestyle is something I would never do. Dalton can take on and absorb his role like nothing I've ever seen. He's had long-term relationships while undercover, even went so far as to propose once, for appearances sake. Of course once the job's over, he has no problem disappearing. There's still a huge part of me that knows every person I meet while I'm Carter, is still just that...a person. I don't want to mislead anyone unnecessarily, so I make it a point to be on guard and never let these things go too deep.