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and maybe visiting taking a trip there in the fall. Adrian refused to be
pulled into the conversation, so after awhile John, directed his attention to
Valerie. They stood at the opening of the tunnel hidden by underbrush
under the river and close to the bridge. It looked like an overgrowth of
thorns and bushes, so of course no one would be expecting that behind all
that a tunnel led to River Street. The motor of a speedboat was heard, and
soon the pristine white machine came across the river moving with sleek
speed. When the boat came close to the shore, the driver cut the engine
and threw a rope to the bank. John’s men began pulling it in.
“Help them,” John ordered.
“Fuck no. I’m not your lackey, nor is Tom,” Adrian shot back.
“You’ve got balls.” John signed. “Your impudence is going to get you
killed.”
“When you are ready let me know. I’ll give you a good fight,” he
replied mildly.
John shook his head and watched as his men finally had the boat close
enough to shore they could get the cargo off its deck. Of course they had
to get their feet wet, but Adrian said nothing. Finally, John moved over to
the crate and opened one. He cut a package and pulled a drug test kit from
his pocket to test the purity of his heroin. The big grin on his face told
Adrian he was satisfied, and his men began to roll it into the tunnels. As
soon as it was back on Faraday property, the cops moved in with lights
and sirens. They seemed to come out of the darkness, loud voices
screaming for them to drop to the ground, and they all complied.
Jordan went over to the merchandise and turned to Adrian with a grin.
“This is the mother load. You did good.”
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You’re the One That I Want
Dahlia Rose
John turned to him in rage. “You did this? You will fucking die for it!”
“Can we add threatening to kill me to the charge?” Adrian asked.
“Sure. If you stub your toe, we’ll tack on another fifty years to his
charge,” Jordan replied. He shook Valerie’s hand. “Good Job, detective.”
Adrian couldn’t help that his mouth dropped open. “Detective, why
didn’t you tell me she was on the inside all this time?”
“Because we needed more than the drugs. We needed the paper and
money trail, and she got us that.” Jordan grinned. “She sure had you
fooled. The wire picked up the nasty things you had to say to her. Maybe
you should think about an apology.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all part of the job,” Valerie replied. “I’ll talk to your
girl if you need me to.”
“I’ll handle my own business, thanks,” Adrian replied and then said
grudgingly, “I’ll think about the apology though.”
Valerie grinned. “You do that.”
The wrap up and the witness statements went on through the night.
John’s men folded and told on his dirty dealings, sealing the old man’s
fate. By nine in the morning Adrian was completely exhausted, but his
mind turned to Sasha, and instead of going home, he drove directly to her
house. Sasha came out looking better than ever in a rose business suit and
carrying a large portfolio case. Her hair that usually hung lose was pulled
into a tight bun, and she was wearing sunglasses. Unable to help himself
Adrian ran up to her. If she was surprised to see him, the dark tint of the
glasses hid it well. But the chill that came off her body and the rigid way
she held her shoulders told him everything was far from ok.
Adrian shoved his hands in his pockets. If he didn’t he would end up
grabbing her to him. “Hey.”
She inclined her head and only said his name. “Adrian.”
Sasha wasn’t going to give an inch, so he went on. “Everything I said
to you, everything you saw was a lie. Baby, I was trying to protect you. I
can tell you everything now. My uncle left me his deal with some blasted
drug dealer. I was working with the cops to get him in jail. The girl in my
apartment was working for John, but then I found out she was an
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You’re the One That I Want
Dahlia Rose
undercover detective. They threatened to kill you, baby. I couldn’t let you
be hurt, so I had to send you away for your own protection.”
“So you decided to hurt me in another way instead?” She gave a
somber laugh. “You know how people say you can hear a glimmer of truth
in the lies. I heard it from you, the talk about me being a child, how I
didn’t complete my thesis and I needed to grow up. I got all that. You
were always on my ass about my degree. Hell at one point you asked
about my rent. I’m glad your police raid or whatever worked out. I’m glad
you are safe. But I took your advice. I grew up and finished my thesis, sent
it in. I’m on my way for my final interview and then off to another
interview for a job in the career field I was taught in.”
“What about your own business?” Adrian asked. “That was your
dream.” He missed her the way she was, and it killed him that he was the
cause of this person that was in front of him. This was not his Sasha.
“Dreams fade when the sun rises and you get up for a new day.” Sasha
moved past him to go to her car. “Goodbye, Adrian.”
The finality of her words struck him and on instinct he whirled her
around and pulled her tight against him. For a moment, a small instant in
time, she relaxed into his touch, but just as quickly as it happened, he felt
her body go rigid and hard as she put the wall back in place.
“Let me go,” she said quietly. “Please, let me go.”
No matter what she said, he heard the fragility in her voice. She was
holding herself together as hard as she could so he couldn’t hurt her again.
“I won’t let you go, and I won’t give up on you,” he muttered thickly
even as his arms freed her and she turned to the car. He watched her get in
and drive away before he got into his own vehicle and left. He would be
back, wouldn’t let this be the end of something so important. Adrian was
about to scale her walls and invade her heart once more, and this time he
was never leaving again.
* * * *
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You’re the One That I Want
Dahlia Rose
Sasha held it together through her thesis interview to explain her
theories. She didn’t even remember half the questions she answered, and
in an hour it was over. She grabbed a bottle of water from a store. She
couldn’t eat because she knew it would not stay down. So she drank the
water to stay hydrated in the Savannah heat and went to her job interview.
There too she held her own, answered, smiled, laughed, and it all felt so
fake. She assumed it went well because she came out with a handshake
and a start date for her new job in two weeks. Missions accomplished. She [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]