Page 16 of Gangster Daddy's Girl

As we cruise past another corner, I give my guys and the spotter a wave as we roll by. Everything looks fine. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. My cell phone rings, so I pull it out of my pocket and see it’s Marco. I connect the call and press the phone to my ear.

“Talk to me,” I say.

“All’s clear,” he says. “Everybody’s checked in, and nothing is amiss out there.”

I frown. They’ve hit regularly since I kicked them out of my office and told them to pound sand. They’ve stolen a good amount of product from me, but not enough to start up on their own. If they’re looking to stake a claim to the business, which is what I’ve come to think they’re doing, they’re going to need a lot more money and product to get themselves off the ground.

“They’re out there,” I say.

“I know you’re convinced it’s Rico and Dawson, but?—”

“I’m sure it is.”

“They’re fucking idiots,” Marco says.

“Which is why they think they can steal from me without repercussion.”

Marco is silent on the other end of the line. We’ve had this conversation a few times already, and I know he disagrees with me. He doesn’t think Rico and Dawson have the balls to take a run at me and keeps trying to convince me that we need to look elsewhere for the culprits.

They both think they’re tough guys. They think they have the smarts to run the business. And they both have an axe to grind with me. Granted, a lot of other people do too, but I haven’t gotten into it with anybody but those two fucking clowns recently.

“Rico and Dawson aren’t anywhere near clever enough to be pulling this kind of shit then flying under the radar. You know how they are,” Marco says. “If this is really them, you know they’d be out there running their fucking mouths. They can’t help themselves.”

“Maybe they’ve learned a thing or two and understand the necessity of flying under the radar until they’re ready to make their big move.”

“I really think you need to reach out to guys like Rodney and Hector—guys you drove out of the city. I really think they’re behind this,” Marco says.

“I’m sure it’s not. And if they’re not, I don’t want to tip them off that we’re getting hit. That’s only going to make us look weak and encourage them to take a run at us.”

“But if it is them and you don’t do something to put them in check, that’s going to make you look even worse. It’s going to make you look weaker.”

I’m silent for a long moment, letting his words sink in. I mean, he’s not wrong about that. If it is them and I don’t put them on notice, it’s going to make them think they can pull whatever shit they want to pull. It’s a fine line I have to tread here. I sigh and run a hand over my face.

“All right, I’m still convinced it’s those two fucking clowns, so we’re going to keep looking for them, and we’re going to ramp up the pressure,” I say. “And while we’re doing that, I want you to back channel with your contacts. Ask around and find out if Rodney or Hector are looking to make a move, but do it quietly, Marco.”

“I got you. I’ll keep it quiet.”

“Good.”

I disconnect the call, drop my phone onto the seat next to me, and shake my head. Just as one piece of my life starts getting better, the rest of my world is thrown into chaos. The real bitch of it all is that I don’t really care about this side of my life. I’m done with it and want to find a way out. But not like this. I’m not going to turn everything I’ve worked as hard as I have to get over to a couple of fucking clowns like Rico and Dawson. Over my dead fucking body.

“Fuck!” I shout as I slam my fist into the door.

12

TABITHA

After a long, hot shower, I get out and towel off, then pull on a pair of black yoga pants, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a thick pair of socks. Once dressed, I pick up my phone and frown. Tyson hasn’t responded to my last couple of texts, which is unlike him. He normally gets back to me pretty quickly. It shames me to admit, but I’ve gotten used to it. Not hearing from him has me a little worried. I don’t know if something’s happened to him or if I’m just starting to be too needy, and he’s getting tired of me.

I shake my head as I look down at my phone. I promised myself I wouldn’t let myself get too wrapped up in Tyson. That because of who he was and what he did, I couldn’t afford to. He has told me his plans of getting out of the life and going legit, but it almost comes across as the married man telling his side piece that he’s going to divorce his wife for her. I want to believe he’s sincere. Part of me thinks he really believes it. But until he actually starts making moves to get out of the life, I don’t want to let myself believe that he’s going to do it.

The whole time I’ve been hanging out with him, I’ve tried to tell myself this is all just for fun. That all I’m doing is having a good time and enjoying myself. And I do genuinely enjoy spending time with Tyson. He’s unlike what I expected him to be that first night I met him in what seems like another lifetime. Underneath all his bluster and bravado, he’s a good man with a good heart. If I had a list of things I wanted in a man, I have no doubt he would check off all the boxes. If he weren’t who and what he is, I would want to be with him.

Who am I kidding? Even knowing who and what he is, I want to be with him anyway. Deep down, I know he’s opened my heart in ways I never expected and has rushed in to fill all those spaces that have been empty for so long. My life has been nothing but school and planning for my future for so long, but once Tyson came storming in, he turned my world completely upside down and made me see things differently.

Now, as I look at my unanswered text messages, I want to slap myself for thinking we could be more than what we are. For thinking there is a world where a criminal kingpin and a nursing student can have a normal, healthy, loving relationship. For thinking we can have the relationship I’ve dreamed about since I was younger. It was naïve and foolish. I see that now. But for a little while, it was nice pretending we could be something different.

My heart feeling a little heavy and a dark cloud of emotion hovering over me, I walk through my apartment, making sure everything is locked up and turning off the lights as I get ready for bed, following my nightly routine. I was hoping to see Tyson tonight, and it’s depressing to know I’ll be going to bed alone instead.

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