Page 68 of Ravaged
That text meant that Muro was likely going to use Teagen as bait to get Oliver to talk, like we had. But he would do a lot worse than I would have done, and in all likelihood, would get rid of her once he got what he was looking for.
I pulled out my phone again and texted in a fury:Why the fuck did you go without me?I texted Derek.I told you to call me.
This is why, he sent.Your attitude. You care too much about her. You’ve got to keep your mind separate from work.
And my heart separated from work.
Teagen spindled spaghetti in her fork, avoiding my eyes.
He sent another text:We’ll give it one more day, but then we have to deliver. Have To. There’s no debate this time.
I slammed my fists into the table and a glob of sauce hit my chin.
“Geez. I know it’s not the best pasta, but I did what I could,” she said, “and for half of the dinner, I was chained up. All things considered, it isn’tthatbad.”
I stayed still, trying hard to force back the smile she was so desperately trying to take from me. But when she smiled, I cracked too. It was hard to resist her. Always making fun of the situation, trying to be positive, when everything screamed that this was it. That this was the end. That no one would be there to save her.
Because I would have to deliver her myself.
“It’s delicious,” I said, a scowl on my face. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I went to the kitchen and dialed my mom. She was the last person I could ask about this, but she was the only person who had grounded me when things got real after I first killed Ken.
“So, you finally remembered to call your mother?” she asked.
“I need advice,” I said.
“I figured you needed something.” She chuckled to herself, then added, “What’s going on?”
I couldn’t tell her the details, and she knew that. But I could hint at it, and perhaps then she could give me some guidance.
“I have this choice,” I said. “If I do what logic dictates, then I could hurt someone,” I sighed. “Badly. Worse than before.” There was no sound on the other end, so I continued, “But if I do what I should do, I could screw everything up.”
She inhaled deeply. Her fingers tapped on the microphone.
“You have to think about the future from more than one point of view,” she finally said. “One path might give you security. Another might make you regret it. And if you come home, there’s only so much the Adlers can do to protect you here.” She adjusted her grip on the phone, then started again, “But if you choose therightpath, then you can think about the future.” She paused. “Just remember, baby. Think about a future you can live with.”
A future I could live with. That meant I had to do what was right for my life, for myself. I had to stand by my brothers, by my father, by my mother too. I had to do what was expected of me, to give myself the best chance to take over the family business.
I knew what I had to do, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it.
After I hung up, I let myself back into the dining room. Teagen was leaning back in her chair, only a bite or two left in her bowl.
“I cook, you clean?” she asked. “That was my agreement with my best friend, Iris. Wait. I forgot—you met her. I cooked, and she cleaned. We were like an old married couple sometimes.”
“Sure,” I said. I took the bowl and utensils from in front of her, not daring to make eye contact. A heaviness settled on my chest, because there was only one more day where I could protect her, one more day where she was mine.
I didn’t speak another word for the rest of the night. But I would do whatever she wanted, because that was the least I could do.
