Page 12 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

With one last desperate look, I turned and left.

I only made it as far as my car though, before the panic flared up even more. Aaron was waiting for me, leaning casually against my door.

He took a long hard drag of his home made cigarette before flicking it away and blowing the smoke into my face. He smirked at my reaction. “Hey, sis.”

“What do you want?” I hissed.

He shrugged, feigning boredom. “Money. How much have you got?”

I blinked at him incredulously. I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to ask me for money. “Are you joking? You’re asking me for money?!”

He didn’t hesitate, looking me straight in the eyes. “Yes. I need some money. Now.”

My mouth dropped open a fraction. What the hell? “Ask your Dad! Isn’t he your personal ATM? He gives you, what? Five hundred dollars a week?”

How dare he ask me for money. I was a student for crying out loud.

He shrugged again. “You either give me what you have, or I’ll go look for some in your room. Actually that sounds like a better option – I might find something good to pawn while I’m in there.”

My eyes widened with his threat. “You wouldn’t!” His eyebrows lifted, ready to take my challenge. “If you take one step inside my bedroom…”

“What? What will you do, Kaeli?” he mocked.

My teeth clenched with anger. Pulling out my purse, I grabbed everything I had and thrust it into his hand. “Stay out of my room,” I hissed as he walked away.

As I stared at his retreating figure, I felt the thin threads of my sanity stretching even further. At this rate, I wasn’t sure how long I had until they snapped completely, and I wasn’t sure what would actually happen when they did.

Chapter 10

Noah

The street light illuminated the stocky blonde boy as he strode hurriedly along the sidewalk, hands shoved deep in his pockets. His head was bent low, and the backpack he wore strapped to his shoulders hung firmly between his shoulder blades.

Davo and I moved silently through the shadows as we stealthily followed behind him. I knew this boy was the businessman’s son – Ken’s son. I’d seen him before. He was stupid – careless. If my team hadn’t already been aware of him, I knew it wouldn’t have been too long before he got himself caught anyway. Ken was stupid to trust him. But I couldn’t complain. It did work in my favor after all.

I liked doing these recon missions for TJ. It felt like I was actually doing something for my real job for a change. I always took them as an opportunity to remind myself of the real me.

We followed the kid down a darkened alley, where he met up with a group of teenagers. The exchange was quick. Surprisingly professional. It all happened in a matter of minutes, and then he was off again, heading to another part town.

We watched him make three more transactions before calling Mac to pick us up. TJ had nothing to worry about. The only reason for Ken’s sudden increase in demand was that his son apparently had the knack for pushing drugs. He was probably kicking himself for not bringing him into the family business a long time ago.

My team, on the other hand, had a real problem. This kid was young enough to get right into the schools, and he obviously knew how to sell it to them. He wasn’t real good at being conspicuous, but the kids seemed to trust him, so yeah, he was a problem.

Mac pulled up to the curb and I jumped into the back seat, leaving the front for Davo. I wanted time to get my head around this before I faced TJ.

I hadn’t thought too much about Ken before today. Yes, he was going to go down with the rest of them when the shit hit the fan, but it was the suppliers we were really after. The shit kickers like Ken were usually offered some sort of immunity to help bring the big boys down. But after meeting Kaeli, I couldn’t let that happen. I had to make sure he was put away for a long time.

For the sake of her, and her mom.

Chapter 11

Kaeli

By Friday, everyone was talking about Ryan’s party. Thankfully, no one had brought up my uncertain attendance since I’d been asked earlier in the week. Even Mia had been careful not to bring it up with me.

But when the bell rang at the end of the day, I knew my luck couldn’t last too much longer. In fact, it ran out the second Mia and I stopped beside my car.

“So…” she began, making me want to slap my hand over her mouth. “Do you have any idea if you’re coming tonight yet?”

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