Page 117 of The Ranger Gets His Girl

Don't turn around. I'm in the restaurant with you.

We are trying to get your dad to talk about drug running.

Her ears burned and her face flushed hot. Mason was here. Was this whole thing a set up? Was he using her to get her dad arrested? Fury, hurt, and pain warred within her, making her stomach hurt.

"Everything ok, princess?" he asked.

She nodded and took a deep breath. She had to get out of this dinner as quickly as possible. She turned her phone over, laying it on the leather bench beside her.

"Fine, Dad. Just a friend."

"The one who came in with you? She's the one who took you out of Billy Bob's, isn't she?"

Lucy's hand froze, then she continued to stir her pasta as she nodded. "Yes, my college roommate. She's amazing. We bonded over our moms dying and both having drug addicts for dads."

She watched through her lashes as her dad's face flushed. Damn it, why was she mouthing off? Growing up, she'd kept her mouth shut and her nose buried in a book. But she couldn't keep silent anymore. Knowing Mason was nearby gave her courage to say what needed to be said.

"You watch it, princess. I'm not an addict."

She picked up a bread stick and snorted, throwing caution to the wind. "Yeah right. You were definitely on something at Billy Bob's. And now you're going to Mexico for a week? God, you're so obvious, Dad. You're running drugs, aren't you?"

She took a furious bite of her pasta, then moaned, but it was lost on her dad.

He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Shut up. You're just like your mother, hounding me and not letting me just live my life. At least you're not a drunk like she was."

Lucy gasped and pointed her breadstick at him. "At least I'm not selling drugs to kids off the street and corrupting the world like you are."

Dad slammed his fork down, making his glass wobble. "I'm not selling to kids. I'm selling to CEOs and businessmen with more money than you know what to do with. I have two houses in Mexico and one in Florida, but what do you have? Nothing. Just some small town nail tech with barely enough to scrape by."

She shrugged, fury flowing through her body like lava. "At least it's honest work, and I can look at myself in the mirror. You may deal to big wigs in penthouses, but those drugs trickle down to the streets, and you know it. You're a fucking bastard, a two-bit, low-level—"

His nostrils flared, and he stood abruptly. His glass tipped over, and Lucy jumped up to avoid the spill from hitting her dress. Seth grabbed her arm and dragged her through the door behind him into the kitchens.

"Ouch, let me go," she said, digging in her heels.

He hissed as he marched her past the stares of the kitchen staff. "Shut the fuck up or your sweet little roommate won't see the light of day."

Her blood went cold as she gasped. The surprise had her forgetting to resist. "Wh—what do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm not alone. I wasn't alone at Billy Bob's either, but you had that gaggle of girls. It wasn't worth the effort. But now? I've got a guy watching her right now. He's ready with a drug to slip into her drink that'll knock her out for good, if you don't come along."

"But why? Where are we going?" she asked, her voice raising in panic. Her heart raced. He pushed her out the back door into the dark alley where a car waited.

"You're a snot-nosed brat who never learned respect. I've thought long and hard since Billy Bob's on how to teach it to you. Got some guys in Mexico who'll let me do whatever I want, and you, princess, need to learn some manners."

He shoved her, and her hands landed on the hood of the car, jarring her body. "Are you crazy? Clearly your brain has been warped by too many drugs. You can't take me to Mexico."

Two big guys got out of the front seats of the car wearing suits. Her dad marched her past one, and the big guy turned and opened the back door for them. She put her hands on the top of the door and pushed hard.

"No, you can't do this."

"We're just going to have a good father-daughter trip. That's all. And once you've learned some manners, I've got a Colombian friend who's looking for a new play thing."

His hand dug into her back, but she put a foot on the door frame. The big buys rounded the car, coming closer to her. Her heart rate was racing too fast, and her vision began to blur on the edges. No, not again. No, she couldn't—

"Lucy!" a voice shouted from down the alleyway. Pops rang out, and Lucy's eyes rolled back in her head. She dropped like dead weight to the ground, rolling onto her side as everything went black.

Chapter 45

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