He gives me a growl and a kiss. “Try again.”
It feels so natural with him. There’s no pretending I’m happy or forced to act a certain way. I can be myself and I have the freedom to let my guard down with him.
“What? Your name is still Drew, right?” I give him my innocent eye look and he chuckles.
His nostrils flare and he growls at me. “I see. So now I’m just Drew. Well, when you get a clean bill of health, I’ll show you exactly who I am, little angel.”
My entire body hums with the idea of him showing me he isDaddy. God, he turns me on so much I can barely sit still. I bite my lip to keep a moan from leaking out.
“I can smell your wetness, angel.” He kisses me behind my right ear, and I arch into him. I run my hands along his back, needing him—wanting him—to take away this ache he’s caused. But we don’t get that chance. A knock comes from the door.
Sighing, Drew gets up. “Looks like the doctor is here.” He lays me back down in the bed so I’m properly covered up and walks over to the door and unlocks it.
When the doctor comes in, I feel a sense of genuine concern from him. He looks at me, excited to see me awake. He seems relieved. Do I know him or was he worried because I am the chief’s daughter and if I died he’d be held accountable? “I’m glad you are awake, Ms. Maddie. You gave us quite a scare.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Drew stands beside me, and I grab his hand, interlacing our fingers together.
“The police are here to question you, but only when you are ready,” the doctor says as he comes over to me. “But before we do that, I’d like to do an examination of your lungs, eyes, ears, and take a look at those open cuts on your body.”
Drew looks down at me and winks. I smile at him and turn toward the doctor. “I understand.”
With everythingthat Maddie described not only to the doctor but to the police as well, I almost feel like I’m the one that should fucking be in jail. I have been clueless all this time. And it has been going on for years upon years. I sit here watching her sleep and trying to decide whether or not I’m worthy of her.
When I tugged Crystal toward the door, I slipped a tracker into her jacket. My phone beeps, and I see she’s on the move. Donnie tried to get into the hospital, but when he saw all the police officers in the lobby, they said he ran. Some gave chase, but he got away.Slippery bastard.
I watch the red dot moving toward Timberland. This throws me off because Gotham Valley would have been where I headed. My eyes close for a moment to concentrate and think about who I know in Timberland.
Fuck. Me. It dawns on me that the Timberland Wolves and the Mexican Cartel
reside there. I disregard them almost as fast as I think about them. They are not known to move outside their territory or mix with outsiders without being provoked.
Hell no. Fuck! No. Not them. If Donnie is with the Powers, we are fucking screwed. I’ve felt panic before, but now I’m worried that he’s gone off the deep end and decided to join forces with them. I remember about five years ago we had a run-in with them when they chased a traitor to our boundary. They swore if we stepped foot in Timberland, they would come back and kill us all. Blow the whole town off the map. Goddamn, he better not have gone there.
But why would he go there? I watch the dot, nervously biting my tongue. The dot moves along the trash corridor we share with the surrounding areas. Where the hell is Donnie located that Crystal has to go this route?
I call Monica Iverson in the IT department. “Drew, why are you calling at two in the morning?”
“Hey Monica. I was wondering if you could tell me if a tracker is faulty or if it’s just bouncing off a different signal nearby?”
“Drew Vega, did you put a tracker on someone and not log it in?”
“Oh, come on, help your friend out.”
“You were my friend when we were five years old. You don’t get to play that card.”
“Even if I promise to buy you an ivy plant for your cave?”
“Damn you. Ok fine. What’s the ID number?”
“Alpha #62 bravo bravo #61.”
“Why is this tracker …”
I cut her off. I don’t need all these questions right now. “Just go with me here. Is it reading hot or cold?”
“It’s cold, Drew. Are you tracking the heat signal for a reason?”
Goddammit. She lost the tracker. How did she know I put it in her coat?
