Page 193 of Always: A Legacy Novel

It didn’t help that she had to feed into the client’s ideas and flirting because that’s exactly what brought them back or made them stupid enough to buy more. But it was all a game for her, in the end.

As soon as Catherine had that money in her hands, and the exchange was done, so was her act. The guy was dropped from her radar faster than he could blink, and she was already moving away. She was almost done, though, as the start time for the race was coming up, and her supply was gone but for the two Oxys she was working on getting rid of.

It was a game she did enjoy, however. There was nothing like the rush she got while dealing because everything was on her terms, by her rules, and how she wanted it done. She had the control because she had the substance, she provided, and she would take it away.

The only thing to ever beat the intensity of that rush?

Cross.

Catherine handed a baggie with two Oxys over to another faceless man, and her gaze swept over the vehicles and people parked and milling about. She found Cross two cars over, half in conversation with a guy, but his attention was still on her.

She tipped her head to the side, a signal that she was done, and he nodded. Still, he stayed where he was, finishing his conversation.

Catherine, restless as hell, spied a familiar pink Porsche fifteen cars down. The car was unmistakable. It belonged to an ex’s of her cousin, Andino. She wasn’t sure why the two had broken up, but Catherine liked the girl enough, so she decided to stretch her legs and say hello while she was at it.

Cross would have likely seen her go, and could probably keep an eye on her the whole time. She didn’t bother to look over her shoulder as she headed through the parked cars and people, weaving in and out, and coming up on a sidewalk just a few more steps away from the Porsche.

“Catty, there you are …”

Catherine barely got the chance to turn around in her sky-high heels before the man who said her name was yanking her into a nearby alleyway. She didn’t recognize his face, or his blue eyes as she stared up at him, but that wasn’t unusual because she saw all her clients as faceless men anyway.

“Whoa, back off,” Catherine said, tugging her arm from the man’s grip. “I’m all out, anyway.”

She needed to get the hell out of that alleyway.

“Get the fuck back here, tease.”

He yanked her back as she turned to go.

Catherine’s back hit the brick wall hard, and suddenly she was frozen all over because …

Hands too tight in her hair.

A pillow making it hard to breathe.

Blankets that weren’t hers.

A body that didn’t respond.

A boy who wouldn’t stop.

She couldn’t take in air.

She couldn’t think.

She couldn’t move.

The guy’s fingers dug into her jaw as he forced her to look up at him, a sneer forming on his lips. “You fuckin’ ripped me off last time we met up, girl.”

What?

Catherine didn’t have the patience to be ripping anybody off with drugs. As long as she got money, they got what they wanted.

“That coke was cut with some kind of useless shit,” he spat.

That wasn’t her, though.

She didn’t cut the coke.