mean, I usually buy from them, so it’s cool. But they were pissed, said people were talking.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. But they threatened me. Said that if I kept telling people about their operation, then I was next.”
“Next?”
She stared at me but didn’t answer.
“Is Reid in trouble?” I asked.
“I don’t know, honestly. But these guys, they’re serious as hell. I can’t talk about it anymore.”
“Lindsey, what’s going on?”
She rocked back and stood up. “Forget about it. It’s not your problem.”
“But Reid is involved.”
She frowned. “Becca. Fucking drop it. Don’t ask me about this again.”
I stood up, but she was already walking back inside. I stared at the door as it slammed shut, the pit in my stomach growing even deeper.
Why would people threaten Lindsey? It was pretty clear that she was buying pills from the mob, but did they somehow know what Reid had told me about everything? That was impossible. It had just happened the night before. Or maybe they were just finally cracking down on Lindsey for running her mouth all the time.
Still, there was a lot more happening than Reid had told me, which was becoming more and more clear.
Confused and no closer to answers, I grabbed my stuff and headed home, my shift over. I had a decent amount of money from tips in my pocket, but even that didn’t help distract me from the insanity surrounding Reid.
Back at the house, he wasn’t anywhere to be found. It was still early, so my dad wasn’t home, and Cora had gone somewhere. I had the place to myself, but for some reason it felt crowded. I kept remembering the conversation in the kitchen, Reid’s face, his perfect hands running their callused skin over my clit, sending shivers down my spine.
I quickly got changed, pulled my hiking boots on, and headed out into the woods. I couldn’t stay cooped up in the house and decided that some fresh air could only help.
The trees loomed huge and green, their branches and leaves spider-webbing out through the air, making the sunlight filter through, dappled and bright. My feet crunched over dry twigs and brush and birds chirped somewhere out of sight. For how busy it was, the woods felt peaceful, and as I kept walking I began to feel myself relax ever so slightly.
I knew I was carrying a huge knot of worry in my chest. I was worried about Reid and about these gangsters he was involved with. Talking to Lindsey had only made that worse; she was clearly freaked out.
I should have been freaked out, too. Instead, I was afraid of how I felt about Reid, the desire rolling through my body and the fear of what he was doing.
I wanted him, but he scared me.
As I walked, the area around me began to look pretty familiar. Most of it always looked familiar, since I had grown up in the area, but there was something specific about the trees I was looking at. Suddenly, it hit me: just a few feet ahead was the exact tree Reid had taken me to not long ago.
I stopped in front of the bark and ran my hand down the smooth front, stopping to trace the lines of our initials. I couldn’t help but smile. Reid may be a drug smuggler, but he couldn’t be a bad person. I wouldn’t believe for a second that the man I knew could possibly be in it for just money and didn’t care about anything else.
I sat down and leaned my back against the tree and closed my eyes, smiling softly. I remembered Reid’s skin against my skin, the rough way he took me, the control he had over my body. I remembered the calluses of his hands and the strength he had in everything he did. I was soaking wet by the time I realized I was beginning to nod off.
I didn’t stop myself. The sun was warm, and plus I was exhausted from work. I smiled softly to myself, dreaming about Reid.
The crack of a breaking twig yanked me from my sleep.
I’d been dreaming about the woods. I dreamed that Reid and I were lost, but I didn’t care. I liked that we were lost. I felt like I didn’t have to be plain old Rebecca anymore, that I didn’t have to be the good college girl anymore.
Out in the woods, I could be someone else. I could be the kind of girl that lets Reid do whatever he wants to me,