presses a hand against my lower back, moving me in the direction of a sleek black car. I move to shake him off, but he slips his hand around my hip and grips me hard, taking the bag from my hand and tossing it over his shoulder.
“Hmm…still as feisty as ever I see. Good, you’ll need that here,” he murmurs, opening the passenger side door of the car and waiting for me to climb inside so he can slam it closed.
The smell of leather is foreign to me as I close my eyes and grip the seat to stop myself from jumping out and demanding he give me my bag. I know the harder I push for something, the more forcefully he’ll push back.
The trunk slams a few moments later before he climbs into the driver’s seat and grins at me. “Hold tight.”
It’s the only warning I get as he pulls away and speeds down the road, weaving in and out of traffic like a stunt driver on a movie set. Maybe I don’t need to worry about my future after all because if Diablo gets his way, I’ll likely die in a car wreck.
I glance over at him and see the small grin on his lips and know he’s doing this just to get a rise out of me, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction.
I take in the expensive black suit he’s wearing and the pressed white shirt with cufflinks at the wrists that catch the light as he shifts gear. He wouldn’t look out of place in one of these shiny buildings, brokering deals for some billion-dollar corporation, but I know the deals he brokers are far more nefarious.
“Nice car,” I comment, turning to look out the window, even though at this speed everything is just a blur.
“Wait until you see my apartment,” he answers off the cuff.
I whip my head around to face him, expecting his stupid grin, but he looks deadly serious.
“Why the fuck would I want to see your apartment?” I snap, really wishing I had my bag now and the blade tucked inside.
“Because you need to get ready for the initiation. If you pass, you’ll get your own swanky apartment.”
“Explain,” I order, knowing I’m skating on thin ice, but initiation? Apartment? What the fuck?
He looks at me sharply, his brow creased in confusion.
“You don’t know about the initiation? Then what the fuck are you doing here?” he barks.
“Are you kidding me? You think Zodiac gave me a choice?” My eyes widen incredulously.
“Fuck.” He slams his hand into the steering wheel twice in anger.
“Why are you so pissed? You were fine when you thought I was here by choice, so what’s the big deal?” I’m not sure it matters either way.
“It matters because he wants something from you if he made it so you couldn’t refuse. Your debt has long been paid and you’ve earned him more money than most runners. Plus, you’re a hell of a lot more reliable.”
“Men always want something from me. I’ve known this since I was 12 years old. And rich, entitled assholes with money are the worst.” I sigh.
Out of the frying pan into the fire. Flames, here we come.
“That might be true, but initiates are given time to prep so they know what the fuck they are getting into. Don’t let the riches fool you. Beneath the suits and Rolexes, Zodiac and his disciples are still just a gang. It’s blood in and blood out. There is no walking away from this once you’re a part of it,” he warns me, every inch of his body coiled tight.
“He was never going to let me walk away. It’s like you said. He wants something from me so he moved the players around the board, safe in the knowledge that the pawn would end up exactly where he needs her to be.”
“What the hell is he playing at? You’re just a kid,” he grumbles, still pissed.
I roll my eyes. “It’s been years since you’ve seen me, Reid, I’m not a child anymore. Actually, today’s my twenty-first birthday.” I shrug, I’d almost forgotten myself.
The car squeals and pulls to the right as Reid swings the car to the side of the street and parks, leaving the engine running.
“What the fuck? Are you trying to kill—” My words are cut off by a hand in my hair and hard, unyielding lips on mine.
My heart accelerates faster than the damn car as I freeze in utter shock. When he teases the