Page 188 of Bad Attitude
Renner trusted her to carry it, but not enough to tell her anything.
What an asshole.
Maybe that was wishful thinking on my part. Maybe Renner isn’t the kind of man to trust even Raven. He trusts Tasha, or so I thought… well, it doesn’t matter. It is what it is.
And that was the flaw in my thinking: I’d based everything on her being able to give me the information I needed.
Not only has she not, she’s left to go back to LA, having seen this house. This setup. Enough about me to know I’m not exactly what I’ve been claiming to be.
Enough to make one call to Renner and burn me.
Which would blow a second massive hole through my plan.
If she does that, she might yet force my hand. Imight have no choice but to go with the simple option. Wouldn’t that be ironic?
If Renner tries to put Cole on me—he can’t, Cole’s in the hospital—but the principle is the same. If Renner goes against me, I’ll have to disappear. I’ll have no choice but to be Maddox, not Hale. My life will continue the way it was supposed to. The way itshould. The way that’slawful.
I’m just no longer convinced it’s the way that’sright.
Raven’s fault. That girl has changed me. For the better, I like to think.
Maddox had nothing to live for but a job he didn’t like.
Shit, I’m thinking about myself like I’m a fictional person. In the past tense, like I’m no more.
How fucked am I?
I take a deep breath and a sip of coffee.
But anyway.
Maddox is one thing. Hale is another.
How do I get Hale out of this, burn Maddox, burn my job, stay out of prison, and keep Raven when she doesn’t trust me enough to stay until the morning? Even if I somehow do, why would she even want me when I can’t provide for her? No job, no money, none of the pursuitsHaleis so good at given the FBI know that name,and will be watching me like a goddamn hawk?
All my hopes rested on this little black box, these bags of diamonds, and manipulating Kurt Renner for everything I could get out of him.
And not only did Raven not give me what I needed, she just blasted it all wide open.
I sigh and get myself up. There’s no reason to sit here. I have to get back to LA, try and find her, try and explain.
IdeallybeforeI talk to Renner. Or Mercer.
The former if Raven will accept my reasons. The latter if…
Shit.I don’t even want to consider that.
She’s gone from being someone I find intriguing to someone I like, to someone I want to know in every way possible, to someone I love.
To someone I’m obsessed with.
That’s the goddamn truth.
I no longer give a fuck about Mercer. Or Maddox. Or Renner or Hale. I’ll burn them all for Raven.
If only I could figure out a way she’d accept me.
I’m still thinking about it as I hit the road for LA, six hours away.
