TRENT'S POV I tugged at the crisp uniform shirt, ensuring my fake police badge was straightened on my breast pocket. The navy pants were a bit loose at my waist, but the entire get-up was convincingly official - from the cap down to the sturdy boots. I had my uncle Charlie to thank for this hook-up.The retired cop had been skeptical about lending me his old uniform for misuse at first. But after laying on some carefully crafted lies about needing it for a theatre production, he finally relented and handed it over with a gruff warning not to get into any trouble.I scanned the deserted area with a furrowed brow. The suspected drug exchanger was running late, not that I was complaining tho. I still needed more time to prepare to face him.As I waited, my mind drifted back to the instructions my father had laid out the previous night regarding the suspicious "task" he expected me to complete."You're going to obtain a certain document from the school's records office," he had stated, n
TRENT'S POVEnzo's meet location was less than a mile away, in an abandoned depot on the edge of town. I navigated the deserted streets, searching for the place listed in the crumpled note.Sure enough, there was Enzo's sleek black car, idling in the shadows of the depot. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before leaving my vehicle.Suddenly my phone rang yet again, I glanced down to see Ella's name flashing on the caller ID. "Have you met with him yet or not?" Ella sounded at the other end."So impatient, At this rate, your constant calling might get us caught, gorgeous.""Just answer me straight for once!" Ella demanded."I'm literally about to walk up to his car as we speak. Make sure that sexy dress is on for the club tonight. We'll be moving to phase two soon..." I trailed off suggestively."Ugh, you're impossible!" Ella said in exasperation. But before I could tease her further, the line went dead.I chuckled under my breath as I slipped the phone away. I strode up and ra
ELLA'S POVI took a deep, steadying breath as I followed Enzo into his apartment. My nerves were frayed to their breaking point, but I had to see this through - for Susan's sake.Bottles and takeout containers littered every surface. The air hung heavy with stale cigarette smoke. Enzo carelessly tossed his jacket onto the back of a worn leather armchair before turning to me, blatant hunger darkening his eyes.He swiftly closed the distance between us, backing me up against the wall and caging me in with his hulking frame. I tensed as his greedy hands freely roamed my body.No, this is going too far... I had to act now before things escalated.Mustering all my courage, I gazed up at him through my lashes. "Why don't you get us some drinks first to set the mood?" I suggested breathily.I trailed a hand along his muscular arm, using that distraction to squirm smoothly out of his embrace.Enzo's dark eyes flashed with undisguised desire, but he shook his head."Already got plenty of drink
TRENT'S POVMan, this lock picking thing was way harder than it looked in those videos. I had watched so many tutorials at that point that I could probably recite them word for word. "Apply tension to the cylinder...use the rake to scrub over the pin stacks...feel for that subtle give when a pin sets..." Yeah, yeah, I knew the drill. But actually executing it was a totally different story.I stared down at the lock on my bedroom door and tried it again, jiggling it up and down hoping to feel even the slightest hint of movement as the pins set. But nothing. The damn thing wouldn't budge."Come on, you stupid piece of junk!" I growled through gritted teeth, my frustration level rising by the second. Sweat started to bead on my forehead as I strained to make some progress. I paused to wipe my brow with the back of my hand. Get it together, Trent. Getting all worked up wasn't going to help. I took a few deep breaths, trying to center myself.Alright, let's try this again, but slowly an
TRENT'S POVI strolled into Coach Robert's office, unable to hide the smug grin on my face. He looked up from his desk as I entered."Trent, have a seat," He said, gesturing to the chair across from him. I obliged, making myself comfortable. "I have to admit. I'm not sure what changed your dad's mind about letting you play again. But I'm glad he came around. You're a heck of an asset to this team."I plopped down and feigned an expression of pleasant surprise. "No kidding? He's letting me play again? That's such great news!" If only Coach knew the lengths I went to in order to get back in my dad's good graces. Not that any of that mattered now that I was safely back on the court.Coach leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk.. "There's a big tournament coming up soon, we need you playing your best. The rest of the guys have already started double-time practice sessions to get ready. You're going to have to work twice as hard to catch up."A proud smile spread across my face.
ELLA'S POVI released my breath as we stepped outside the police station, the bright sunlight blinding after the dim interrogation room. We had just finished giving our statements about Enzo and his drug dealing, omitting the parts about Susan's blackmail that had started this whole mess. Apparently Trent happened to get photographic evidence of the drug exchange, which I had to admit was useful.My eyes adjusted to the light and immediately focused on Trent standing there with Susan. I studied him, my mind swirling back to the hoodie shown at the school assembly, the one that looked identical to the hoodie I'd glimpsed in Trent's bag when he came over to my house. I was positive it was the same one. But what would he be wanting at the record's office? Surely he couldn't have been involved. But what other explanation could there be?I bit my tongue, tempted to confront him directly, but unsure if I really wanted to know the answer. Susan sighed loudly next to me as we sank onto a wo
TRENT'S POVI strolled into first period twenty minutes late as usual, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. But the second I stepped through the doorway, I knew something was off. Everyone was out of their seats, huddled in groups and chatting in hushed, urgent tones. A few people shot me sharp looks before turning away to whisper to their friends. What the hell?"Oh God, I even touched him yesterday," I overheard a girl say, looking sick.Another boy chimed in, "Crap, I hope I haven't caught anything...I've been sitting next to him all semester!"Okay, now I was really confused. Who were they talking about? I followed their anxious gazes across the room. My breath caught when I spotted Jackson sitting rigidly at his desk, head down, with garbage and crumpled paper littering the area around him. Alarm bells started ringing distantly in my head.I reached out and grasped the shoulder of a guy passing by who was engrossed in gossiping. "Yo, Miles. What the hell is going on here?"
ELLA'S POVI stood inside the doorway, clutching an envelope stuffed with cash. Four gruff-looking men crowded into our small living room, eyeing me impatiently."This is the money," I said, holding out the envelope with a slightly trembling hand. I had sent Susan to collect it from Trent, unable to face him again myself.One of the men snatched the envelope from my grip and rifled through it, face impassive. After a few tense moments, he looked up. "Fourteen thousand dollars? That's not even a quarter of the payment owed."I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "I know it's not the full amount, but it's all I could get together on short notice. Please, just take it for now as a show of good faith."The collector snorted derisively. "Good faith? We don't operate on good faith, little girl. Your old man racked up a massive tab and now it's time to pay the piper."I felt my cheeks burn with shame and anger at the mention of my father. This was his mess, but my mom and I were