Free KICK ASS: A Boxed Set by Julie Leto Page B

my offer.”
    “I’m going to the beach.”
    “He’ll find you there.”
    “We have a lot of beaches in the area, Boston-boy. No way will he know where I’m headed.”
    “I don’t see why not. You really have only two choices, judging by the parking tickets you have collected over the years. Ben T. Davis or Clearwater Beach are your usual haunts, are they not? I suppose you could mix things up, head down to Sand Key for the first time in a long while, but the vibe there isn’t really as social as you prefer, is it?”
    Marisela, just about to turn onto the ramp at I-275, pulled instead down the access road, unnerved by the ease with which he’d delved into her life. At the first parking lot she saw, for a body shop, she stopped well out of sight from the road. She pointed at Lia so she’d remain in the car, then jumped out and slammed the door.
    “You’re thorough,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as she marched a few feet away. Her friend was still white as a ghost, her arms braced on the dashboard as if her fear glued her palms to the cracked, vinyl surface.
    “I’m consistently thorough when I’m in pursuit of something I want. Turn me down if you must, Ms. Morales, but don’t delude yourself with thinking you can stay one step ahead of me or my associates. You can’t. It reflects no weakness on your part. I am simply better equipped.”
    A few seconds later, a dark sedan identical to the one she’d ridden in last night parked not thirty yards away, on the opposite side of a bay where two mechanics were pounding out the dented side of a Ford truck. She didn’t recognize the driver, but when the back window rolled down, she exchanged nods with Max, Ian Blake’s right-hand man.
    She couldn’t contain an impressed grin. The man certainly knew how to illustrate his power. She wondered if his goons had taken care of Frankie, too, since he and his rusted Chevy were nowhere co be seen.
    “Why are you following me? You obviously have my number. You could have just called.”
    “I’m on a bit of a time crunch, I’m afraid. I’d love to have the luxury of enticing you slowly into Titan, Ms. Morales, but I can’t afford such seduction at the current time. So I’ll cut to the chase.”
    The dollar amount he recited, double of what he’d promised last night, on top of his skillful use of words like luxury and seduction made Marisela drop her phone. Luckily, Lia had gotten out of the car and with quick reflexes, caught the cellular device before it crashed onto the asphalt.
    But her friend didn’t return the phone, even after Marisela stretched out her hand.
    “Who are you talking to?”
    Marisela snatched the phone from her friend and held the receiver to her breast. “If you don’t want both of our asses kicked by guys who could easily dump our bodies where we’d never be found, get in the car. Now.”
    Terror froze Lia’s eyes into a wide stare. Marisela stepped forward and gently laid her hand on Lia’s arm. Her skin was clammy and hot, so she injected her friend with confidence courtesy of a wicked smile.
    “ Chica , we’ll be fine. You just have to listen to me, okay?”
    For some reason that Marisela had never been able to explain or understand since the day Sister Agnes placed Lia and Marisela at the same table in kindergarten, Lia trusted her. She managed a tiny nod, then sprung around to the passenger side of the car, got in, and buckled her seatbelt.
    Marisela stepped back toward her car, opened her door, and leaned casually over the frame rather than sliding inside. No doubt, Max was reporting her every move to Blake. She didn’t want to look like she was ready to take off.
    “That’s a generous offer, Mr. Blake. What am I supposed to do for this money?”
    “Very simple. Rescue a missing child.
    She laughed. No way was this guy altruistic. “How charitable of you.”
    “Charity has nothing to do with it, Ms. Morales. The girl’s family is paying me a great deal of money to