Chasing the Dragon Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHASING

  THE

  DRAGON

  Written by Tiana Laveen

  Edited by Natalie G. Owens

  Cover Design Layout by Travis Pennington

  SYNOPSIS

  Phoenix Hale is a hardnosed former DEA agent who now works as Director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy—the DCP—a position falling under direct authority of the POTUS. One day, his world is turned upside down: his best friend; a DEA agent, is murdered in cold blood. Phoenix sets out to exact his revenge. However, things become quickly complicated when he decides to take the murderer’s cousin, a well-known ruthless drug queen, from Chicago, Illinois, into private custody.

  Tiffany McCall is one of two things: either your greatest dream or your worst nightmare. Raised in the elite suburbs of Chicago, she uses her traffic-stopping good looks, callousness, business acumen, and intelligence to rise as one of the most notorious drug dealers in the state of Illinois. But, Tiffany’s high rolling ways soon come to a screeching halt when a man on a mission gets his hooks into her and drags her away into the night. When she’s forced to face Mr. Phoenix Hale, she realizes that she has met her match and worst of all, she soon discovers that not only is Phoenix no fool or governmental puppet, but the man is determined to break her down.

  Tiffany’s beauty, as well as her physical and emotional strength, intelligence, and die-hard will to survive impress Phoenix in ways he shouldn’t care to admit. Soon, he finds himself learning more about himself as he unravels all that is Tiffany…

  The impossible comes crashing in during a pivotal moment of their lives. Love knocks on the door when the stakes are high, lives are laid on the line, and dangerous alliances are formed. As both are faced with truths they’d never known, they must choose between love, life, and loyalty. Which one will win?

  WARNING

  This novel is for adults only.

  Grown folk content. Grown folk language. Grown folk sex and situations. Can you dig it?

  This book contains the following content:

  1. Adult language/profanity

  2. Sexual content – physical intimacy, salacious sexual language, explicit sexual encounters with no detail spared.

  3. Drug Usage (legal and illegal) – Cigarette smoking, marijuana smoking, illegal narcotics: heroin, cocaine, etc., and alcohol usage.

  4. Occasional Racial and Ethnic slurs

  5. Extreme Poverty (by American standards) and Elitism/Greed

  6. Deviancy /criminal behavior

  7. Graphic Violence

  8. Discussions of neglect and emotional abuse

  Please be advised.

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2017 by Tiana Laveen

  Kindle Edition

  All rights reserved.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. PIRACY IS AGAINST THE LAW.

  IN OTHER WORDS: If you do any of the above, the karma bus is waiting for you. If you steal this author’s work and illegally loan and/or share it, request illegal/free copies online and/or in printed version, you are no better than a burglar that breaks into someone’s house while you think they are away. You are a criminal. A thief. A cheat. You don’t work for free, so why should authors?! WE WORK HARD. SHOW SOME APPRECIATION.

  A WORD FROM THE HERO

  The day my best friend was murdered was the day I developed an insatiable thirst for revenge.

  He was one of the good guys. He followed the golden rule and put his life on the line, until the moment his life was cut short.

  No clues emerged. The case grew cold until I lit a match and heated it up. Destined to get to the bottom of things, I soon discovered who was digging tunnels out of the rabbit hole…

  …And it was a savage.

  A pure beast.

  A beautiful monster with no conscience. Much like myself.

  In my line of work, I’ve killed many men. In my line of work, chivalry is dead, and females catch the bullet, too.

  I’ve never hesitated to blow someone to kingdom come, but when I looked into her eyes, I froze, for the first time in my career.

  It wasn’t just her beauty, the silky mahogany skin, thick midnight black curls, or plush lips.

  It was her entire presence. She lit my insides on fire with curiosity and desire.

  I had chased her down until I found her, not realizing until after I had her cornered that I’d caught my likeness—a dragon.

  And now that I have her, I could do one of two things:

  Walk into her fire and be engulfed by the flames,

  or become a knight in shining armor, forsaking myself and all that I stand for, in the name of love.

  Maybe, in some messed-up way,

  I’ll have to do both…

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to the powerful and the powerless. To the people who have lived a million lives and to those that can barely handle one. This story is dedicated to those who have taken a wrong turn and are in need of a beam of light to help guide them back on the right path.

  You’re at the end of the tunnel.

  Welcome home.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  About this Book

  Warning

  Copyright

  A Word from the Hero

  Dedication

  Love Letter to the Reader

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  About the Author

  LOVE LETTER TO THE READER

  My name is Tiana Laveen and I love a gritty love story.

  This book, “Chasing
the Dragon”, is a story that has been occupying my mind for quite some time now and finally, I put pen to paper to make it a reality. In this tale, we deal with a hero, Phoenix Hale, whose personal and vocational motives are fairly cut and dry, though beneath the surface, he hides a duality in his character. He is unassuming, disciplined, punishing, and detached, but beneath those layers is someone willing to step away from the protective armor and simply BE. When not hashing it out with the President of the United States over drug laws, he lives another life altogether, one he promised to leave behind.

  The heroine, Tiffany McCall, breaks many stereotypes. She is a drug dealer who possesses beauty, intelligence, wit, and a penchant towards violence, which she uses for her personal survival. Tiffany wasn’t raised in an environment that would necessarily foster such behavior, but a series of events led her to where she is today.

  The two meet under the worst circumstances, and things go downhill before they get better. This love story is about emotional and mental strength, about looking fear in the eye and doing what is necessary to make amends with oneself. It’s about accepting the real world in which one lives, while refusing to let go of dreams.

  Phoenix and Tiffany definitely fit into the ‘opposites attract’ category, but perhaps once the reader delves deeper, a different conclusion will be reached. Perhaps neither is what they claim, and these two are merely reflections of one another.

  This is up to you decide.

  Please join me on this journey in the reading of, “Chasing the Dragon”. Your adventure awaits…

  CHAPTER ONE

  Darkness called and Tiffany answered…

  Tiffany leaned back in the parked black Bentley, her shoulder pressed into the soft depths of the cream leather car seat. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of “Tell Me” by Sabrina Claudio, which hummed on the satellite XM radio station at low volume. The car was slightly uneven, raised up on one side along the uneven curb. This gave her a sense of being paused in midair, a peculiar disorientation. The raindrops fell slow and steady against the roof of the car and plip-plopped in an off-kilter beat on the long, winding road.

  The world around her could barely be seen, as if a veil of wispy smoke had wrapped up the wilderness in a faux peace blanket, but as she leaned slightly to the left, she could make out the high trees that touched each other with lanky black branches that stretched like a twisted arch of barbed wire across the path. She looked casually at her cousin, a tall, slender man with a cropped, faded haircut. Gable stretched long jeans-clad legs and swallowed his spit behind a series of coughs. The minutes marched on like ants, though he seemed unmoved, barely readable. One diamond earring in his left lobe glinted in the rich grays and muted earthy shades around them.

  Gable’s voice broke their silence.

  “They’ll be here any minute.” He cracked his knuckles. “You ready?” His thick, black brow arched as he regarded her behind hooded eyes.

  “Of course I am.” She looked straight ahead and held on tight to the steering wheel, needing to squeeze the damn thing to relieve the mounting pressure in her gut. Pulling down the visor, she checked herself in the small mirror. The blunt cut bob with the China cut bangs looked natural enough, considering she’d paid a fortune for it in cash. Between that, the light grey contact lenses, and the super padded bra to enhance her already ample breast size by a couple of cups, she had no doubt the minimal disguise would work. Men were so predictable, after all, and women, on average, weren’t given much weight in some circles beyond the major selling points of bouncy tits and a bodacious ass.

  “Just do as we planned, all right?” he added, sliding one arm behind his head as if to relax.

  “And why would I deviate from the plan, Gable? I’m the one who found out this was going down in the first place. It was my idea. If anything, I suggest you do as I stated and follow my lead.”

  At this, he gave her a glare, his lips twisted as if he smelled something foul.

  “Tiffany, I been at this way longer than yo’ ass, all right? You need me, or I wouldn’t be sittin’ here, so don’t try to pull rank,” he stated gruffly before turning away and lazily closing his eyes.

  Tiffany’s heart beat sped up as she fixated on the time in the car, the seconds trailing past—a countdown to the inevitable. They’d never tried to pull off something this huge before. Should anything go wrong, in the worst-case scenario she’d be lounging on a cold metal slate and wearing a toe tag by the following day. Her adrenaline kicked into high gear when in the far distance she spotted two headlights beaming like small, low-lying full moons.

  “Gable, look.”

  The man opened his eyes and scooted forward, then slid his black skullcap out of the glove compartment and grabbed his gun. Opening the door, he slipped out the car, closing it quietly before he disappeared completely from sight. She quickly shut the car off, the relaxing music disappeared too, which left her with dead silence, with the exception of her accelerated breathing. A sense of emptiness, dread, and exhilaration pulsed through her. Abruptly opening the door, she stepped one foot out, flaunting a black high heeled shoe that fastened at the ankle. Tugging on her tight black lacy skirt and matching lace gloves, she made her way to the middle of the road, her wig hair instantly becoming soaked, slicking to her face as the rain saturated the silky tresses. The raindrops hit her face, intent on destroying her impeccable makeup job. She stood there, long legs spread wide, her short camel trench coat hanging open to allow a peek at ample cleavage. As the car approached, she jumped about and began to wave her hands up and down.

  “Stop! Help!”

  The dark car drew to a slow crawl, then teetered forward as if it, too, were apprehensive. Suddenly, the driver’s side window rolled down part of the way. The man behind the wheel looked paler than fresh snow, especially in contrast with the dark spiky hair framing his wide forehead. He glared at her.

  “Hi.” She quickly scanned the gray SUV as she stepped closer to it, taking note of the two white men in the front, and one in the back. “I was on my way to my friend’s party and my car is making a lot of noises and clanking. I’m afraid it’s going to stop completely on me. I knew I shouldn’t have cut through here, but it was a shorter route. Hindsight is 20/20, huh?” She offered a smile, but received nothing back. “Can you help me?”

  The driver’s light blue gaze shifted to her car, then back to her. The man had a serious face, set like stone, and he showed no indication he’d be making a decision in her favor anytime soon.

  “What seems to be the trouble with it?” A man from the back leaned forward, brandishing a crooked grin, light stubble on his jaw, and dark sunglasses atop his head. He traced her up and down with a lusty scan, and once he was finished, his grin grew exponentially broader. She inwardly sighed with relief to finally get a bite on her diamond-studded hook.

  “Not sure.” She shrugged. “It just started shaking and clonked out on me a couple of times. I gave up and pulled over to the side of the road.” She pitched her thumb in the car’s direction.

  “Is that your car or someone else’s?” The man in the back maintained his licentious grin, but his eyes grew darker with suspicion.

  “It’s my mother’s car. She let me borrow it. She rarely drives it but I guess the maintenance wasn’t up to date.”

  “Anyone with you?” The driver looked over at the car, his neck strained as he studied the windows and interior the best he could. His eyes seemed to be taking quick snapshots of her and the entire scene.

  He’s going to be the one that I have to convince … but the other guy hasn’t said anything at all.

  “No, just me.” She smiled and rocked back, wielding a lackluster smile.

  “You said you were headed to a party?” The inquisition rope was tightening around her neck, but she refused to mess up and choke.

  They’re not swallowing this damsel in distress role as easily as I wanted. Keep pushing, keep smiling…

  “Yes.” She maint
ained a friendly grin. “Not too far from here by car, but entirely way too far to walk.”

  “Mmmm hmmm.” The man in the back nodded. “Where?”

  Tiffany pointed ahead. “She lives right up there off Clark Street, near the Willows Hotel.”

  After a few seconds, the man in the passenger seat leaned forward, his face now clear from the shadows. She took note of his rosy cheeks, as if he’d been recently pinched on each one by a doting grandmother. A small scar ran from his ear to his throat, giving his youthful face a more menacing shade of warning.

  “Pop the hood and I’ll take a look.” His voice sounded like thunder, and she detected a watered down European accent. The man rubbed his big palms vigorously, as if relishing the idea of doing hard labor. Sliding her hand in her coat pocket, she grabbed the fob and took a couple of steps back. She turned away from them. Step by step, she steadied her breathing; raindrop by raindrop, her heart and nature became one, in tune with each other. Taking her time, she opened the car door and pressed the release for the hood. The moisture along her palms was nothing compared to the sweat collecting beneath her arms. After a deep breath, she returned to the men’s vehicle, this time her pace a bit faster as the wet chill that caught in her bones began to take full effect.

  “Sit in the car while we take a look at it. You’re getting soaked and you’re shaking,” the passenger offered as he opened his car door and stepped out, standing to his full height. The driver craned his head in the guy’s direction, a look of deep concern across his face. Her chest burned with anticipation as the promise of victory was threatened; she hadn’t foreseen getting into their car. Not wishing to get their suspicions roaring, she made an executive decision and did as requested, feeling secure in the fact that she was packing a Smith and Wesson .357 revolver strapped to her thigh, beneath her skirt. The weapon had a body count of one, and she hoped to not have to add to this anytime soon.