She couldn’t think straight; nothing made sense.
Her heart cracked open. As she stared at Carol’s uneven print, the tears finally came. Her chest tightened against the soul-deep pain. Silent at first, her anguish gave way to a mournful cry, and she sobbed. For the lies. The crushing loneliness. For the plans they made and never saw through.
For a lifetime without her best friend. Her guiding star. Her mentor.
She cried until she had nothing left. It could have been five minutes or fifty, but she finally caught her breath.
Clutching the frame in a death grip, she moved woodenly toward the exit.
“Are you going to finish the list?”
She paused at Rosita’s question, the doorknob in her hand. “I don’t know.” Thinking about it hurt too much.
Chapter 15
Brick
Six weeks later
“I told the new guy I’d have the money at the beginning of the week. Ask him; he’ll tell you.” Pam lifted her hands to stop Brick’s approach.
“If you told Tre you couldn’t pay, he would’ve told you the money’s not due next week. It’s due right now.” He massaged the palm of his right hand with his left thumb.
Fucking Tre. Sucre let him do some work on his own now, but it was up to Brick to clean up any messes he made.
Pam dropped to her knees, and his stomach lurched. She whimpered as she reached for his belt buckle.
He took a step back. “Don’t do this,” he warned.
Her green eyes filled with tears as she lifted her head. She would’ve been a pretty girl if she didn’t have sores all over her face. Meth fucked people up. “I’m begging you. Please. Keep the new guy away from me. I can’t—” Her voice broke. “I can’t go through that again.”
He had no doubt the terror in her eyes was real.
His mind started spinning. When exactly had Tre been here and why? Pam wasn’t due a visit until today. He squatted down to her eye level. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“He did things to me.” She trembled. “Last night. It was late, after midnight. He was so angry when he showed up. Said Sucre takes his money seriously.” Her tears streamed down her face. “I told him I didn’t have it all yet. I said I was going to go work the street tonight to get the rest, but he didn’t want to hear it. Said he was going to…take it out of my ass.”
A knot formed in his stomach. “Did he rape you?”
Her answer was to wrap her arms across her torso and start rocking.
He reached out to comfort her, but she scuttled back, her chest heaving with frantic breaths. Pam thought he was the same kind of beast as the man who broke her the night before. He twisted the shiny gold ring on his left pinkie. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her eyes darted back and forth, like she couldn’t make sense of his words. “Afterward, he said if I kept my mouth shut, he’d let me pay next week.” Finally, her gaze landed on him. “He was lying, wasn’t he?”
He nodded. “Just give me what you have, and we’ll call it square.” He’d use his own money to pay the difference.
Scrambling to her feet, Pam disappeared into her bedroom and returned with a handful of rumpled bills. “I can’t face him again.”
“You can’t tell anyone about this.” With a churning stomach, he took the cash and left.
The rain had finally stopped, but there were huge puddles he had to avoid on the way to his truck. The air hung heavy with the smell of wet garbage. His heart was even heavier.
Sucre’s lesson may have worked in the short term, but the monster under Tre’s skin was peeking out again. And his boss had been clear: next time Tre forgot the rules, Brick would be the one delivering the message.
He’d done terrible things, but he’d never raped anyone, and he refused to start now.
No. He’d keep his mouth shut and hope somehow, some way, he could get it through Tre’s thick head to follow the rules, before they both lived to regret it.
***
Liv
Devon didn’t show up for the first day of school. Or the second. When she saw still no sign of him after the first two weeks, Liv went to see the guidance counselor at lunch. She’d planned to do it back in May, and now she regretted the delay. Unfortunately, Mr. Barnes was out of the office. The administrative assistant said he had a bad case of the flu.
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to drag her heels again.
“You don’t roll over and die when things get tough,” Carol had told her once when Liv was so sick and weak, she could barely lift her cheek from the rim of the toilet bowl. “You can’t win the prize if you stop running the race.”
Helping this kid—changing his life—it mattered.
Not because Carol put it on her list. She still couldn’t think about the damn list. But Devon had so much potential. She couldn’t let him throw it away.
Even without Mr. Barnes, she could call Devon’s parents. A quick search for his emergency contact sheet came up empty. A deeper dive into his electronic records failed to provide a single phone number, only an address in what she knew was a rough part of town.
She toyed with the idea of knocking on his door, but she didn’t know how well it would go over with his parents. He’d given her the impression his family life left something to be desired, and unlike Carol, she was no social worker, but she did care about him.
Maybe she could find another way in.
Justin.
Every time she saw Devon last year, he and Justin Brown were thick as thieves. They ate lunch together. They left campus together at the end of every day. If anyone would know what was going on with Devon, Justin would.
She found him sitting alone, playing with his phone on a bench in the quad. Surprisingly, there were no girls around. A cute kid with light hazel eyes and rich, dark skin, it was rare to see Justin without at least one girl hanging on his arm.
“Do you have a second?”
He glanced up, then gestured to the empty space on the bench next to him. His brows drew together. “Everything okay, Miss T?”
She took the offered seat. “I’m hoping you can tell me. I haven’t seen Devon since school started back up. He was supposed to be in my Senior Advanced Lit class this year. Have you heard from him?”
Justin shifted uncomfortably. “He, uh, he’s got some stuff going on at home.”
“Yeah. I got the impression. Should I be worried?”
He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the breeze. She waited. She knew it was no small thing she was asking. It had to be bad for Justin to be even considering any answer besides no.
After a minute or two, he firmed his jaw and opened his eyes. “Yeah. I think we all need to be worried.”
Shit. Part of her had hoped Justin would say everything was fine, or she had read too much into things and Devon only had a cold or something. “What’s going on, Justin?”
He rubbed his forefinger across the seam of his mouth. “Can’t tell you, Teach. Not my story to tell. Maybe you could talk to him. Convince him to come back. He liked you. He says you looked out for him and shit.”
She let the curse word slide. “Can you help me find him?”
“Yeah. I can, but are you sure?” He tilted his head toward her. “You don’t exactly look like you belong in our neighborhood, you know what I’m saying? And I’m not sure folks will appreciate some well-meaning white lady swooping in, trying to save the day.”
He had a point. Her life was hardly a Michelle Pfeiffer movie with a Coolio soundtrack. She did care about Devon, though, and she didn’t want him to fall through the cracks.
Change someone’s life.
“You think you could get him to meet you somewhere? Grab a burger or something? I could run into you guys, try to talk to him.”
Justin rubbed at his chin. “I think I could. Give me your number and I’ll text you.”
She rattled off the numbers, and he put them into his phone.
“He’ll know it’s not a
coincidence,” he warned, “but I’m hoping no one else will.”
***
True to his word, Justin texted her around seven o’clock with the address of a Burger King ten minutes away. The teens were already halfway through their burgers when she walked in the door.
Liv walked straight to their table. “Fancy meeting you here.”
The glower Devon gave Justin could strip paint from the wall. “Are you shitting me right now? You narc’d me out to my teacher?” He tossed the rest of his hamburger onto the tray. “I should’ve known you didn’t really want to buy Taylor a ring at the pawn shop tonight, even if her baby is yours.”
“No telling who her kid belongs to, but no, I didn’t tell anybody your business. Miss T wanted to talk to you is all. Nobody’s here to see it. What’s it gonna hurt?”
There weren’t many people there, but she felt as though every one of them stared at her. “May I sit?”
“Whatever,” Devon grumbled.
“I’ll grab you a Whopper.” Justin couldn’t get out of his chair fast enough.
She sighed as she sat down. “Please don’t blame him. I really did come asking about you.”
Devon rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you shouldn’t. I don’t need you to come in and save me.”
“What do you need? Something’s going on. You’re not coming to school. I bet you didn’t take your ACTs. You refuse to talk about college.” It was such a waste.
She slapped the table. “You’re too smart for this. You can do anything with your life, but only if you take the opportunities right in front of you.”
The fire in his eyes dimmed a little. “I have responsibilities to my family, Miss T. I have to work. I’m not choosing to ignore my opportunities. What I’m telling you is I have no choice.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “There’s a guy in the neighborhood. He kinda runs things. When he says you have to work for him, you have to work for him.”
She held back a shudder. Those words sounded ominous. “What about your parents? Do they know you aren’t coming to school?”
“No parents,” he sighed. “Not for a long time now. It’s only me and my brother.”
“Can’t you do both? If you have to work, can’t you still come to school? At least graduate, Devon. You’ll have your diploma, and no one can ever take it away from you.” She lowered her voice. “If you want out of the situation you’re in, I can help you. I can call—”
“No. I won’t leave my brother. He’s all I have.”
She understood all too well. She would never leave Will or Izzy as long as she had a choice. “Will you at least think about coming back?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Justin returned to the table and held out a paper bag. “You, uh, might want to take your burger to go, ma’am.”
Acutely aware of everyone looking at her, she accepted his offering and drew to her feet. “Thanks, Justin.”
Suddenly, she felt very exposed. Was the man in the green car staring at her?
She returned quickly to her Corolla and sped away without even taking the time to put on her seat belt. Her unease followed her all the way home.
Still, if there was even a chance Devon would take her advice, the trip had been worth it.
Chapter 16
Brick
The house on Burgundy was coming together. The team had completed the framing, along with the plumbing, electrical, and insulation. They would start to drywall today, which meant soon, they’d have real walls, and it would finally feel like a real house.
The guys had hit a problem on the other build. Something about the buyer wanting to make some changes. So, the project sat on hold until the higher-ups could get it all sorted out. Brick had heard Xander on the phone with his bosses off-and-on almost every day this week.
Poor bastard.
He studiously ignored Will when he pulled up outside. He hadn’t seen him in months, but Liv’s brother would be working upstairs, so there was no reason for them to cross paths. He took his time lingering at the ice chest while Will passed behind him and climbed up.
Kane slapped him on the back. “He’s gone, brother, you can stop hiding.”
He shot his friend a look that would make most guys wither. Kane just laughed. “Hey, I wouldn’t want to face the guy, either, if I was the one who fucked his sister.”
Before he knew what came over him, he had Kane up against the two-by-fours which would soon become a wall. “I didn’t fuck her,” he hissed.
Kane appeared totally unfazed. “Oh, I can tell there’s absolutely nothing going on there.”
He sucked in a deep breath and let go of Kane’s shirt. “Sorry,” he muttered. He’d been on edge for weeks.
A dozen times, he’d picked up the phone, tempted to call Olivia. Even more often, he caught himself staring at the ring she gave him, questioning whether he’d be a bigger fool to break things off or to keep putting his selfish desires ahead of her safety.
“I don’t know what to do, man. You ever been involved with a woman who was too good for you? Someone who doesn’t belong surrounded by the shit we live in?”
Kane’s jaw tightened. “Once.”
“I want her. More than fucking air sometimes. But having her feels selfish. She could be with some guy who’s got class, some guy who doesn’t have blood on his hands and dirt under his nails. A guy who—”
“She doesn’t want some guy, though, dumbass. She wants you. Or at least she did.” Kane tapped him lightly on the forehead. “If she wanted another kind of guy, she’d be with one. So, man up.”
He almost let the conversation end there, but more words spilled out before he could stop them. “I don’t even know how to be with her. What the fuck do I talk about? How do I act? I feel like I’m playing a part in a goddamn movie. Like I’m pretending to be a regular guy. One who calls her on the phone…or takes her to get ten-dollar hamburgers…or wears her fucking jewelry. That’s not me.”
Kane shrugged. “Isn’t it? You did all those things, right? Her shiny gold band is right there on your finger, am I right?”
Cocky fucker.
“You feel like it’s a part? Play it. Maybe it’s not who you can be most of the time, but it’s who you want to be when you’re with her. There’s no shame in it.”
“Xander.” A woman’s voice rang out from the front of the house. It was strong, loud, and more than a little pissed off.
Kane’s eyes widened, and Brick spun around to get a glimpse. The woman stood in the doorway as though she owned the place. She had thick, straight, dark red hair, which fell to the center of her back. Her skin glowed porcelain. A black pencil skirt ended right above her knees, and a cream-colored silky blouse tucked into the top.
Everything about her screamed power and class.
Her gaze flew right past him and landed on Kane. “Where is he?”
“What are you doing here?”
His head swiveled around and did a double-take at the venom in Kane’s eyes.
“It’s still my company, Kane. Tracking problems is my responsibility.” Her eyes were green with little flecks of gold, and her gaze fired with every bit of intensity as Kane’s.
“I thought your brother was guaranteed to manage our crew.”
Finally, a little chink appeared in her armor. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Mike was in a car accident.”
Kane stepped forward, the malice on his face replaced with concern.
The woman waved it off. “He’ll be fine. For now, I’m responsible for everything, including this clusterfuck in Decatur. Can you please…tell me where to find Xander?”
“He’s upstairs.” Kane gestured toward the staircase, and she walked toward it. “Amanda?”
She stopped but didn’t turn around.
“I’m sorry about Mike.”
She nodded, then started to climb.
He waited until her shiny black pumps disappeared from view before approaching
Kane. “What just happened?”
The man stomped out the front door, and Brick followed him into the street. “Wait up. Kane!”
Tattooed arms flexed as Kane pulled off his hard hat, and several strands of his dark hair came loose from the ponytail at the back of his neck. “Amanda and her brother Mike own the construction company. Seems like she’s here to rip Xander a new one over the Decatur house, which is stupid because the delays aren’t his fault.”
Folding his arms, he stood still and watched Kane pace the pavement next to the curb. “So, what’s the deal with the two of you?”
Kane’s jaw flexed. “There’s no deal.”
“If you say so, man.” He pulled a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet. “Why don’t you take a run to the donut place and get us some coffee? My treat.”
Kane scowled.
“She’ll probably be gone before you get back.”
Snatching the cash out of his hand, Kane stomped to his motorcycle. “Fine. I’ll be back in twenty.”
As the bike rumbled away, he wondered briefly how Kane would carry the coffee, but shrugged it off. The coffee had only been a smokescreen anyway.
He stepped back into the house, and raised voices echoed from upstairs. The entire crew had migrated to the backyard for an unscheduled break. Only Xander and Amanda remained unaccounted for. Robby paced nervously in and out of the French doors, which led to the rear patio.
“Robby.”
The kid froze at the sound of his name.
“What’s going on?”
Abandoning his post at the back door, Robby approached him. “Ms. Griffin is getting a lot of flak from the guy who commissioned the other house. He said we’re not giving him what he wants.”
“The guy signed off on the plans. How is it Xander’s fault if he changed his mind? It’s bullshit.”
Robby snuck a glance at the staircase before continuing. “Yeah, it is. Now, the man’s threatening to pull out if we don’t make the changes for free. The company takes a hit either way, and you know bad stuff rolls downhill.”
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