Armando shrugs. “Look, I know you’re wracked with guilt, but you had good reason to be suspicious.”
“I should have handled it better.”
“Yes, you should have, but it’s too late to change what you did. You can only make up for it.”
“But how?”
Carl storms over, his face awash with fury. “Armando, I need you to manage the show tonight. I have something I need to take care of.”
All at once, my gut twists, because Carl has never once handed over the reins to anyone. Not even when he had the flu.
Which means something important is going on. Probably with Priest.
And quite possibly, Samantha.
“Sure thing,” Armando says. “Is there anything I should know?”
“Yeah, don’t fuck up,” Carl barks as he takes off toward the Corolla.
Knowing that he’s off to see Samantha makes me ache, but she’s already made her boundaries clear, and what kind of man would I be if I crossed them?
“Tox, this is your chance,” Armando says. “You know he’s probably going to meet with Priest, and he would definitely invite Samantha for that.
“But—”
“No buts! If you want your girl, go get her. Otherwise, don’t fucking pout and complain.”
Before I can talk myself out of it, I take off after Carl, sliding into the passenger seat before he can stop me.
“Get out!” he barks, pointing his finger emphatically at the window.
“Not happening.”
“You’re performing tonight.”
“Not anymore, and don’t think you can scare me by threatening to fire me.”
He sighs and looks straight ahead, his hands clenching the steering wheel. “I don’t think she wants to see you.”
“I know, but I need to make things right, and I can’t do that by keeping away.”
“Showing up where she’s at, uninvited, isn’t making things right.”
“You’re either going with me or you’ll have to find another ride because there’s no way in hell I’m getting out of this car.”
“Jesus Christ, if you fuck this up for me?—”
“Do you trust Samantha?” I challenge.
He blinks back at me.
“If you trust her, the mere fucking sight of me won’t turn her against you.”
“This isn’t about trust. It’s about my goddamn business.”
“And I wouldn’t risk that, but I need to see her.” I take out my phone and show him the balance in my savings account. “That deposit right there is my earnings at the tournament. If I fuck things up for you, it’s yours, save the amount I gave to Armando.”
“Don’t you have a baby on the way you should be saving for?”
