Even though I doubted William would ever allow his son to spend even a day in jail, I appreciated the way Polly stood firmly in my corner. “Now that would be some glorious karma,” I replied.
The bartender set my drink in front of me, so I picked it up and toasted Polly. “To the best, smartest, sexiest bitch I know on her birthday. May your tits forever be perky and your ass forever be poppin’.”
“God, I love you.” She clinked her glass to mine.
“Same, babe, same. Now let’s get smashed and make bad decisions so we have something to regret tomorrow.”
Beaming me a smile, she replied, “Challenge accepted.”
She was gone now, and her absence hit me like a blow to the chest. I hadn’t allowed myself to mourn her death—or to even think about it—but now it hijacked my mind and heart. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, and sobs erupted from my chest, as I rubbed my thumb over the photo, wishing I could go back to that moment in the bar.
I’d warn Polly her life was in danger and force her to reveal the name of her next client.
I’d save her, the way she saved me after Billy the Bastard almost destroyed me.
But my friend was dead, and for the first time in my life, I felt hopelessly alone.
10
Hound
INEVER CLAIMED to be some goddamn Casanova, but women usually didn’t run away from me. That was new. Staring after Mila, I wondered—for the second time that day—what the hell I’d said to upset her. I’d barely gotten the fire station tour started and was enjoying her musical laugh and the intelligence behind her eyes. I wanted to know her story. Not just why she was in danger, but also who she was and what sort of shit she was into.
I wanted to know everything about her.
But then she snapped. Again. She went from warm and inviting to cold and indifferent, closing down faster than the cell doors during a prison lockdown. Frustrated, I considered texting her, but thought better of it. Nothing good ever came from bugging a woman who obviously wanted to be alone.
With no clue what else to do, I headed up to my room and worked through the stretches and exercises my physical therapist had shown me. Once my hamstrings and glutes were loosened up, my back felt a little better, so I stretched out across my bed. Thoughts of Mila ran through my mind as I once again replayed our conversation, wondering what I’d said to make her run away from me like her ass was on fire.
I was still staring at the ceiling like it held the answers that kept eluding me when my little sister called.
Accepting the call, I answered, “Hi Annie.”
“Hey Cars.” When she was little, Annie had struggled with my full name, Carson, and her abbreviated version stuck. Now she was almost sixteen, practically grown, and only used my full name when she was mad at me, which, thankfully, didn’t happen too often. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“I’m great. Thanks for the shoes. They’re perfect.”
Annie had let it slip that her old volleyball shoes were falling apart. Since her dad had basically been AWOL since he and Mom split, leaving Mom struggling to keep the lights on, I handled it. Just like I handled Annie’s other financial needs Mom couldn’t meet. I refused to do anything for Mom, but Annie… she was innocent, and I refused to let her get caught up in the aftermath of our family war.
“They fit okay?” I asked.
“Yep. And thanks again for paying the club fees so I can keep practicing. I would have had to quit.”
Her gratitude hit me right in the feelings. My body might be basically useless now, but at least my government checks could still do some good. “You’re too good to quit. I’m glad to help. You keep working on that serve and colleges will be beating down your door.”
She laughed. “Sure.” My little sister had always had confidence issues, but they’d only gotten worse with her parents’ separation.
“I’m serious. You have real skills. Don’t you dare let that go to waste.” What she lacked was faith in herself and a mother who prioritized supporting her daughter. “If I was half as good at basketball as you are at volleyball, I’d be in the NBA by now.”
“Sure you would.”
Knowing I wouldn’t win this battle, I changed the subject. “How’s everything else? You glad school’s out?”
“So glad. Dina and I are going to apply for a job at the coffee shop down the street.”
Dina was Annie’s best friend, and the two had been pretty much joined at the hip since third grade. I didn’t like the idea of Annie working, but respected her drive and desire to earn her own money. Besides, I couldn’t say shit since I’d been younger than her when I got my first job. “Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with practice. I need you to go pro someday so you can support me.”
