“Do what?”
“Get ‘Vil to do things he never does.”
“I didn’t do anything. Before last night, I hadn’t spoken to him in three years.”
“Hmm.”
We sit in silence for several minutes.
“What are you doing? I assume the police officer’s gone. You should probably leave while you have a chance,” I say.
Trick leans back, bending one leg and resting his forearm on his knee. “You let me know when you’re ready to go, and we’ll leave.”
I tilt my head. “We’llleave?”
“That’s right. Sooner is better than later, but we’ll make later work if we have to.”
“And where would you take me? To the bus station? An airport?”
“Wherever,” he says.
“Sasha signed off on that? On my taking a long distance bus trip alone?”
“We didn’t talk buses specifically.”
“I bet you didn’t,” I say with a small laugh. “They don’t call you Trick for nothing.”
He smiles and stands up, then he holds out a hand to me. “Come with me. You can see Zoe, your dancing queen bestie. You can bring ‘Vil to his knees again. I promise it’ll be more fun than going home with Frank.”
“I didn’t bring him to his knees. The police did.”
“C’mon,” he says, beckoning me with his outstretched hand.
“I don’t trust you. Any of you.”
“Trust me on this. He won’t leave you here alone for Frank to take. There will be a fight, a bloody one.”
I frown. I don’t like their chances in an open fight. Frank has more men on hand than C Crue does. Unless they’ve called people. “It doesn’t make sense to do this here. C must know that.”
“He does. We all do.”
“So talk Sasha out of it. Because if I went with you, it would only make Frank madder. I can’t risk that. There are things—that have died down. Sometimes Frank has to be appeased. You worked for him. You know that.”
“I left. It’s why I left. And when I did, Frank told C and Anvil to hunt me down, to kill me.”
“Sending your best friends to kill you? Horrible for all three of you.”
“Could’ve been.”
“But they wouldn’t do it?”
“No. Which is why what you want doesn’t matter to me. Anvil asked me to get you. It’s the only time he’s ever asked me to do anything for him.” Trick shrugs. “You can come willingly or take another ride in a trunk. That’s the only part that’s up to you.”
Chapter
Seven
ANVIL
