“Did you justcall me a ‘ho’?”
“Yes, Dylan, I called you a ho,” I droned sarcastically. “Stop trying to shame me into bowing out of this. I’m your wingman. I’m going!”
“I’m not trying to get a date, Addie, I’m trying to clear my name.”
“If you don’t quit arguing with me, I’m calling Asher to put the kibosh on the whole thing,” I threatened.
“Snitches get stitches, Thug Barbie,” she said, threatening meright back. Then she shook her head and sighed. “This is my fight, Addie. I don’t want to drag you into it with me.”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “I’m already in this, dumbass! And you didn’t drag me into shit, so I swear to Buddha, if you don’t stop trying to figure out a way to keep me out, and focus that energy on getting the evidence we need to clear you, I will cut you!”
“You will?”she gasped. “I’m shaking in my boots.”
I ignored her. “Thousands of little cuts, then I’ll dip you in a bathtub full of lemon juice and hang you somewhere windy to dry.” By the time I was finished with my rant, I was breathing hard, but one look at my best friend and we dissolved into a fit of giggles, both of us sliding to the floor before we toppled over.
“So, you really want to do this, huh?”Dylan asked once we caught our breath.
I drew my knees to my chest and set my elbows on them. “I don’t know that we have a choice.”
“This is true.” She sat cross-legged and sighed. “I can’t believe you’re wearing a bustier. I didn’t even think they made those things anymore.”
Pushing myself off the floor, I grabbed my hoodie and held my hand out to help her up. “Let’s go. I say we take theMAX... I don’t want anyone to write down my license plate or anything.”
“So we’re going to grab the MAX in our cat burglar garb?”
“Well, we’ll leave the beanies off.”
Dylan chuckled. “Good plan. Then when we put them back on, it’ll be like Superman putting on his glasses. No one will recognize us, for sure. You know, because nothing else about our outfits will draw attention.”
“Smartass,”I said, grabbing my Louis Vuitton tote. I shoved my beanie and keys inside, but Dylan stopped me.
“We should leave the security fob thingies here,” she said.
“What if we run into the guys from your apartment?” I asked.
“Then we’re screwed.” She set her keys on the counter. I popped off my fob and placed it beside her keys, then we headed out the door.
It was late, so the MAX was mostly empty.We did manage to get some strange looks from a mother and her two middle-school aged daughters, though. Dylan—because she’s Dylan—advised the girls to stay in school and make good choices before we hopped off at our stop. They both nodded and snuggled closer to their mom.
We went to the back of the building and Dylan called Quentin. She disconnected and we waited a few minutes—looking way tooconspicuous wearing all black and huddling together in the alley—until we heard a click.
“Here we go,” Dylan said, pressing on the door.
I closed my eyes and said a little prayer, which must have worked since the alarm didn’t sound. Then we were inside a stairwell that would have been completely dark without the safety strip lighting running around the baseboards. Stairs led up and down.
“Which way?” I whispered, putting on my black beanie.
“Just a sec,” Dylan whispered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of something. She spread it all over her face and then handed it to me. “Use that.”
I looked at her now darkened face and shook my head. “I don’t want to.”
“It’ll disguise your features. Use it.”
It was too dark to read the label, and I had no idea what sortof processed crap was in this stuff. “What if it makes me break out?”
Dylan groaned, took it from me, and spread it all over my face before I could protest.
“Hey!” I said, swatting her hand away.
