I heard her ask someone for the address, and didn’t have a clue where the fuck it was since I wasn’t that familiar with Vegas yet.
“Drop a pin. I’ll be there in however long it takes me to get there from here.”
“You don’t have to?—”
“Already committed a crime. Driving the stolen goods to you is nothing at this point. Do you want me to pick something up on the way? I bet a milkshake would help soothe the sting of the situation.”
“You’re ridiculous,” she said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t say no to a cookies and cream shake though. You can use my card and get something for yourself.”
I suppose that was one way of finding out pretty quickly if she’d been cut off financially. Who knew how on the ball Tyler was with that sort of thing?
“What do the guys want?” I asked.
Madison collected their orders, and I secretly delighted in the confusion in their voices.
I rushed downstairs, almost colliding with my sister.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“You said I should make friends, right?”
“Not friends who make you commit a felony!” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do I have to worry about you?”
“Probably not?”
“You said that as a question… Do I need to get my pack involved?”
“Nah. Keep an eye on Tyler’s house, though.”
“Why?” Ava’s brows furrowed and I placed my thumbs on her forehead to forcefully smooth it out.
I wasn’t even being as chaotic as I had been growing up. You’d think she’d be used to me by now, but apparently, I still managed to surprise her. “He kicked Madison out and we’re figuring out how to keep her safe.”
Ava looked bewildered. “Are you doing this because you have a crush on her?”
“I’m doing this because she’s a person who needs help and my impulse control doesn’t exist. It took less than five minutes of conversation to understand he treats her like hot garbage, and I can’t imagine that’s going to get any better after he left her on the fucking side of the road. I’ve got a lot of rage over assholes, and this was a lot more productive than punching him in the face. If I didn’t break into his car, then Madison wouldn’t have her ID or phone, and it’s ten times harder to restart a life without those. Judge me later.”
I waved at her over my shoulder and bolted to the door, quickly scanning for any sign of Tyler but finding none. I passed a pair of cop cars on the way out of the neighborhood. They always responded so fucking fast to the wealthier areas, but not fast enough this time. I couldn’t imagine they would go through the whole ordeal of DNA testing, and I wasn’t in the system, anyway.
The detour for milkshakes only added a few minutes to my journey, and then I was parking at a fancy-ass apartment complex. A man I didn’t recognize seemed to be waiting for me and opened the doors with a nervous smile.
“Are you Nathan?” he asked.
“I might be. Who are you?”
“Alve Sato. Can I carry the drinks?”
I gave him a once-over, assuming he was probably the rando Jude had mentioned, and passed him the tray of milkshakes. “How do you know Madison?”
“I don’t really, but I would like to.”
“You’re in good company, then.”
His eyes widened. “You broke into a car for someone you don’t know?”
“You offered to give her your apartment,” I pointed out. “I don’t think you’re in any position to throw stones.”
“No, not throwing stones at all. I can be both terrified and appreciative at the same time.” Alve swiped his card in the elevator. “Are you her scent match?”
