So, I rummaged around for my cell phone in my purse before I called my sister.
“Jesus, Aria,” she said breathlessly, “what the hell’s wrong with you?”
I walked over to my couch and flopped down. “How’s it going?”
She yawned. “I’m sleeping. How’s it going for you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just got thrown off a shift at work.”
“Haven’t you been working there, like, less than forty-eight hours?”
I shrugged. “Does that matter?”
She giggled softly. “You’ve always been stubborn, so whatever happened is probably your fault.”
I smiled. “Probably.”
She paused. “You thinking about Dad again?”
I closed my eyes. “That obvious?”
“Aria, I love you, but you know that he wasn’t a saint. He went to prison because he was doing things out on the streets that landed him in prison. You can’t fight that kind of evil. You can’t do anything about what happened to him if his actions put him there in the first place.”
I drew in a deep breath, needing a change of pace. “So, there’s this club in town called Heist.”
“Ah, so we’re switching gears. Got it. All right, what about it?”
“It’s run by this club called the Steel Scorpions, apparently, and I think they get away with their bullshit because they’ve got people paid off in the police department and in my place of work.”
“Sounds like you’ve been watching conspiracy theory documentaries again.”
“Have you ever heard of them in your line of work?”
She snickered. “Have I ever heard of a biker club while working as a social worker?”
“Yeah, that’s what I asked.”
I heard her grunting before she sounded once more. “Honestly? I’ve heard whispers about them. But nothing that’s terrible.”
“Uh huh.”
“What?”
I stretched out and laid down on the couch. “Nothing. Just thinking.”
“About…?”
I sneezed. “Ugh, excuse me.”
“You taking your allergy meds?”
“No, Mom, because I’m fine.”
She clicked her tongue. “Fine, whatever. I love you, but I need sleep. Please don’t go poking around in places that will get you killed. I’ve lost enough people that I love for one lifetime.”
My heart ached for my sister because I knew what she meant. She didn’t just mean our parents, either. I had no idea what the hell it was like to lose a husband, but I watched my sister go through years of turmoil and hospitalizations before she came out semi-sane on the other side.
“I won’t, I promise,” I said with as much conviction as possible.
