PROLOGUE
December 31, 2023
Lower East Side
Manhattan, New York
LOVIE
I’ve only ever beenthis close to a cop one other time in my life.
“10-6. Standby. I’ve got a black female over on Kaufman. No shoes, no coat—in a…a….” The burly, red-faced cop eyes my torn sequined Rabanne dress, putting his radio back to his lips. “A mini dress.”
He won’t look at my face.
“Looks like she might’ve been in a scuffle,” he adds, leaning against the back of his truck, staring at my bare feet.
The dispatcher gives him a muffled response, and he drops the radio against his uniform before pushing off the truck.
He dusts his hands together, chomping on a piece of gum as he approaches me. “Where you supposed to be, sweetheart?”
It’s so cold that his hot breath creates a thick cloud between us. I shuffle back and forth against the freezing, gritty sidewalk, picking up one foot and then the other. There’s a layer of something sticky on my big toe and my left foot is wet, but I don’t even remember stepping in water. People pass by us, but nobody looks at me. Instead, they smile and point at the Christmas lights still hanging from the light posts while chattering about their New Year’s Eve plans.
The cop tilts his fat head and pushes it into my line of vision. “Hey…you deaf or what?”
His name is Officer Patton—badge number 10384. He never bothered to tell me any of that when he flagged me down from his car—I just read it on his uniform.
He’s married too.
His rubber wedding band digs into his meaty ring finger, and every now and then he twists it like he wants to pull it off.
“C’mon…” He snaps his fingers at me like he’s talking to a wandering puppy. “The ball drops in an hour, lady. Where’re you supposed to be?”
The more frustrated he gets, the thicker his New York accent becomes. It wades through his words, floating on top of every consonant he spits out.
“Okay, fine.” He swipes his nose and looks away. “Who did that to your face?”
My face?
A warm glob of snot dribbles over my lip.
I swipe at it, then glance at my red-stained fingers.
“My face…” I bring my hands to my cold, throbbing cheeks.
Their warmth thaws them, and suddenly I feel my hot skin and the aching around my gums.
“You been drinking?”
“Ye…no…does it matter? I’m not driving,” I reply breathlessly. “It’s New Year’s Eve. Everybody’s been drinking.”
He huffs and rolls his eyes, pulling a tiny flashlight out of his pocket. He clicks the side of it without warning and shines the bright light on my face.
I wince, tossing my hands in front of my eyes.
“You want me to call a medic to take a look at your face or what?” he asks.
“No…no. I’m okay, I think.”
