She pulls him deeper into the car, until his cheek is smooshed against the steering wheel.
“Worth a shot,” he growls, gasping for breath. “Who’s the guy?”
“Why?” Amy snorts. “You wanna kiss him, too?”
She shoots me a creepy look.
“I think you’re literally strangling him,” I say weakly.
“Oh!”
She lets go of him, and he staggers away from the car, spluttering.
“Nice to have you back, Hitman.” Gaby laughs. “Should keep all the little jerks in check. Want me to give ’em a heads-up?”
She shakes her head. “Let them think they’re gonna have a good night.”
“You know how to talk to me.” He turns to a guy across the street. “She’s good to go!”
Amy rolls up her window, nodding at passersby as we crawl along the road.
“Friend of yours?” I ask as nonchalantly as I can.
“Something like that.”
People are drifting by on either side of us, heading up the sidewalks in tight knots.
“What exactly is going on here?”
“Just old friends reconnecting—with a little light entertainment thrown in to keep things interesting.”
“Races, you mean. With stolen cars.”
“Never say never.”
“Just my luck.”
“Sorry.” She shrugs, and though I know she means it, something’s bugging me.
“Feels like you know your way around.”
“I don’t steal cars, if that’s what you mean,” she snaps.
“Yeah, I got that part—I meant this kind of get-together.”
“Back when I used to live here, sure. But I left all this behind me once I skipped town.”
“And whydidyou skip town?”
“None of your business.”
She’s a tough nut to crack. We’re not friends, so it makes sense that she’s not down for spilling. Still, though… I wish she’d give me just a little more.
“So, are the cops cool with this sort of thing, or do I need to call my dad and let him know that his only son is probably going to jail?”
“Don’t freak out! They don’t usually come up this way, and Gaby’s got backup, anyway,” she says. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Never seen a single blue light.”
Since she was a kid?How does that even happen? I’m trying to picture a younger Amy, but I’m struggling. She’s way too much of a badass to have ever been a child.
