“Yup.”
“Then, regardless of his unlikeliness to email you, I think it was a success.”
“You’re right. We should drink to it.” I finish my beer and gesture for another. “We should drink alot,and then you should tell me where I’m sleeping so I can pass out there. I didn’t get any sleep last night, and it was totally worth it, but tomorrow will kill me if I don’t get some shuteye.”
Martha parks another beer in front of me and then reaches for her tequila and shot glasses. “Tomorrow might kill us both if we get too drunk,” she warns me.
“Maybe. But tonight we are sisters reunited, and we’re celebrating me losing my V-card to a big, beautiful man. How can we regret it? Hit me.”
We slam back our shots, and Martha holds up a hand like a stop sign. “Wait a sec. Do we need to do anything responsible first? One: where are your bags? And two: do you need to call your mom and tell her you made it here safely?”
“One: I don’t care. And two: she doesn’t care.More shots.”
Martha pours again with a sigh. “She cares.”
“Yeah, but she’s got four other much more perfect daughters and a perfectly perfect husband to keep her busy, so she won’t notice if I don’t call her till tomorrow or next week or whatever.Drink.”
“I’m cutting you off after five shots. Five is always enough to cure what ails you.”
“But it was a very nice and verybigdick that tenderized both my vajingo and my heart, Martha. I’m feelingveryailed. I feel like a dozen shots would be a better prescription today. Maybe more.”
She stares at me and doesn’t pour another.
“Fine. Just… cut me off at ten.”
“Ten?”
I nod. “I’ll need a minimum of ten tequila shots to achieve the desired results.”
Martha eyeballs the high tide inside her tequila bottle, then shrugs and pours me another. “You’re the efficiency expert.”
13
BATES
Now that I know the connection, Lana’s expressions keep hitting me from Hawk’s face, and it’s freaking me out. He’s also measuring out his words so carefully that I have to ask him if he’s sick.
“No, I’m notsick. Why would you ask that?”
“You’re acting weird. If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out and let me go unpack. I won’t punch you.”
“That’s not what you said in the truck.”
“Well, we had company, and I didn’t want to spill my rotten guts in front of her.Hey, Lana, welcome to the site — here’s a ton of dirty fucking laundry we’re going to air out in your face.”
Hawk gives me a flat look. “You’re getting mad again.”
“Yeah, well, I’m pissed off about a lot of shit.” I spit on the ground.
“Sounds like you’re pissed at me.”
“Maybe I am,” I growl, regretting it the next moment when he starts grabbing bags from the truck and throwing them on the ground.
“That’s not mine.” I rush forward to pick up Lana’s pack and smack the dust off it before putting it back with the others. I organize them into one corner so he doesn’t throw any moreof her stuff around, then I sigh. “You were right about Shaniah being a manipulative, untrustworthy user, and I fucking hate you for it at the same time as loving you for it, because I’m not blind anymore. You tried to tell me, and I didn’t listen, but I can see everything so fucking clearly now it makes my eyes water.”
Hawk stares at me for a while. The corner of his mouth slowly hooks upward. “You do look like you’ve been crying.”
“Fuck you. I rode in the back. It was the wind.”
