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“MJ, that’s crazy.”

“Yeah, it is,” I said as I nodded.

Mr. Hayes looked at me.

“Have you heard anything about that on the news?”

I met his eyes.

“No, sir.”

He nodded.

“Well, hopefully the authorities will figure out what happened. I don’t know what that young man was involved in, but it certainly sounds like he was mixed up in something dangerous.”

I picked up my fork again and continued eating. Penelope shook her head.

“I can’t believe that’s the same man.”

Her father reached across the table and touched her hand.

“Which is why I’ve always told you to be careful, Pumpkin. You never know what somebody has going on.”

“I know, Daddy.”

“And if anything ever makes you uncomfortable again, I want you to tell me immediately.”

“I will.”

He looked at me.

“MJ, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I take my daughter’s safety very seriously.”

“I understand, sir. So do I.”

“She’s all I have.”

I glanced at Penelope. There was something about the way he said those words that made me think about my own father. Pops had nearly lost his life trying to protect Maliah, and I’d seen firsthand what a man was willing to do when somebody threatened his family. Mr. Hayes didn’t know me well yet, but I understood him better than he probably realized.

“I’d never let anything happen to her if I could help it,” I told him.

He studied me for a moment before nodding.

“I appreciate that.”

Penelope reached beneath the table and took my hand. I gave hers a gentle squeeze. The conversation eventually moved on to other things. Mr. Hayes started telling us about a development project he was working on, and Penelope asked him whether he’d decided what to do with one of his older properties. I listened and joined in whenever I had something to add. But part of my mind was still on what he’d said about Ghost. It had been weeks since the fairground, and until this morning, I had managed to keep what happened there separate from the rest of my life.

I had gone back to class, spent time with Penelope, and visited my family like everything was normal. Now I was sitting across from her father, listening to him talk about a man I’d killed as if he were nothing more than another story on the news. I didn’t feel the need to confess anything. I didn’t feel nervous about what Mr. Hayes might know. What bothered me was realizing how easily that night could follow me into places where I least expected it. Penelope leaned against my shoulder while her father finished telling us about the property. I looked down at her, and she smiled.

For her, this was just breakfast with her daddy and her boyfriend. For Mr. Hayes, it was a chance to finally meet the young man his daughter had been talking about. And for me, it was another reminder that what happened at the fairground wasn’t something I could undo. But I could decide what happened next. I had a degree to finish, a family that needed me, and a woman I was falling harder for every day. Pops had told me to get back to living my life. And that was exactly what I intended to do.

Chapter 31

Bleek

“Come on, Mr. Browne. Give me one more.”

I looked at Andre like he lost his fucking mind.