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“All right.” I push myself out of the chair and head for the door. “You promise you’ll call if you find anything out?”

Liam’s the one who answers. “Ravi wouldn’t let me get away with keeping you out of the loop. He thinks of you as a friend. That matters to me.”

That makes my chest feel funny. But it also helps me trust Liam. Ravi’s a sweet guy and he’s honest. If Liam cares about him the way he seems to, then I can believe him. More than I can Brennan, at least.

I’m leaving the laundromat when my phone dings.

Fudge. It’s my father. A text from him is never good.

Dad: Hey, buddy. Miss you. Think you could give me a call soon? Really need to talk to you.

This is the problem with my daddy: The man who gambled away our grocery money and tried to figure out if I could somehow throw a college basketball game is the same man who used to buy me ice cream at the park. It throws me off when he talks to me as if I still matter.

I’m trying to figure out how to answer when hands grab me from behind. Right before someone in the parking lot lays on their horn.

It hits me that I’m looking into Mike’s face around the same time my back thumps against the front window of the laundromat.

“What are you thinking, walking out into the parking lot while reading on your phone?”

“Got distracted. Didn’t mean to.” I’m trying to shake away my confusion. “There was a text from—” Why am I telling him this? He doesn’t need to know. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

He gives my shoulder a shake. “You think leaving Ella without her dad doesn’t matter?”

“Save your judgment.” I tug my arm from Mike’s grasp and slide sideways to get a bit of distance. “Thank you for your help. Now leave me alone. What are you doing here anyway? Did you follow me or something?”

“Do you want me to answer you, or do you want me to leave you alone?” His eyes are laughing at me.

I’m too damn tired. Can’t manage to hold back my sigh.

“Brennan owes me money,” he explains.

“Right. Fine. I gotta go.”

Mike’s eyebrows lift. “What are you doing here?”

Ugh. I don’t want him to know about me looking into those pills. No doubt he’d have some opinions. “Same thing. Getting my cut from Brennan.”

“I don’t believe you.” Michael’s wearing a navy blue T-shirt, and the way he crosses his arms makes his biceps test the fabric.

“I’m not lying.” He can’t prove it, anyway. “I have to go.”

To my surprise, he doesn’t follow. Which is good. I need to learn to handle these things without his help.

I pretend I don’t notice the way he’s still staring me down as I pull out of the parking lot.

CHAPTER NINE

Michael

Back at our building, I catch Dean as he’s chatting with Mrs. Harris, who watches Ella when I can’t. The nervous glance he gives me tells me he knows exactly how frustrated I am right now.

“Ella, time to go,” he calls into the apartment, trying to rush her along.

“She’s watching that British baking show.” Mrs. Harris gives a helpless shrug. “I had it on earlier and I didn’t realize it would suck her in as much as it did me. We made some cookies as a fun project.”

My grip on Dean’s arm isn’t exactly friendly. “Actually, Mrs. H, do you think you could hang on to Ella for a little while longer? I need to have a quick chat with her dad.”

I’ve been holding in my panic since I left Brennan’s office.