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He shoved her into the cab of his truck and she scranition and rolled out of the parking place, but not with any great burst of speed

Quinn couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t stop shaking, and she wondered if she should be diving out of the vehicle right now, running for her life

"Are you okay?" he said "Hey, look athysterical little keening noises

Tyler rolled to a stop at the stop sign A siren kicked up sorabbed the door handle, still conte out of the vehicle Her breath shook with panic "Did you--did you kill theun--"

"It wasn’t mine It was Anthony Spinnetti’s"

She must have looked blank, because he rolled his eyes "The douche bag with the crack pipe"

That was a crack pipe?

She stared at hiet a handle on her breathing "Who got shot?"

"No one Well, your door frah your bedroo

But Tyler had wrestled solanced over at her

"He was about to come after you Your brother told him you stole his money Is that true?"

She put her hands on her cheeks "No"

"Maybe a little warning that you were leading me into a dealer’s den would have been in order"

"I didn’t--I had no idea"

"Jesus Christ, girl, how long have you been living like that?"

"I don’t--I didn’t knohat they were doing" She felt naïve and stupid, which was ridiculous She couldn’t wrap her head around this "You really didn’t shoot theun is locked up I’ll prove it to you e get to h his hair "Unlessdo you want to go to the cops? Your neighbors are already calling theuys offering to take her to the police in the span of one week

And this time, at first, she did want Tyler to take her to the police station She’d tell the she’d seen, and she’d have him there to back it up

But then they’d arrest her brother And possibly her parents

Quinn was only seventeen Where would they send her? A foster ho? Or would she be arrested, too?

And ould they do to Jordan? At least her little brother was practically living at his friends’ houses She hadn’t seen hi around

"No," she whispered "No cops"

"You all right?"

She shook her head "How do you know that Anthony guy?"

"We went to school together I didn’t know your brother was Jake Briscoe Talk about how the hty have fallen"

Quinn blinked at hiht, and it reflected off Tyler’s fair skin and hair,him look a little softer "What does that ?"

"Yeah He’s home on a break"

Tyler looked over The expression on his face said, Come on, don’t be stupid

But she et it "What?"

"What break? It’s the middle of October I’m not on break

Why would he be?"

"You think--you think he left school?"

Tyler snorted "He’s sh school dropout

I’d bet ot kicked out of school"

Kicked out of school The golden boy

Quinn wondered if this added a new intensity to her parents’

problereat before

"Was my mother okay?" she whispered

"She was lit," said Tyler "Where’s your dad?"

Quinn shook her head "I never know anyhts, but sometimesI try to stay out of there as es with Becca and Nick

She had nowhere to go

Tyler was silent for a long while, and she watched the lights zip by outside his truck

"You want me to take you somewhere else?" he finally said

"You have a friend you want to stay with or so?"

Quinn shook her head "You can just--" She had to clear her throat "I’ht You can let me out at the next street corner I’ll call so that?"

She had no idea what to say She had no idea what Tyler expected Just like before, she felt trapped by circuet out of this truck andand, what? Sleep on the street? But if she went ho to hook up?