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"Have you ever thought about getting a real job?"

"No" I lied to her, not wanting to get into it with her

"I could askhe could to do help" She looked at et you a job at city hall and …"

"Enough" I held my hand up at her abruptly "I don’t need your dad’s help"

"He won’t judge you" She looked at me anxiously "Not if I vouch for you"

"Would you vouch for o?"

"Of course not" She made a face at me "I would just say you were my friend"

"Of course, your friend Don’t you think he would want to knoefriends?"

"My dad doesn’t judge people, Logan I don’t knohy you have soood man"

"Yeah, he’s a good man" My voice was harsh

"I wish you would talk to me," she pleaded

"What do you want to know, Maddie?" I shouted, frustrated "Do you really want to knohat I think of your dad? Your perfect dad? Do you want to knohy I wish I could watch hi run over by a semi truck?" I watched as her face contorted with pain and she shrunk away frouts" I hitlike him I don’t knohy you just can’t leave et?"

"Sorry" Her eyes flashed "I thought you’d want to be friends"

"Why would I want to be friends?" I looked at her, agitated I was starting to feel bad for shouting at her, and that wasme even ht that we--"

"No, no, you haven’t been thinking," I interrupted her "I get it, you had a schoolgirl crush on me, but you move on, Maddie You don’t track me down to seduceto change You’re not going to discover the other secret part of et Do you understand that? I’m a car thief I steal cars for money I steal cars from people with kids" I nodded to the baby seat in the back and ignored the twinge of guilt in uilty in this business "I’ office, I’ive you the safe life you’ve grown up in Just because I fked you, it doesn’twith you Yeah, you’re hot And yeah, I had a good ti to make this into more than it is And don’t ask me why I’m mean to you or hate you I don’t hate you I just don’t fking care"

I took a deep breath and turned away from her This ti down her face She stared at me ide, hurt eyes, and I was taken back to my childhood when I had told ht noas the sah me then I had been about twelve years old, andto acco me as his lookout, and she had pulled o My father had been slightly drunk and had shouted at her She stood her ground against him and had whispered that she couldn’t put up with it any to let hi to leave him I had been incensed at her words and turned on her and shouted that I hated her and that she didn’t understand The look she had given led with shock, hurt and disbelief as she stared at me I could feel hoords had hurt her The hurt that coursed through her had flushed through er and confusion inin that moment I knew that in thatboy she had raised was gone And as I stared at Maddie, in this instant, I knew I had also shattered her iht of me before, or what she were to think of me in the future, she would always be reminded of this conversation in this car

"He’s here" She bit her lip and turned away from me

"What?" My voice was softer, and I didn’t understand what she was talking about I wanted her to shout back at uy you’re selling this car to? I think he’s here" She squinted and then doubled down in her seat

"What are you doing?"

"I think I know that guy," she whispered up at uy standing in front of the car He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t place hiain before I stepped out of the car

"Hey" The guy nodded at me

"Hey" I took in his dirty appearance and nodded "You called me about the car?"

"Yeah" He looked it over "It runs well?"

"Yeah, smooth as a Ferrari, only twenty thousand rand, but I’ll accept five" I stared at hi in his eyes

"What about three grand?"

"No deal"

"You got no papers"

"So?"

"Two grand"

"I don’t have ti" My voice rose, and then I noticed his hands were full of grease "I’an" He stepped towards ive hiround as I stared at the man, as I realized where I knew him from He was one of Marty’s et a lot of protection in River Valley because of Marty I wouldn’t like to think you were disrespecting him"

"I don’t need Marty’s help"

"Marty wants this car, and he’s willing to give you a grand"