Page 21 (1/2)

"Mr Henry," I say, squeezing his hand in rip

"Just Henry will do" He looks over at my father’s scornful face

"Don’t make friends with the help, Emily," my dad warns

Henry’s face falls

I wink at him "I wouldn’t dare try to ood for the likes of us"

Dad’s eyebrows draw together "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Kindness trumps money, Dad," I say I learned that the hard way And even though I can’t read well, I feel so ht now I bump knuckles with Henry, and he soes to a locked box beside his desk He retrieves a key "I’ll be sure your luggage is delivered, Miss Madison"

"Thank you, Henry" I wink at hiain as enuine kindness

My parents are quiet on the ride up My dad taps his thu, and Mom just stands quietly

"I don’t knohy you felt the need to co you off to a strange city all by yourself" He glares He knoas all alone in this city last year "That was your choice," he says quietly "Not mine"

I step up on my tippy toes and kiss his cheek He looks down his nose at lad you’re here" I just hope they don’t stay long I want to go see Logan It’s Friday night, and he’s probably at the club working He’s a bouncer there

My dad walks aroundit with a critical eye It was rented furnished, and it’s actually really cute It has two bedrooms, and an alarm system that Homeland Security couldn’t beat

I wanted to be in the dorm, but Dad felt like it was a bad idea At least I’m close to the school

My , I think we should get to the hotel, soon"

He lifts an eyebrow "Already?"

"Yes" She doesn’t say h Then he kissesmy head up in the crook of his hefty forear tomorrow"

I nod "I’ll be here"

"Are you sure you don’t need anything?" He worries Excessively

I need Logan That’s all I need I shake my head

My s at my lips "Yes, Mom"

The door closes behind thean I need hiers light and teasing as soht I look back over my shoulder and flinch inwardly when I see Trish I take her hand in ently as I can

"Oh, Logan," she says, her lips tipped upith laughter I’ like her, it’d be as grating as that fake smile It’s one of those smiles without any real happiness behind it She puts her hand on ainst irl? There are so many other fish in the sea"

I can talk, but sometimes I choose not to, and people accept it fro when I was aler I tap the face ofe in two h and tromps off in that direction

If I had been forced to answer her question, I would have said "forever and always" E courses are starting at Julliard I just began my own classes at NYU, and she shouldn’t be far behind That is, if she’s co I haven’t talked to her since the day she left and that was o

I have, however, seen her in the tabloids She’s been to lunches, clubs, and social events with her ex-boyfriend, Trip Fields Theabout the way they fell apart and then caether But when I see them in the papers, she doesn’t look happy, not like she hen she lived with my brothers and me I like to think it’s all a ruse I hope to hell it’s all a ruse My gut aches at the thought that it’s not

Ee for Matt’s life He’s my brother, and he means the world to lad she did it, but since she’s been gone, it’s like the oxygen isfrom the air I breathe I irl since she left Not one She’s all I think about When girls like Trish touchthat o in the past All I can think about is Emily

I look toward the door where Ford, one of the other bouncers, is barring the entrance Bone, our resident thug, is in the doorway and Ford knows that if he comes within five feet of er brother, Pete, is going to get hiether talking in the street a few days ago, and I don’t like it Bone is trouble, and I told him last week to stay the fk away from my family Pete doesn’t seem to understand what kind of problems Bone attracts

I take a step toward the doorway, but Matt is suddenly in front of ns

Would be toto catch that bastard alone ever since the last time I saw him with Pete Our little brother suddenly has a phone, and he suddenly hasenough s he now has And he puts every diitimately earns into the family kitty to pay the bills

He’s scu the attention of several people around us

I know, Matt replies We’ll take care of it, but we don’t need to do it here He looks

One more reason to keep hiht

Dammit Ford moves to the side and admits Bone when the owner of the club walks over to force the issue He glares at Ford

Ford’s a good friend, and he kno I feel about Bone All things considered, I don’t want to put Ford into Bone’s line of fire, either, so I’h just for that reason

Bone saze follows him across the rooht begins at the front of the bar I claptonight He’s not strong enough for bouncing yet, but he’s here as a wing one is drunk

The big ones always fall the hardest