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“My friend Brysen lives about six blocks froo stay with her No one knows that I talk to her since we’re really only coworkers, so it should be fine, safe”

I don’t knohy she thought I would argue with her, so I just put my arm back over my eyes

“I’ll drop you off”

She cleared her throat and I sighed because clearly she wasn’t going to let otten under her skin at so up

“I still really want to help find Race, to ht and what you told me, I’m not sure how honest your motivation to help him really is”

It was early, I was sore and cranky, and I had zero interest in trying to convince this uptight chick I wasn’t out to cause Race anymy feet to the floor, found ross and I needed an Advil for ged my boots on impatiently

“Do you need some cash?”

She blinked at me like an owl “Excuse ry I needed to ditch her and find soame and my head I didn’t have time for any of that nonsense

“Cash, et so low?”

She tilted her head at e, so I swore under my breath and pulled a couple hundreds out of o I’h of this house” I headed for the front door, not bothering to see if she was followingscared, and it irritatedscandalous or forward toward her and she was acting like I had followed through onbehind me, and before I could round the car, she stopped me with a hand on my elbow She tried to shove the money back at me but I just shook her off and went to the driver’s door

“I can’t take this from you We aren’t friends I don’t even think we’re on the sa to do with your criritteda bitch this ht not have been sooing to be a target for her ire

“Get in the car The money is clean” Well, clean in ter an old Super Bee I had fixed up and turned into a straight street rod Not clean in teral race before I was even old enough to vote “I don’t have the patience to deal with you this , Copper-Top, so your choice Get in and let ive two fks either way”

She was considering it I could see it, but I started the car and she cliledI had ever felt in life and it was real easy to get your hands all twisted up in those curls, but I didn’t want to think about that Her lips were coht line and she had her ar to suspect were sos were any indication as to what the rest of her looked like She reseoing to delve into the coet away from me It hat it was, and all it meant forto find Race

She gave me stilted instructions to a really nice house that was a little farther up into the hills than my mom’s was No one would really think to look for her there I idled at the end of the driveway and waited for her to cliood-bye or anything She watched iven her and put it on the dash Without another word, she slipped out of the car and headed up the driveway to the big house I blew out a breath that I felt like I had been holding for an hour and peeled out,sure I left rubber and smoke in my wake

I don’t knohat the deal with Race’s sister was, or if it was the fact that she was tied to the only person in enuinely cared about, but I couldn’t afford to let her be twisting ood crap like that

I spent the rest of the day running around, touching base with people I ht could put me in touch with Race I went and saw my mom at the hovel she lived in It was just a rented room in a house filled with other addicts and people that had siht for her but couldn’t put the bottle down long enough to uts and of course put me in a nasty and harsh mood

I made it a point to kick it with Roxie and tell her I would be back later that night What I didn’t do one single time was think of Dovie or what could have happened to send her running like I had personally done her wrong I wasn’t a good guy, but I hadn’t done anything bad to her and I didn’t like her treating me like the enemy, even if that hat she ultimately had determined that I was

I was frustrated and short with everyone I ran across the rest of the week It was starting to grate on my last nerve that no one—and I mean no one—had any information on Race I had heard fro around about souy when he ca helpful to use, and everywhere I turned I ran into either a wall or Benny I was about done with his sense of s any further than he had with finding my buddy When he asked how Dovie liked the remodel of her place, it literally took every ounce of self-control I had not to break all his teeth in But if nothing else, prison had taught me how to be patient, how to bide my time, and hoeet retribution hen it was delivered unexpectedly I just ignored hi in my eyes every time I walked away from him

I sent Dovie a text in the ress, but considering she now thought I was out to har back I was pissed at myself that her snub poked under my normally thick skin like a splinter It wasn’t my way to try and convince her that I needed Race to explain what he had done tohow to feel about it I wasn’t the explaining or justifying-uy had always had my back, no questions asked There had to be an explanation as to why he had set me up, an explanation behind the bitterest betrayal I had ever experienced inlife, and it needed to coht very well have to murder him if his ansasn’t up to par, but I knew Race He spent soto save me, there was no way he would have just watched me burn