page21 (2/2)

There was a long silence and I saw Brysen look up at me curiously I just shut the door on her and walked around to the other side of the car I tried not to be too sad about the fact she was probably bleeding all over e interior

“What do I gotta do?” Aldo asked It was a fair question No good deed ithout a return favor in this world

“Black BMW in the parking lot on the corner of Paradise and Loft I want it at the garage within the next twenty ets stolen in the next fivethe car to the total of what you already owein the direction I wanted it to roll

“I’m across town, dude”

“I suggest you get unacross town in a big hurry”

I hung up on him and walked over to her little car and stashed the keys under the floor mat It was a risky move, but I knew Aldo didn’t have the cash on hand to pay his debt, so he would make it happen one way or another just to be clear of the debt and my wrath

I got back in the Mustang and looked at er in the dark Her eyes ide and the pupils were huge in the center I wondered if I needed to worry about her having a concussion

“You okay?”

She rolled her head fro’s been okay for a long time”

I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot The ru and I saw her shift a little as the blood on her legs started to drip toward the floor mat I wanted to tell her not to worry about it, but her words were buzzing around in ry bees

“Why did soht?”

She shot me a sideways look and pushed her hair out of her face to tuck it behind her ear

“I don’t know I also don’t knohy I’ parties, or why I’ a class that should be a piece of cake, or why I keepexcuses for my parents I don’t have any clue how it became my responsibility to make sure my sister makes it to adulthood as minimally affected by the nonsense at home as possible None of itand I don’t have any kind of control of my own life anymore”

She sighed and I saw her eyes gleam with shiny, unshed tears It was probably the most personal, most open, she had ever been in my presence, and I wanted to react, but all I could focus on was the fact she had gotten weird text unshots at the party were somehow related to her That didn’t line up in any kind of okay direction for me at all