seat. "Do you want me to leave?"
"Yeah," I said, "and this time, don't come back."
She'd barely budged when Bishop said, "Sit. You're not going anywhere."
I glared over at him. "The hell she isn't." After what she'd done to Chloe, she shouldn't even be here.
Bishop flicked his head toward a nearby chair. "Stick around," he told me. "You'll want to hear this."
I didn't move. "I've heard enough."
For hours, I'd been doing a slow burn about the thing with Brittney and Amber. Brittney had been Amber's friend, not mine. Amber had brought Brittney into my house, into my life, and into my relationship with Chloe.
The way I saw it, even if Amber didn't start the problems, she hadn't done a damn thing to stop them. It made her worse than an enemy. It made her a traitor, and I'd dealt with too many of those already.
"Just listen," Bishop said. "Consider it a favor, alright?"
"Yeah?" My jaw was tight. "To who?"
"Me," he said, "for getting blondie out of your hair."
My gaze shifted to Amber.
"Not that one," Bishop said. "The other one."
"So you gave Brittney a ride," I said. "Big deal."
Okay, yeah, it was a big deal. Brittney was a royal pain in the ass, and Bishop had taken her off my hands. But the idea was to get rid of these girls. Not invite them in for coffee.
"And," Bishop continued, "Brittney was locked out."
"So?" I knew Bishop. He could pop a lock in thirty seconds.
" And ," he said again, "I had to toss out a couple of drunks who tried to block the door."
"What drunks?" I asked.
"Her roommate." He made a sound of disgust. "And some guy."
I recalled our last visit to Brittney's place. She'd been locked out that time, too. I recalled her frizzy-haired roommate, sleeping naked on the couch with some guy old enough to be her grandpa.
I had to ask. "The same guy as before?"
"Nah," Bishop said. "Different one. Huge guy with a nose-ring."
Amber spoke up. "Oh, I know who that was. It's one of her roommate's boyfriends. I think his name is John." She frowned. "Come to think of it, a bunch of them are named John. Pretty weird, huh?"
Bishop and I shared a look.
"Uh, yeah," Bishop said. "Weird." He cleared his throat. "Anyway…" He turned back to me. "Amber has something to tell you. So just sit and listen, alright?"
I glanced toward the nearest chair, but made no move to sit.
"You owe me," Bishop said. "Did I mention the guy smelled like cheese?"
Amber was nodding. "Yup, that was John, alright." She wrinkled her nose. "I hope you wore gloves. He has this really weird skin-condition."
Well, that did it.
I made for the chair and sat.
Bishop looked to Amber. "Go on. Tell him what you told me."
Amber gave me a nervous look. "Okay. I tried to tell you earlier, but you were so mad–"
"I'm still mad," I said. "So just spit it out, alright?"
"I will, honest. But first, I have to say something."
I waited.
Her voice grew very quiet. "I'm sorry."
"You should be."
"Hey!" Bishop said, "She's trying to tell you something. Don't be a dick, alright?"
"Me?" I gave him a what-the-hell look. "Now I'm the dick? What about you ?"
"What about me?"
"Every single time you've seen Chloe, you've been a dick to her." I flicked my gaze to Amber. "And now, you're all nice to her , the girl who tried to have Chloe kidnapped?"
Amber spoke up. "But I didn't! That's what I’m trying to tell you!"
Yeah, whatever. I crossed my arms and waited.
She took a deep breath. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that."
"Right," I said, not bothering to hide my irritation. "So, how was it supposed to happen?"
"Let me start from the beginning, because that's the thing I'm sorry about." She looked down at her lap and said, "I was pretty mean to Chloe." She hesitated. "Brittney and I, well, we had her wait on us, you know, at that restaurant where she works."
When Amber looked up, her cheeks were flushed. "We were kind of awful."
In a careful voice, I asked, "How awful?"
"Well, the first time, we went in with Joey and Paul." She glanced
"Yeah," I said, "and this time, don't come back."
She'd barely budged when Bishop said, "Sit. You're not going anywhere."
I glared over at him. "The hell she isn't." After what she'd done to Chloe, she shouldn't even be here.
Bishop flicked his head toward a nearby chair. "Stick around," he told me. "You'll want to hear this."
I didn't move. "I've heard enough."
For hours, I'd been doing a slow burn about the thing with Brittney and Amber. Brittney had been Amber's friend, not mine. Amber had brought Brittney into my house, into my life, and into my relationship with Chloe.
The way I saw it, even if Amber didn't start the problems, she hadn't done a damn thing to stop them. It made her worse than an enemy. It made her a traitor, and I'd dealt with too many of those already.
"Just listen," Bishop said. "Consider it a favor, alright?"
"Yeah?" My jaw was tight. "To who?"
"Me," he said, "for getting blondie out of your hair."
My gaze shifted to Amber.
"Not that one," Bishop said. "The other one."
"So you gave Brittney a ride," I said. "Big deal."
Okay, yeah, it was a big deal. Brittney was a royal pain in the ass, and Bishop had taken her off my hands. But the idea was to get rid of these girls. Not invite them in for coffee.
"And," Bishop continued, "Brittney was locked out."
"So?" I knew Bishop. He could pop a lock in thirty seconds.
" And ," he said again, "I had to toss out a couple of drunks who tried to block the door."
"What drunks?" I asked.
"Her roommate." He made a sound of disgust. "And some guy."
I recalled our last visit to Brittney's place. She'd been locked out that time, too. I recalled her frizzy-haired roommate, sleeping naked on the couch with some guy old enough to be her grandpa.
I had to ask. "The same guy as before?"
"Nah," Bishop said. "Different one. Huge guy with a nose-ring."
Amber spoke up. "Oh, I know who that was. It's one of her roommate's boyfriends. I think his name is John." She frowned. "Come to think of it, a bunch of them are named John. Pretty weird, huh?"
Bishop and I shared a look.
"Uh, yeah," Bishop said. "Weird." He cleared his throat. "Anyway…" He turned back to me. "Amber has something to tell you. So just sit and listen, alright?"
I glanced toward the nearest chair, but made no move to sit.
"You owe me," Bishop said. "Did I mention the guy smelled like cheese?"
Amber was nodding. "Yup, that was John, alright." She wrinkled her nose. "I hope you wore gloves. He has this really weird skin-condition."
Well, that did it.
I made for the chair and sat.
Bishop looked to Amber. "Go on. Tell him what you told me."
Amber gave me a nervous look. "Okay. I tried to tell you earlier, but you were so mad–"
"I'm still mad," I said. "So just spit it out, alright?"
"I will, honest. But first, I have to say something."
I waited.
Her voice grew very quiet. "I'm sorry."
"You should be."
"Hey!" Bishop said, "She's trying to tell you something. Don't be a dick, alright?"
"Me?" I gave him a what-the-hell look. "Now I'm the dick? What about you ?"
"What about me?"
"Every single time you've seen Chloe, you've been a dick to her." I flicked my gaze to Amber. "And now, you're all nice to her , the girl who tried to have Chloe kidnapped?"
Amber spoke up. "But I didn't! That's what I’m trying to tell you!"
Yeah, whatever. I crossed my arms and waited.
She took a deep breath. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that."
"Right," I said, not bothering to hide my irritation. "So, how was it supposed to happen?"
"Let me start from the beginning, because that's the thing I'm sorry about." She looked down at her lap and said, "I was pretty mean to Chloe." She hesitated. "Brittney and I, well, we had her wait on us, you know, at that restaurant where she works."
When Amber looked up, her cheeks were flushed. "We were kind of awful."
In a careful voice, I asked, "How awful?"
"Well, the first time, we went in with Joey and Paul." She glanced
Similar Books
