“Fuck you,” XL cursed. “She omitted certain things about her past, but who doesn’t? Oh yeah, I forgot, kids from picture-perfect families. Half of Alden, I bet.” He cocked his head, looking at him as if Adrian were a piece of shit. “After all your preaching about starting over, about not letting the past tie us down or define us—that doesn’t apply to her too?”
“Junkies are complicated,” Adrian muttered, running his hand through his hair. He still had problems believing she was one. How the fuck had he missed the signs: the lying, the sneaking around. Always busy, always secretive.
He’d spent years carrying Narcan around to make sure he could save Ricky from himself, never sleeping through the night, jumping every time the phone rang.
He’d loved working in the narcotics division and going after the big guys. Destroying drug distribution rings. Dealing directly with the junkies, though, fucked him up. They were victims and perpetrators at the same time. He hated that. He couldn’t stand that ambiguity. He’d rather live in black and white, thank you. Gray killed him.
“She’s not a junkie,” XL stated, taking Adrian out of his thoughts.
“We don’t know that.” He’d pulled up her rap sheet and his legs had buckled. It was impressive. Ricky’s had paled in comparison. Rachel’s list of arrests covered several states, the crimes always drug- and car-related.
“We know,” XL insisted. “She caught us about to light a joint on one of our breaks and read us the riot act.”
“Fuck, XL, what were you thinking? Drug possession revokes your parole. If the judge hears about it, the deal is off. For all of you.”
“She didn’t report us. And no, she didn’t confiscate the joint to smoke it herself later. She destroyed it in front of us, stepping on it and spreading it all over the lawn. She told us next time we would be done with her and her garage. Ash tried to play the whole shit down and she smacked him on the head. She’s not using. And she’s not dealing with stolen spare parts, either.”
That last one he’d figured out for himself. He’d said it in the heat of the moment. Still, it didn’t invalidate his other points. She hadn’t offered any valid explanation about all her sneaking around in Boston, aside from claiming it wasn’t his business. Ha! As if he hadn’t ever heard that excuse before from Ricky. “Stay out of my business” had been his brother’s mantra, for fuck’s sake.
There was a very long pause before XL spoke again. “So you’re done with her? Is that what you’re saying?”
“She’s on a date with Josh.” The way she’d been smiling, she wasn’t in mourning.
XL frowned. “I don’t think it’s a date. They were headed to Boston for some business. She needed his help with something. She’s been down these past few days. You hurt her.”
Adrian forced himself to pretend he didn’t give a fuck. “Everyone makes his or her own bed.”
“Bullshit, man. You’re not only a hypocrite, you’re an asshole too. I’m out of here.” He grabbed his jacket and split, leaving Adrian fuming and rattled and worried about XL on top of everything else.
“Fuck my life,” he muttered, taking the keys and heading out himself.
The kid was his responsibility, damn it. He was just days away from turning eighteen.
Adrian didn’t bother calling anyone from XL’s crew; they wouldn’t pick up. Sara, maybe? Nah, same there. He should have put a tracking app on XL’s phone like Rachel had done to Wilma’s.
He walked around aimlessly until he got a call. Mike. “Talk.”
“Yo, the kiddo is with my sister at my parents’ place,” Mike informed him. “I think he’s going to stay there tonight. Just calling to let you know.”
“Thank you,” Adrian said, relieved.
His voice must have given him away, because Mike laughed. “You’re on a roll, man. A ray of sunshine. Making friends left and right.”
Adrian grunted. “Tell me about it.”
“Those gang members won’t let it stand,” Mike said, now serious.
“No, they won’t.” Not for long, anyway. Tito wouldn’t risk gunning down the kids. Too bad for business. Those three were great assets for a chop-shop setup. Rachel and the rest at the garage were free game, though, especially if they got involved again. “But Tito’s busy at the moment. And he’s going to be busy for a while.” Adrian had pulled all the strings he had at the Boston PD and called in some favors. Tito and his gang were up to their necks in the many cases they had open, treading water on all sides.
“Good. That kiddo has grown on me. Not to mention my sister will have our balls if something happens to him. Oh, and speaking of Sara—avoid her for the time being. She’s very fond of Rachel.”
No shit. “The whole town is fond of Rachel.”
“Damn right. And you better not forget it.”
As if they would let him.
After Adrian ended the call, he started to walk home but, somehow, ended up at Wilma’s, standing across the street. He missed Rachel. Which bugged the shit out of him, because he’d promised himself he would never have anything to do with anyone with a drug habit. Past, present, or future, it didn’t matter. An ex-junkie was just one bad decision from becoming a full-blown junkie again. He’d seen that. He’d suffered because of it. And yet he missed Rachel like he’d never missed anyone before.
He wasn’t ready to acknowledge it to anyone else, but he might, just might, have lost his shit and jumped the gun, saying things he shouldn’t have said. XL was right; everyone deserved the benefit of the doubt. A second chance. Maybe he and Rachel should sit down and have a calm conversation. He was probably owed an explanation, and she was probably owed an apology.
He was staring at his cell, at her number, pondering whether to press call, when he heard the low rumble of Josh’s bike. Fuck. Twice in a day. How unlucky could he be? Plenty, apparently.
Adrian took a step back, hiding in the shadows. Jesus Christ, he should arrest himself. For stalking. And for being pathetic.
Rachel got off the Harley, talking and laughing with Josh.
Adrian clenched his teeth. Business, his ass.
He turned around and left. He couldn’t stay around for the goodnight kiss; he wouldn’t survive it.
Rachel returned the helmet to Josh. “Thank you for today. For coming with me.”
“It was my pleasure, princess. Besides, it was the first time I saw you in action. You rock.”
She smiled, pleased. “You think? It was complicated, and I was a bit jittery.”
“Pfff. You managed perfectly. He’ll thank you yet.”
“Not anytime soon.” Rachel laughed at the memory of the afternoon. “I knew he was a runner.”
“That he was,” Josh answered. “Sure you don’t want to go somewhere for a bite? Celebrate a job well done and a certain graduation?”
She tried not to, but her smile fell. She lowered her gaze. “Nah. I’m tired.”
“You haven’t talked with Adrian yet, have you?” he inquired after a pause.
“No, and I have no intention of doing so.” Or so she told herself, ad nauseam. She should keep at least a shred of pride.