Toby’s scent is what gets to me the most. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong, but there’s something about smelling him that makes me feel guilty. It’s a great scent, but it’s not Dylan’s.
Without making a sound, I push my legs over the edge of the bed and stand. My bare feet are soundless on the wood floor. The bedroom door is cracked and unable to close due to the swollen doorjambs of the old house. Toby’s voice carries in a low rumble into the hallway. I hope that it’s someone calling to say I’m on the prison’s approved list.
“I’m sure she’s not,” Toby says. “She’s a straight shooter. I really don’t think Dylan’s involved.” Silence. “Or his buddy. No. I’d bet on it.”
I try to step forward, but my limbs won’t obey.
Toby laughs. “You’re a real jackass. You know it? But seriously, she’s nice. If her pops won’t put her on the list, we have to find another way. I’m not letting her get hurt.”
My knees wobble and I put my hands against the walls. I flip on a light so he’ll know I’m up. Diesel runs into the hallway and nuzzles my side.
“Hey, big boy.” I pat the top of Diesel’s head. “Want to sleep with me?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Toby says, walking around the corner and grinning. “Couldn’t sleep?” He eyes me in the T-shirt he’s lent me for the night.
“Need a drink of water.” I move past him to the kitchen. If I’d ever hung around at his house for more than a half hour, I would’ve known that he hasn’t lived here long. The cabinet is virtually bare except for a stack of plastic cups.
“Just water? I have soda, too.” Toby opens the refrigerator door.
“No. Water’s fine.” I pause and turn to fill a glass from the tap. “I heard you talking on the phone.”
Toby shuts the fridge and returns to his chair at the kitchen table. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Why were you talking about Dylan?”
He runs a hand over his mouth. “How much did you hear?”
“I don’t know. I heard his name. Why were you talking to someone about Dylan?”
Toby pulls out the chair next to him. “Have a seat.”
“I can listen standing.”
“You’re getting upset over nothing. I was telling my partner that I don’t think Dylan or Jordy is involved with Rafa.”
“Why in the world would you think that? That’s stupid.” I pace across the living room and stand for several minutes with my back to Toby.
“Jordy’s not some ordinary computer geek. He’s a hacker. And hackers tend to get involved in things they shouldn’t. He and Dylan are friends. It only makes sense that Dylan would get accused by association.”
I swing back to glare at Toby. “Jordy’s a good guy. He would never do anything like what you’re talking about. He’s the most honest person I know.”
“Do you know about Jordy and your father?”
“Jordy doesn’t know my dad,” I say in a small voice.
Toby shakes his head gently. “He does. There’s a reason he’s kept it from you. They haven’t been honest. I’m telling you confidential info that could get me fired. I shouldn’t have told you that much. But I can’t have you bailing on me because you don’t trust me. I’ve lied to you too much already, and I need your total trust from here on. Because things may happen fast, and I can’t risk you doubting me.”
Toby’s obviously trying to come clean. I glance at the clock. It’s eleven at night and Dylan is probably asleep. Jordy on the other hand will be awake.
In the bedroom, I pick up my cell and study the display. Two missed calls from Gabby and one from Dylan. On impulse, I return the call to Dylan. He’s the only one I can talk to about Jordy. He’ll be shocked that Jordy kept something so important from us.
“Emerson,” Dylan answers on the second ring. He says my name in one long sigh. “Where are you?”
“Hi,” I answer. “Jordy knows my father. He’s connected to my dad somehow.”
We sit in silence for too many seconds. I squirm uncomfortably and twist my thumb ring.
“I know,” he says.
I’m numb, my limbs unattached from my body, my heart again desecrated.
“How does he know him?” I ask. Did they do business together? Was Jordy involved in something illegal? Why has Jordy never said anything?
“He should be the one to tell you.” Dylan’s discomfort is tangible; it reaches across to contaminate me like a nasty itch.
I squeeze my eyes together. “But I’m not asking him. I’m asking you. I want you to tell me.”
“I’m sorry. Baby, I’m so sorry. Jordy’s the one who turned in your father to the police.”
At first, I can’t comprehend his words. “Jordy? He did this and never told me? He pretended he didn’t know me and gave me a job?”
“Emerson. I agree. He should’ve told you. He was scared you wouldn’t understand. That you’d blame him.”
My hand trembles under the strain of holding the phone against my ear. “You’ve all been lying to me?”
“We can talk about this in person. Are you at home? I’ll be there in a minute.”
I press the fingernails of my free hand into my bare thigh. “I’m not home. And I won’t be coming back to your house. I don’t need a job working for a bunch of liars.”
“Don’t. Don’t shut me out.”
I pull the phone from my head and press END.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bringing Booty Back
Dylan
My roommates and friends have pimped the game room beyond recognition. They’ve gone all out to host Jelly Bean Queen. The last time we had a party at our house, a girl I didn’t know vomited in a potted plant sitting in one corner of the game room. The plant wasn’t ours. It was one of those plants with massive tropical leaves. Emerson brought things like the plants in because she said it made it homey.
The following day, Emerson placed the potted plant in the trash and threatened to quit working for us. I’d smiled at her and said she loved us too much to leave.
It was a douchebag thing to say. My douchery is always twenty-twenty.
When I mentioned the party to Gabby, she immediately invited herself. I don’t mind that she’s here. It’s a sure way for me to know if Emerson calls her.
The JBQ guitarist hands Gabby a beer. I stroll casually across the room and take it from her hand. “Why don’t I introduce you to Veronica? She’s over at the bar. Come on.”
She allows me to guide her away. “One drink isn’t going to hurt anything.”
“Your sister would kill me.”
“What does she care?”
Gabby’s harsh tone surprises me. Her mood has swung from worried to angry. I stop walking before we make it to Veronica. “You know she does. She’s not herself right now.”
To my horror, Gabby’s eyes fill with tears. “I’ve been a pain in the ass. No wonder she left me. But if she’ll just come back or even talk to me, I’ll do better.” She wipes the tears from her face, smearing black mascara underneath her eyes.