Page 38 of No Take Backs

“Nia doesn’t seem like the kind of woman who wants an actual gift. She’s the kind of person you have to find just the right thing for.”

Ryder shuffles and deals the next hand while I wonder what I can possibly give her that she can’t get for herself or what she may possibly want.

“While you try to figure this out,” Ryder says and takes his turn. “Did you hear about that house fire from last month being ruled arson? The one Nia ran into.”

That is news to me, but with the number of house fires we’ve had over the last few months, I’m not that surprised.

“Yeah,” Ryder goes on after I lay down my cards and discard. “I guess they found multiple artificial accelerants in the house and the mother didn’t have any smoke in her lungs. They ruled her death a homicide.”

“Huh.” My mind races with the potential information and evidence that burned in the fire or was ruined forever by the water we’d pumped into the house. “I wonder who did it and why.”

Ryder finishes his hand. “Rummy.” After counting our points, he smiles brightly. “I win. But back to murder and arson. That’s for the cops and investigators to figure out now, isn’t it?” He puts the deck away and gets up. “We’re just the people who put out the fires, now, aren’t we?”

I follow him through the building and into the bunk room, but there isn’t a single possibility of getting any sleep.

Instead, I have to remind myself over and over that I’m not a cop anymore. Not only that, but I still have to fix whatever I’m breaking with Nia.

15

NIA

“Men are stupid, and I think we should just cut off all their penises and the world would be a better place.” My voice is laced with the frustration I’ve been feeling nonstop since Josh practically peed on me when Eddie showed up at work.

The moment the words leave my mouth, I realize they’ve echoed louder than intended. It’s not just Ella who hears me, either. Several of the parents hanging around the yard turn their heads, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Ella’s eyes widen in shock, and her hand freezes halfway to her mouth as she is about to take a sip of her iced tea. “Wait,” I mumble, suddenly aware of how many ears might be listening, “did I say that out loud?”

“Yes.” Rich laughs from the other side of the backyard. “You definitely did.”

I roll my eyes, aiming the Nerf gun that Lyla insisted I carry around “just in case.” I pull the trigger, and the soft foam dart hits Rich square in the chest. “That’s for eavesdropping,” I call out, my tone playful despite the earlier outburst. Rich mock-staggers backward, clutching his heart dramatically like I’ve mortally wounded him. I turn back to Ella, sighing. “Thanks for not sticking up for me.”

Ella just shrugs, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiles. “What can I say? Sometimes, you just have to let the truth out. Even if it means you sound like a crazy person.”

“How many of them are there?” I try counting the kids around the yard, but they are running too fast, and some of them are hiding in the bushes and one is even up a tree while another one is spinning around, yelling out numbers like they’re playing a game of pro football.

Lyla’s end-of-the-year party is something that every single kid in her class usually goes to. But with the amount of kids playing all around us, I think it is more like the entire school has to be running around the back acre of Ella’s yard with nerf guns, water guns, and even some water balloons.

“I think we have something like forty or fifty kids this year.” Ella sips her iced tea. “Lyla said she wanted to invite her friends from other grades, too.”

Just then, a boy who’s been counting, probably for some elaborate game of hide-and-seek, sprints by us with a huge, infectious grin on his face. “I see you, Bee! You’re not gonna get away!” he shouts, his voice full of determination. His little legs pump furiously as he chases after a flash of blond hair that I recognize as Bee, one of Lyla’s best friends.

“You’re vermin, Nox!” Bee shouts back over her shoulder, her blond hair streaming behind her like a banner as she deftly dodges him by mere inches. The next moment, she’s darting toward the edge of the yard, where the trees provide the perfect cover for her escape. I can’t help but laugh at the sheer fierceness in her voice, even as she disappears into the woods, leaving Nox to chase her into the shaded underbrush.

“Damn,” Ella says as the little boy follows her, fast on her heels. “I wanna be her when I grow up.” She looks around, trying to find Lyla.

“She’s in the tree house,” I tell her. “Hiding out and eating pizza with Deacon’s son, I think his name is Rett?” I nod to the big-ass biker standing with Rich and my dad on the other side of the yard. “Why is he here, anyway?”

Ella snorts and then shakes her head. “Rich is apparently considering a retainer from the club. But he told Deacon he refuses to defend them against anything to do with drugs, so I think they’re discussing the specifics. Honestly, though, I’ve been trying to stay out of it.” She looks around, like she is mentally counting the too-many-to-really-count children, and then turns her attention back to me. “Where’s Josh at? I didn’t hear whatever bullshit excuse you gave our parents for not bringing the man you’re seeing.”

At her extremely unsubtle way of calling me on my lie, I flinch. “It wasn’t that ridiculous.”

Ella rolls her eyes, the gesture so familiar it brings a small smile to my face despite myself. “You’re a terrible liar, Nia,” she says, her tone bordering on exasperation. “You’ve never been able to get anything past me, so why don’t you just tell me what’s really going on? I’m all ears, and you know I won’t judge.”

Since she’s right and I’m probably the absolute worst liar that ever existed in our family, if not the entire world, I decide to just tell her the truth. Besides, Ella knows every single one of my weaknesses, and she has a key to my house.

If she really wanted to, she could absolutely do some damage.

“Fine,” I huff pretty dramatically, considering we are surrounded by a group of kids who are screaming and ignoring us as they continue to play. “But I want it noted that I’m only telling you this under duress.”

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