Page 41 of Live for Me

“Isn’t she supposed to stay with you?”

“She’s allowed to take breaks, too,” he said and winked at me.

Dandy stopped several times to look back at Kyle while she walked with me. I wondered if she was expecting him to call her back. Or maybe hoping that he would, so she didn’t have to feel responsible for my emotions, too. Then I laughed at myself for being so concerned about what a dog was thinking.

“But you’re not just a regular dog, are you?” I whispered and ran my hand down her back.

I wondered if all golden retrievers were this kind of special, or if it was just her.

“I should probably call him, right?” I asked her. “Apologizing over a text feels cowardly. I always made Jersey call me to apologize. But I sound like a dumbass every time it’s just him and me talking.”

She wagged her tail harder when I looked back down at her in between my out-loud thoughts.

“At least you won’t tell anybody if I make a fool out of myself.”

I pulled my phone out while we walked and forced my finger to touch Utah’s name. It made me smile that he answered it before it even rang twice.

“Yes, angel?”

His voice was different. Tense and short.

But I was stillangel.

“You’re mad at me and that’s how you answer my call?” I asked.

“I can be mad at youandrespect you, she-devil.”

“She-devilfeels a little extreme,” I laughed.

“I had to juggle three different conversations, two of which were outright contradictory, while dodging a motherfucking knife, Memphis. She-devil is appropriate. Respectfully, of course.”

“Of course,” I repeated. “I’m sorry, Utah.”

His noticeably stunned silence on the other end made me wildly uncomfortable.

“But Indy said he’snotsorry. He actually kind of made it sound like you deserved it. So, if you’re going to stay mad at one of us, make it him.”

I felt better instantly when he laughed that time.

“Are you okay?” I asked. I nearly passed out on the spot when I could imagine the way that he was probably smirking at that question.

“I’m fine, sugar. Stuffed him in the corner of that alley and left your little chatroom business card in his pocket.”

“Indy keeps saying you can’t be killed.”

“Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean itcan’t,” he laughed.

“Where’d you learn how to do this?” I asked.

“Do what? Not die?”

“Smartass. Jersey was a Marine. He was practically trained for this kind of job. What’d you do?”

“Yeah, life taught me all this shit. I pretty much learned it out of necessity. I could learn to fend for myself, or I could die.”

“That’s—depressing. I’m sorry I asked.”

“Where’d you learn the hacker extraordinaire gig?”

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