Page 51 of The Ghost of You

“What do you mean? Is she with you?”

I hear him mumble to someone before he answers. “She was. She left.”

“Fuck.”

“Do you know about it? The letter?” he asks as I hear someone yell something about shots in the background.

“When did she leave?” I ask, changing the subject.

“I don’t know man, like two minutes ago. She came by after work.”

My immediate reaction is to protect her. “Did she get a cab?”

“I’m not her keeper bro.”

“Was she drunk?”

“Yeah kinda.” I hear him yell back to the guys in the room after he answers me.

I could punch him right now. “And you just let some drunk girl walk out into the streets of downtown alone at night.”

“Yo bro, relax. It’s totally safe here. She’ll be fine.”

I see red as I listen to Mason speak. I can tell he is drunk and probably high on something. “Just like Rosie was safe?” I know it’s a low blow, but he needs to hear it.

“Dude that was a different situation.”

“Where did she go, Mason?”

“She went to get her car, I think.”

Fuck. She better not get in it drunk. I switch on the lights to my cop car as I pull away from the curb. “You better be somewhat sober tomorrow for Thanksgiving.”

I hang up before I let him answer.

“Where we headed?” Niko asks me as I drive toward Jimmy’s.

“My neighbor is probably making a bad decision.”

“DUI?” he asks.

“Yeah and I should stop her before it happens.”

He looks over at me and smirks. “The hot neighbor?”

Why does everyone know about Anna?

“Uhh yeah, sure.”

“You should give her my number.”

I punch him in the arm as I pull on the street that Jimmy’s is on. “She’s a nice girl, Niko. She needs a nice guy.”

“You saying I’m not nice?” he asks me with puppy dog eyes.

I snort. “Nice. Okay, man.”

I see Anna walking toward the small parking area in the alley next to Jimmy’s. I pull over and throw the car in park before jumping out.

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