Page 63 of Second Shot

“Fine.” I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. But what the hell else am I supposed todo?

Kiley’s an adult now. So even if they admitted her, she could leave at any time. Be back on the streets in aheartbeat.

“Did she tell you what she’son?”

“I don’t think she’s using. At least, notlately.”

I snort. “If you’re going to do this, then you need to remember one thing. Always assume a junkie isusing.”

“She’s not…” He drags his fingers through his hair and clamps his mouthshut.

“Look, I’ve got to get back to Brynne. She’ll be wondering what’s going on. And I need to deal withCoach.”

I’d almost forgotten about him. I rub my palms over myeyes.

“You finally toldhim?”

“Brynne did, lastnight.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

Another small, pathetic whimper comes from the other room. Blake pushes off the wall and moves quickly toward the living room. I watch as he touches her forehead with the back of his hand, and my chest tightens when I see the emotion in hiseyes.

I want to warn him not to get attached, but I have a sinking feeling in my gut he alreadyis.

Damn it,Blake.

She might be my sister, but the man is my best friend, and I know that she can only bring one thing to his life –trouble.

She whimpers in her sleep. A gleam of sweat covers her forehead, and I wince again when I take in the bruises on herface.

Blake cleaned the dried blood off her forehead and bandaged it, but a fresh dot of red has seeped through. Lucky for her, it doesn’t look like she broke anything. Anything other than herspirit.

The girl is an empty shell of a person. Broken in ways I can’t even begin to imagine. Maybe if she’d come to me years ago, before she’d gotten messed up in whatever shit she’s doing, I could have helped her. But she’s fallen so far down the rabbit hole, I can’t see how she’ll be able toescape.

“You said you found her down by the parkinggarage?”

Blake pulls the blanket higher over her shoulder, then straightens and looks at me. “Said she was trying to get toyou.”

“Then why the hell didn’t she come to thelobby?”

“She did.” He gives me a hard stare, and I know the truth. They would have turned her away on her appearancealone.

“I’ll talk with Miika at the frontdesk.”

“Doesn’t matter now. She’s here. And I’m not letting her out of my sight until whoever did this to her is behindbars.”

I shake my head, not understanding his possessiveness towards her, and feeling guilty that it’s him and not me fighting to save her from the cursed world that’s already consumedher.

But then, if it was Brynne lying there instead of Kiley, I know I’d be on the verge of murder. Difference is, Brynne would never put herself in a position where her life was indanger.

“We’ve got a practice in less than an hour,” Isay.

“I’m not leavingher.”

I grunt and shake my head at him. “You’re an idiot, you knowthat?”

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