Page 35 of Zero
“She left your father and brother?”
“Yeh.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Mi too.”
“Where’s he now?” I asked. “I hope he’s some place where he can’t hurt you.”
“’Course.” Her voice cracked. “He in prison—fi murda. Him nah get out.”
“Yup—when the courts here say life, that’s precisely what they mean.”
She scoffed. “So, mi join di military. Justice say mi tryin’ find the brother mi always wanted.”
“Jasmine, people think the blood in our veins is what makes us family.” I tried encouraging her. “Look at Rei and his team in Germany and Tex. He made one phone call and soon this island will have more Germans on it than ever before.”
Jasmine laughed.
“They didn’t question his motives or his validity.” I smiled and continued. “They asked him, what do you need and when do you need it. They aren’t blood, but they have his back, and he didn’t even have to worry or second guess calling. That’s family.”
“Dat’s what mi want—somewhere fi belong, people fi belong to.”
“Well, if your family are acting the fool, you’ve got us.” I told her. “When we find Justice, he’ll tell you the same. We never turn down good people.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” I eased to a stop at a red light.
“Justice is a good man, Bailey.” Jasmine spoke softly.
I had enough time to look over at her before the light change and I had to make the right turn. “Do you have that picture of Dude?”
“Yeh. Dat’s not his real name, right?”
“Oh gawd.” I exclaimed. “I hope not!”
We laughed.
Nitro called me then and I slipped my earpiece in to answer. I gave her a brief rundown of what was going on and she insisted on leaving to come back to the island.
“Nitro, you’re not going to miss your race to come back.” I told her. “Rei and I have a team and we’re working to find Justice. You focus on your race.”
“My race was over ten minutes ago.” She told me. “I came in second with a one million dollar prize. So, I’m skipping the interviews and getting on a plane.”
“Congrats, Nitro!” I cheered. “Next time, first place!”
“You believe in me more than I do in myself.”
“That’s what friends are for.” I reminded her. “Okay, do you need a pickup at the airport?”
“Nah. I’ll get a rental.” She told me. “So, anything happened between you and the samurai?”
I blushed. “I’ll tell you when you get here. Be safe.”
“Oh, you suck.” She groaned. “And I will.”
With her gone I laughed and shook my head. “Sorry about that. The best friend had a race today.”
