Page 75 of Hiss and Make Up
Liz waited for the punchline to some nonexistent joke, but she never got it.
She shook her head. “Uh-uh, no way. Didn’t that already fail epically yesterday? What do you need so badly anyway?”
“Answers. I think I know who’s behind all of this.”
“You mean who put those snakes at that house?”
Sierra nodded. “And set the fire.”
“Answers you can’t getlegally?”
“No time. And I don’t have enough evidence for the police to take me seriously. The arson investigator hasn’t even been to the house yet. He’s going today, then he’ll have to file a report. While everyone’s waiting around for paperwork, this guy’s going to get away with everything.”
“All right, calm down.”
“You just said you have some free time today. We’ll go in separate cars, so you don’t even have to stick around. You can get me through that door in a few seconds, then take off.”
“No. No way.”
“Pleeeeease?”
“No! I can’t get arrested for that kind of stuff now. I have a kid. What the hell would happen to Luna with me in jail, huh?”
And there was Liz’s ace. Sierra didn’t have much of an argument against that. “She could stay with Auntie Sierra?”
Liz grunted and threw away her lunch trash. “You’d be in jail too. You know, you’re my listed guardian and all, but right now you’re not exactly…stable. No offense.”
Okay, that stung. Sierra would doanythingfor Luna. She hoped Liz knew that. And technically this all started because she cared about Luna and wanted her to get better. And getting better always took cash. But she couldn’t argue with Liz’s assessment right now. “I need you on this, Liz.”
Liz looked her in the eye. “I know you think you need me, but this isn’t happening. And I don’t want to see you in over your head either. If this guy who already set a house on fire catches you breaking into his place…I don’t even want to think about what could happen to you.”
Sierra looked away as her eyes filled with tears. “I’ll be fine.”
“Sure you will.” Liz laughed and placed a hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “Because you’re going to find Marc and make up and figure everything out together.”
One of the guys from the front desk walked in. The one with the short, fluffy fauxhawk and tribal armbands. Scott. Or Sean. Sam? Something like that. He worked the quick station out front for drunk girls who wanted a tiny butterfly on their ankle or guys who wanted their pissed off girlfriend’s name on their arm. He had the greenest eyes Sierra had ever seen.
“Hey, Sierra,” he said. “You weren’t gonna leave without visiting me, were you?”
“Of course not, sweetie,” she said. Crap, what was his name?
Liz snorted a laugh. “You’re gonna have to step up your game, Seth. You’ve got competition.”
Seth. She’d been close at least.
“Competition?” he said. “As if!”
Sierra turned and stared slack-jawed at Seth. “How dare you doubt my allure?”
“It ain’t your allure I’m doubting, darlin’.” He flashed a flirty smile back at her. “It’s your follow-through that’s suspect.”
She held his stare, playing a flirtatious game of stubborn-chicken. No way he would win this one.
“You needed something, Seth?” Liz interrupted.
“Oh yeah.” He shook free from their staring contest. “Your one o’clock’s here. Want me to send him in?”
“Yes. God please, yes.”
