Page 16 of All Wrong
Corinne sat back down at the island after he left and exhaled, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her sails. First, she’d been passed over for the promotion, then her car had broken down, and now, she was losing her apartment. It seemed as if the universe was totally on board with her plan to get out of her comfort zone.
CHAPTER SIX
NICK
“What do you know about the source?” Nicki asked, her mouth turned downward in a frown as she lifted the clear bag into the light and examined the pills within.
“Not much yet. The cops showed up before I could get info, and I haven’t had a chance to talk to the boys. Candace did though. She stopped by my place this morning. Said AJ didn’t recognize the guys handing them out, but that they were high school age and looked like they came from The Hill.”
Nicki’s frown deepened. “Why?”
“Why?” Nick asked, confused. “Because AJ is starting high school this year. He can’t be expected to know everyone already there.”
“No, I mean, why did Candace come to your place?”
“Oh. To thank me for looking out for the boys.”
“You sure that’s all she wanted?”
“Focus, Nicki.”
“Youfocus. She’s had cow eyes for you for years.”
His scowl was fierce. “You can’t possibly think I’d?—”
“No,” Nicki said, holding her hand up. “I don’t. But she might. She’s not underage anymore. Word has it, she’s working at Angel’s now.”
“So did you,” he pointed out.
“I had my reasons.”
He didn’t know the details, but he knew Nicki’s time at Angels had had something to do with tracking down the drug-lord-slash-pimp who their mother had sold them to as kids. Come to think of it, he should have asked Candace to keep her eyes out for new players lurking around. Common sense dictated that whoever was dealing wouldn’t be satisfied targeting teens for long. They’d want to expand their customer base to those with deep pockets and a penchant for vice.
“So does she. Providing for her brother, for instance.”
“I’m just saying?—”
“I know what you’re saying,” Nick growled. “And you need to shut the fuck up.”
“Fine. Just … be careful. Naivete doesn’t suit you.”
As if he didn’t know that. “Can we get back on track here?”
She nodded and returned her attention to the contents of the bag. “The stamp looks vaguely familiar.”
“I thought so too.”
“Does it mean anything to you?”
Nick shook his head. “I was hoping you could take it to Michael and have him analyze it.”
“Yeah, of course. Why didn’t you take it to him yourself?”
Nick snorted. “That’s your world, not mine, remember?”
Her pale eyes cut to his, and he met her stare with one of his own. For a long time, being kept out of the loop when it came to her secret dealings with the Callaghans had stung, but he’d come to terms with it. It was what it was, and he no longer cared to be included. He had his life, she had hers, they had theirs. To each his own and all that.
“Besides,” he said, before she started spewing bullshit assurances, “I think Mitch Torres is going to be crawling up my ass for a while. He wasn’t happy about letting me go last night.”
