Page 71 of Penny For Your Thoughts
“I don’t give a shit about your drug dealer or your coke habit or that you smoke weed on occasion. I want to know who hired you to get into Elwood’s bank account.”
“I don’t know his—”
“Stop fucking lying.” I slammed a fist on the table, making both Tallus and Darcy jump.
“D.” Tallus’s hand landed on my thigh and squeezed. Echo leaned against my other leg, chuffing and whimpering.
Reining in my temper, I cracked my knuckles and exhaled. “I’m sorry I shouted. Tell me his name.”
Darcy shrank and whispered, “I don’t know his name. That’s the truth.”
“Did you meet up with him?”
He paused, darting his gaze to the teen behind the counter.
“Don’t fucking lie again. I’ll know.”
“Once, okay. Just once.”
“Once isn’t enough for the shit you pulled, Darcy. You must have had a means of communicating with this guy. An email address. A phone number. Christ, kid, give me something to work with. I’m not after you. Why are you biting the hand that’s literally fucking feeding you and trying to help? I could call the cops, but I’m not.”
Darcy spun the ring and glowered at the empty wrappers on the tray. Hot pink crescents underscored his eyes. The brat had petulance down to an art. Why was he being so fucking stubborn?
I fucking hated kids. My patience was all but gone, and my skin buzzed and itched. I yearned for a cigarette or a hard shot of something to cool the inferno roasting my insides.
I was about to snap something unsavory when Tallus beat me to the punch.
“One finger, D. Let me break one finger, and he’ll talk. You’ll be happy. I’ll be happy. We’ll be home in time to watch an episode ofAlonebefore bed.”
“We aren’t breaking fingers.”
“Ugh. You’re no fun.” Tallus glared at Darcy. “You’re lucky he’s in a good mood.”
“This is a good mood?” Darcy couldn’t have looked more terrified.
Tallus snickered.
I couldn’t hide my amusement. “Oh kid. I know it’s hard to believe, but ordinarily, I’m an asshole.”
Tallus leaned over the table. “Just an FYI. His good mood is fading fast. I suggest you tell him what he wants to know before he gets cranky.”
Darcy’s fidgeting grew worse. His anger simmered, but he was too afraid of me to explode. I should have felt bad. I had stressed him out to the point that I recognized in him symptoms mirroring withdrawal. Stress and addiction were Siamese twins, forever linked, forever battling one another for dominance.
We were quite the pair, and like that long-ago day in the parking lot of JP Supplements, I heard the echo of my past, saw a ghostly impression of a different time, a different place.
This kid was nineteen-year-old me. Angry. Aggressive. Petulant.
Afraid.
And alone.
I knew how to get him to talk, but unfortunately, I needed to ditch my boyfriend to make it happen. He was not going to like it.
“Tallus, take Echo to the Jeep and wait for me. I’ll be ten or fifteen minutes.”
“What? No.”
I called Echo to my side and removed her working vest, telling her she was a good girl and to go with Tallus, then I handed Tallus the leash.
