Page 39 of Silver Sinner

"Boss."

"Everything good?"

"Sort of. Layla has a visitor."

"And?"

He hesitates and then clears his throat. "You're going to want to see this for yourself, boss."

13

LAYLA

"So? Who was that guy?" As I close the door, Amy dances away into the kitchen. By the time I follow her, she's already made herself coffee and sits at the table looking at me with wide, expectant eyes.

"Amy."

"A sexy older man leaving your apartment this early in the morning? You dog." She lifts the cup to her lips and sips. "So? What's his name? Who is he?"

Suddenly, the thought of sharing anything about Pierce or what happened last night feels like the worst thing I could ever do. It's as if speaking it out loud would somehow burst this warm, caring bubble I've found myself in. My skin still tingles from Pierce's lips and my body aches from our time together in the most pleasant way, but I want it to stay mine. Just mine.

Amy's eyes drop to the bruises in my neck and I quickly adjust my hair to cover them. "You should go."

"Wait, what happened to your face?" Amy bolts upward. "Did he hurt you?"

"No!"

"Are you sure? You better not be covering for him if he laid a hand on you."

"No! Stop, you've got the complete wrong end of the stick! I was carjacked last night, that's all."

Amy stares at me, then she scoffs out a short laugh. "Seriously? Who would even try to steal that old thing?"

Irritation grows and I walk past her, picking up her cup and immediately pouring the rest of her stolen coffee down the drain. "Please leave."

"You dragged me in here."

"Yes, because I knew you were going to embarrass me in front of him and I didn't want to have another fight on the steps."

I turn back to her and her eyes are narrowed. "How dare you stand there and judge me?”

"What?"

"You. I've been an amazing friend to you! I was there for you when you were sick, I was there caring for Maddie when you fell down those stairs and broke your ankle. I was there for you time and time again and one mistake and you just toss our friendship down the drain? While I'm here, trying to fix things."

I glance past Amy to the lounge where Maddie is spread out on the couch with a plushie in hand, watching a cartoon numbers show dance across the screen. Moving past Amy, I gently close the door.

"It's not just one thing though, is it?" Our gazes meet. "I was the one who picked you up from the hospital when your ex, Max, got so drunk he wrapped you both around the lamppost."

"That was hardly my fault," Amy scoffs.

"I was the one who gave you a place to stay when you were too upset to work, I was—no, you know what? This isn't a competition. It's not about being a better friend to excuse the bad. I trusted you with my baby and you had her around a drug dealer! And you lied about it for months. You put her in danger with your stealing, and God knows the people Drake hangs around."

"She was fine!"

"You had her in the same house as drugs that she could have gotten into!" It's a battle to keep my voice low. "Being a good friend to me doesn't excuse putting her in danger! You know…" I throw my hands up, dragging one into my hair. "If you had just told me from the beginning that he was dealing, then maybe we would be okay. I would have made different sitter plans and probably tried to get you to break up with him. I would have been there for you, but you can't even see how fucked up it is to have a six-year-old in that environment."

Something seems to click in Amy, her face falling as her eyes grow dark. "How is that any different than the life you raised her in back then?" Her voice grows cold. "You can be a fucking whore and then you stand there and judge me as if the people Drake works with are any different than the bastards you spread your legs fo⁠—"