“Do it. This is your one get out of jail free card. I suggest you use it.”
Sheila might not be smart, but she’s cunning enough to read the room. She’s out the door faster than a cheetah on speed.
Sinner laughs. This is the side of him that lurks beneath the surface. “They might believe you’re just an opportunist, but we both know that’s not true, don’t we? Ishotone of your guys. Maybe he died, maybe he’s just hurting. Honestly, I don’t give a fuck, but you know what didn’t happen? Anything. You haven’t mentioned one fucking thing about it.” He pushes the barrel against Cook’s forehead.
“She never got hurt,” he whimpers.
“I know. If she did, this conversation would be over by now.” I flip my cut open and show him the gun in my belt. “But if you wanna take your chances, now’s the time to run.”
“Listen, guys. That bitch might not have known the details, but she?—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Sinner says in a creepy sing-song voice. “The road to Hell, good intentions and all that shit.”
“But I swear—fuck!” Cook closes his eyes.
“Look on the bright side, Gregory. Ms. Callahan would feel sad if she found out we popped you right now. That means you’ll walk outta here alive today.”
Sinner leans in, wearing his anticipation like an ugly mask. “The bad news? This is still gonna hurt like a motherfucker.”
19
Chapter 19 - Quinn
“I can’t believe her!”It was too loud on Priest’s bike to vent my frustration, so I had plenty of time for my thoughts to swirl around, building and building until I felt like a volcano ready to erupt.
It was enough that Priest actually adjusted where my fingers were digging into him like tiny little daggers. Even Clarke must’ve sensed it wasn’t a good moment to chat, because he opened the door for us and just shot Priest a slightly concerned look. Once inside the apartment, there isn’t even anything good to smash.
I grab an empty water bottle and throw it as hard as I can at the wall. It hits with an unsatisfying thunk before bouncing on the carpet.
Priest scoops it up and tosses it into the sad grocery bag I’ve been using for recycling. “Feel better?”
“No! She can never leave well enough alone. Never! You don’t understand. Every single time I succeed at something, she just sees it as a way to unlock some next, hidden level. I’m nothing but a way for her to live out her own dreams. I should’ve known when she didn’t care about me until I could do something for her. She’s going to keep using me until there’s nothing left, and what am I supposed to do then?”
“Tell her to fuck off and live her own life. You’re an adult, Q.”
“Where do I even start? This is the first time I’ve even lived on my own and look how great that’s going.”
He sits on the couch, one leg folded underneath him. “She controls your finances, baby. You?—”
“No, don’t make excuses for me. I’ve spentyearsmaking myself smaller. Forcing myself to be happy with the little sips of freedom I got in college, or when I’m working on set. It was enough as long as I could kiss a boy, or buy a coffee and share a sandwich with Erika while pretending we’re real friends.” I have years of pent-up resentment to burn off. Once the valve opens, it all comes spewing out. “But who would really want to be friends with me when I’m only half a person. I stopped dating when I was in college because she started getting paranoid that I was going to get knocked up or that I’d end up with someone who only wanted me because I was going to be famous someday. And I don’t even want to be famous!” My pacing leaves me in front of Priest. I’m flushed and panting, like a wild animal trapped in a tiny cage and raging against the bars.
He reaches out and hooks his pinky with mine, squeezing. Giving me space but letting me know he’s there. “Then why? Why do any of this?”
“Because I love acting. Because Roger, my agent, is an angel.” I fall to my knees and look up at Priest. “Because last time I quit we ended up living in her car. She… you haven’t seen it. You’ve only seen this place. We live in a trailer park. A nice one, but still. That’s why she signed this lease. She didn’t want anyone to take pictures of me coming and going. I… I screwed everything up, didn’t I? If this gets out, nobody is going to want to hire me.”
“What? Fuck no. You did nothing wrong. We’ll figure a way through this. Call your agent or something. Sinner’s sister is a reporter, maybe she can help.”
“Really?”
He nods and holds out a hand, pulling me up and into his lap. I resist for a second, but the anger burned me to a crisp, and all I can do now is let him settle me against his chest and press a kiss into my hair.
“I messed around with Colt,” I mumble into his shirt.
Priest chuckles. “Yeah, I didn’t get the details but I figured. Was it good?”
I nod.
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re all fucked up, Q. None of us are going to judge you for doing the best you could. I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life. It makes you human, and you’re so fucking young still. You’ve got time, baby. Shit, it’s no secret that I hate your mom, but just because you need to take some space to figure yourself out doesn’t mean it’ll be forever. She’s a grown-ass woman and she might need to fall before she figures out how to stand up on her own. It’s not your responsibility to fall with her.”