Текст книги "Thizz, A Love Story"
Автор книги: Nicole Loufas
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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 19 страниц)
I stand on the porch, gasping for air as I ring the bell. I look at the black Audi parked in the driveway and pray his mother doesn’t answer the door. I’m about to ring again when a brand new black Mustang rumbles to a stop next to the Audi.
“Dani!” I hear Ashley’s voice from inside the car.
The passenger door opens, and a man in a black suit steps out. Matt’s father is tall and slender, with short dark hair and blue eyes. He’s very handsome for his age. He holds the seat forward, and Ashely and her mother get out of the car behind him. Ashely runs over to say hi.
“Hi Ashley, how are you?” Her skin is pale, and a thin veil of sweat dots her forehead.
“Been better.” She smiles her infectious smile. “What do you think of Matt’s new car?”
I look towards the driveway and notice Matt is still sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Nice.”
Matt’s parents are standing behind Ashley, waiting to be introduced, and I wonder if they find it odd that Matt isn’t getting out to make the introductions.
“This is Matt’s friend, Dani,” Ashley says with a sly smile like there’s more to it than that. I wonder what she knows. What has Matt told her?
“Nice to meet you.” Matt’s mother pats my shoulder as she walks past me into the house.
Mr. Augustine stands on the porch with me, and we stare back at the car, waiting to see what Matt is going to do. At least I know he hasn’t called the police, or even Nick. He hasn’t had time. He must have come home and found the car waiting for him. The only thing that could have distracted him from our discovery today is a brand new muscle car.
“Nice car,” I finally say.
“Yeah, it’s an early graduation present. Matt has some good news.” Mr. Augustine stops speaking when Matt honks the horn. “I’ll let him tell you.” He winks at me and takes Ashely in the house.
I get in Matt’s new car and he pulls out of the driveway. Neither of us speak until we’re two blocks away.
“What are you going to do?” he says impatiently.
“I’m going to the police, but I need to talk to Nick first.” I can’t go to the cops behind his back. I owe him more than that. I also owe my parents. They deserve justice, and if there is even a remote chance Will Walker had something to do with their murder, then I have to make sure he pays. To do that I need Nick on my side.
Matt says he will tell the police everything Will told him. Which is hearsay, but everything helps I guess. If they think Walker had something to do with the shooting, then they must have some evidence, just not enough to arrest or convict him. I’m sure Nick knows more than Matt. I hope I can convince him to help us.
“Do you know where Nick is?”
“I texted him right after I left you. He’s at home.”
He’s home? His message said he had something to do with his uncle. I don’t have time to care. “Take me there,” I tell Matt. “Take me to Nick’s house.”
“Are you sure?” Matt gets in the left lane to make a U-turn. “Nick is very loyal to Will.”
Matt’s feelings for me jade his perception of Nick. “He would never hurt me.” If anything, I’m about to hurt him.
We drive along the winding private road until it leads us to a large metal gate adorned with the Marino family crest. This is the closet I’ve ever been to Nick’s real life, and I feel like an intruder.
Matt pulls to a stop in front of a gray box and presses the button. When the screen pops on, a man in a gray uniform recognizes him immediately.
“What’s up, Matt. Does Nick know you’re coming? He didn’t call it in.” He looks down and I hear papers rustling.
“No, I want to surprise him. I got a new car, man.” We watch the camera swivel around.
“Oh shit! You’re going to give that boy a run for his money.” The security guard laughs. “Pull around back. He’s in the cottage.”
The driveway leads us through a tree-lined courtyard, past a water fountain that looks like it belongs in a piazza in Italy. Water trickles from a stone olive oil barrel held by a beautiful goddess. The fountain is so beautiful, I almost miss the house. To call it a house would be an insult to architecture. This is a modern-day castle, with wide columns and towers. The white exterior and brown accents give it the look of an old California mission.
Matt drives around the side of the house and parks in an even larger courtyard. Nick’s car is parked in between two silver Mercedes. A man in a white oxford shirt is hosing down the SUV on the right. I realize this is why Nick’s car always looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.
Matt honks to get the man’s attention. When he turns around, I recognize his face, although I know we have never met. The man looks like an older version of K.
“What up, T.” Matt parks sideways, blocking the three cars. He jumps out and shakes hands with the oversized K. “You think I’ll take Nick’s trailer queen over there?”
“Ah man, I don’t know. What you got?” He walks around the car. “GT, hell yeah!”
“V8, 305 horsepower. I think I have a chance,” Matt brags. We’re here to crush Nick, and he’s bragging about his engine size.
“Dude, I don’t know, but I want to be there when you guys go.” T slaps Matt’s hand the way guys do that is part high five and part handshake. “Ah man, sorry for being rude.” He rushes over to me and takes my hand in both of his. “I’m T, nice to meet you.”
I force a smile. “Hi, I’m Dani.”
Matt sort of skips over to us to clear the air. “Uh, T, this is Nick’s girl,” he clarifies.
T’s demeanor changes instantly. The casual introduction becomes something formal and uncomfortable. “Oh sorry. It is very nice to meet you,” he says, shaking my hand again.
“You look so familiar.”
“He’s K’s cousin,” Matt says.
“You know my little cousin?”
There is nothing little about K, but compared to T, I get it. “He’s a great guy, makes me laugh.” I smile at the thought of K and his big toothy grin.
“Yeah, he’s a character.” He smiles a big K smile and excuses himself.
“If you aren’t too busy, you can do mine too,” Matt teases.
“HAH!” T scoffs and disappears into the garage.
The smile drops from Matt’s face as soon as we’re alone. “This way.”
He leads me onto a dark tree-covered path. There is little sunlight on this side of the house because of the giant redwoods that fill the yard. The pungent smell of wet soil and pine fill the air. I stay close as we pass an enormous Roman pool surrounded by a beautiful garden. When we approach a green fenced area that I assume are tennis courts, he stops.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe we should call someone first.”
“Who am I going to call?”
“I don’t know, the cops?” he suggests, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“I have to talk to him first. I owe him at least that.” Nick will make all of this right. He will straighten out his uncle and clear the air. I know he will. He loves me no matter what.
Nick’s cottage is hidden deep in the back of the property. The moss-covered building looks like it belongs in the Amazon jungle. Bamboo shoots line the sides and the heavy overgrowth of foliage offers ample privacy. Even though we are surrounded by fragrant trees and flowers, the smell of marijuana overpowers them all.
Matt walks up the two short steps to the door and knocks, something I’m sure he has never done before.
“S’up, Matty?” Nick doesn’t see me on the landing. “What are you doing here?” He opens the screen and moves back inside.
“Dude, wait.” Matt holds the screen door open and I step around him.
I wouldn’t say Nick is disappointed to see me, but his reaction is definitely not something I’ve seen before.
“Dani?” He looks at Matt then holds his hand out to me. “Come in.”
Nick’s cottage is a mess. There are hats and t-shirts strewn all over the main room. The marijuana smell barely masks the stench of old food and dirty clothes.
The cottage has an open-floor plan. The main room flows into the kitchen, and there is a small breakfast nook in the corner. The main room and kitchen are separated by a granite counter. I stand in the center of the main room while Nick places dirty dishes in the sink.
“Can I get you a drink?” He opens his fridge, and I look at Matt. He leans against the wall near the door, waiting for me to say something. Nick closes the refrigerator and catches us staring at each other. “You guys are making me nervous.” Nick looks at Matt. Matt looks at me. I look at the picture in my hand. I forgot I was even holding it.
“What’s going on?” He moves from the kitchen to the middle of the room. He’s equal distance from me and Matt.
This is it. I have to tell him everything. He will protect me, I know he will. “Matt and I were in computer class today and I showed him my family page. You know the one I’ve been working on.” Nick nods his head. “There was this picture from my birthday. Matt said the man in the picture is your uncle Will.” I pause for a second before delivering Matt’s theory, but Nick doesn’t give me a chance to finish.
“No way.” Nick looks at Matt. “No.” Matt nods one time and looks at the floor.
The look on Nick’s face confirms everything Matt told me, and I realize why he was so scared to come here. He knows more than he let on. He knows for a fact that Will Walker killed my parents.
“FUCK!” Nick screams and throws the bottle of water in his hand. It bursts against the wall beside me. “No fucking way!”
I stumble back and fall onto the couch. Nick paces the room, and Matt rushes to my side.
“Dude, calm down. We don’t know anything for sure.” Matt motions for me to stand up.
Nick keeps pacing.
Matt grips my hand as we move towards the door. Nick stops and leans on the counter that separates the kitchen from the living room. He puts his head in his hands. “I thought your parents were carjacked?”
I want to go to him, to comfort him, but Matt won’t let me.
Nick looks up. He looks at me and my heart snaps in half.
He hates me.
“Not exactly,” Matt starts to answer for me. I pull his hand to stop him.
I want to be the one to tell him. “My father’s name was Bill Batista. My name is Danielle Batista. My parents were shot and killed in our SUV while I slept in the backseat.” I start to cry. “I didn’t see anything. I didn’t see who shot them. I woke up after…” Matt takes me in his arms and rubs my back. I’m sobbing into his chest, wondering why it isn’t Nick that’s comforting me. I wipe the tears from my eyes and turn around.
Nick swears under his breath and pounds his fist on the counter. I wait for him to calm down. I wait for him to come to me. To tell me everything is ok. He doesn’t say any of those things. After a long silence, Nick finally looks at me. “I want to see the picture.” He spits the words at me, like I’m a liar. Like I’m a killer.
Tears stream down my cheeks. Matt puts his arm around me and pulls me towards the door. Matt. My friend. My best friend. He is the only one here who cares about me.
“I’ll take Dani home to get it then I’ll be back, alright?”
I don’t want to go. I want to give Nick another chance. He’s in shock. He isn’t thinking straight.
Nick’s eyes drop from my face to my hand in Matt’s. Matt notices it too and grips it even harder. Matt takes another step towards the door. I don’t move.
I fling the picture on the floor. “Here,” I cry. “Here’s your proof!”
Matt scrambles to pick it up and lets me go in the process. He picks up the crumpled photo and places it on the counter in front of Nick. Nick barely looks at it. He doesn’t need to. He knows Will killed my parents and wants to kill me. He knows some part of him wants me dead, too.
He looks at me like I’m the enemy, like I’m the one ruining his life. I charge towards him. “Don’t you care that your uncle is a murderer!” I scream in his face. “Don’t you care about how I feel? Don’t you care about me?” My body is heavy with grief as Matt pulls me away.
Nick doesn’t reach for me to stay.
He doesn’t say he’ll protect me or make it right.
He doesn’t tell me he loves me.
He lets Matt take me out of his cottage.
He lets Matt walk me back to the car.
Nick lets me go.
Matt drives me home and insists he wait with me to tell Lucy. I convince him that it’s best for me to talk to her alone. He doesn’t know she’s spending the weekend at Johnson’s to celebrate their impending parenthood. This is the happiest day of her life. I won’t ruin it.
I lock the doors, pull the bag of pills from my desk drawer, and swallow two.
An hour later I take two more. I follow this pattern until the bag is empty.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
I wasn’t thinking. I just let her go.
I need to get to the city. I need to talk to Will.
I fly down the road, away from my house, and skid across the intersection.
I close my eyes at the light and see her face. She fucking hates me. I hate me.
Why didn’t I go to her? I should go see her now. I want to, but I don’t know what to say.
What can I say? I’m sorry I wanted to kill you. Sorry I didn’t give a shit that my uncle shot your parents?
Matt is right, I don’t deserve her.
I never did.
I need to talk to Will. I need to make this right. I can’t call him. I need to see him face to face. I want to tell him how much she means to me, even if she hates me. I want to tell him not to hurt her.
I’m stuck at the light on Myrtle when I see Arnie fly by on his scooter. I make a crazy U-turn and follow him into the parking lot of the café.
“Dude! Check this out.” Arnie waves a piece of paper in his hand.
“Get in!” I don’t have time to dick around or the patience to listen to one of his stories.
“Wait, I need to go see Dani.” He revs his scooter and moves around my car.
“She’s not there,” I yell out the window. I wonder where she is, if she’s with Matt.
She belongs with Matt. She always did.
Arnie pulls into an empty space in front of the café to park his scooter. Mary walks out to wipe down a table. Our table. It’s not our table anymore. I fucked up. I let her go.
“Come on!” I yell. I don’t know what Mary knows. If Dani told her about the picture. I need to get to Will. I don’t trust anyone.
Arnie runs to Mary and hands her an envelope. I can’t hear their conversation, but he’s got a huge, goofy grin on his face.
I should just go. I don’t need Arnie right now. I just don’t want to be alone.
Arnie jogs to the car and gets in. “What’s up, dude?”
I don’t answer him. I peel away from the curb and head towards the highway.
“Where we going?” Arnie asks as we pass under the sign that reads San Francisco 375 Miles.
“I have to see Will.” I stab the gas pedal to the floor and turn on the radio.
All I can think about is Will. What his next move will be after I tell him. I wonder if he has people in Eureka he can call if I can’t reason with him? Alex was supposed to head back to Lake County today. I’m not worried about him. Matt will kick his ass if he tries anything. Matt will protect Dani. He’ll make the right choice, he’ll put her first. I didn’t. I didn’t think of her. I only thought about Will and what this meant for me. For my business. What a fucking joke I am.
I wanted to go into business with Will. I wanted to be something more than just a Marino. No matter how hard I worked in school or how successful I became, it would never be impressive. My success is expected. I thought going into business with Will was my chance at something beyond my expectation. It’s not the most respectful business, but it meant power, money, and making a name for myself in a market that doesn’t give a shit about my family’s wealth. The people Will deals with aren’t impressed by my last name. It’s about your name in the street. That’s the one place the Marino name hasn’t conquered. That was going to be my legacy. My mark on the world.
All of that changed when I saw the picture. When I saw the look on Will’s face, the way he looked at Dani as she blew out her birthday candles. Knowing he hurt her in a way that nobody should ever feel. People don’t get it. Losing your parents is like losing a part of yourself. Something you can never get back. You will always have this hole, this emptiness. You don’t know what it’s like to grow up never being able to celebrate Father’s Day. I’ve never bought a card on Mother’s Day. I don’t have any family pictures. I don’t care how much money my grandmother threw at me. She couldn’t buy me that kind of love. I’ve never felt truly loved, until I met Dani. I never knew I could love someone the way I love her.
I should have taken her in my arms. I should have told her everything was going to be alright. I didn’t. Because I’m a piece of shit. I’m no better than Will. I might as well have pulled the trigger on her parents. I was ready to pull it on her. Not her, a faceless witness. Someone I didn’t know. That doesn’t make it right. Even if the witness wasn’t my Dani, it would’ve been someone else’s version of Dani. Someone who was loved and didn’t deserve to have her life taken.
Arnie tries to talk to me; he has some big news. He may have even told me, but I tuned him out. Eventually he falls asleep, and I somehow make it to the city without killing us.
It’s dark when I get off the bridge. I fly up and over hills, dodging buses and taxis as I make my way to North Beach. I’m banking on Will being at the bar since I don’t know where he lives. I know it’s somewhere in the Sunset District, but he’s never invited me to his house. We always meet at the bar.
Arnie wakes up when I turn onto Columbus. As usual there’s no parking, so I double park in front of the Lucky Charm and jump out.
“DUDE!” Arnie yells and shuts off the car.
“Wait here,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”
I burst in the bar and call Will’s name.
“Whoa kid, slow down.” Stacy, the doorman, pushes his hand into my chest.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” My hand balls into a fist. A natural reaction when I’m being challenged. Hit first, ask questions later. “Where is he?”
Stacy stands up from his stool and pushes me back with his enormous chest. When standing, he’s about six inches taller than me. “Back the fuck up,” he warns.
I don’t stand a chance against him, but I don’t give a shit. I want to hit someone. The rage that built up over the long drive is finally boiling over. “Fuck you.” I push against his chest.
Stacy’s body stiffens and I brace myself for what’s coming next.
“Hey! What the fuck, Nick!” Will grabs me by my hood and shoves me out the door.
I stumble onto the sidewalk. Arnie sits up when he sees me. I put my hand up, signaling him to stay in the car.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Nicky?” Will looks at my car sitting in the street. “Is everything alright?”
I don’t want to beat around the bush. “Who’s Bill Batista?”
A flash of uncertainty crosses his face. He pats my back with one hand while he jingles the change in his pocket with the other. “He’s the fucking lawyer, the dead one.”
My stomach does a somersault. I can’t believe Dani is the witness Will has been looking for. The same witness I wanted dead because she was ruining my business. I wish Stacy would have hit me. That pain is nothing compared to what I feel in my chest right now. I don’t know what I can say to stop Will from wanting to kill Dani. There was nothing he could say to me at the diner when I was ready to do it. Not that I would have. I could never hurt someone like that. But I wouldn’t have stopped Will, not if it meant I got to keep Humboldt.
I look at Arnie sitting in the driver’s seat of my car. I feel bad for dragging him all the way down here. I don’t even know why I brought him. It wasn’t like I wanted company. He’s another victim in my fucked-up life. He nods his head and I follow his eyes to a group of girls walking down the street. Fucking Arnie. He’s always trying to get laid. Nothing ever brings him down. I’m glad he’s here with me. He’s always good for a laugh. I look back at the car and see Arnie smiling. Then we hear them. Motorcycles screaming up the street.
Will pulls me to the ground and I hear the pop pop pop from a gun, followed by screaming. Before I realize what is happening, it’s over. I look up from under Will’s arm in time to see two bikes speed across Columbus Avenue and disappear into the Broadway tunnel.
Then I hear someone scream, “He’s been shot!” I look at Will. He gives me a thumbs-up. I stand up and dust my hands off. That’s when I see the shattered windshield.
“ARNIE!” I open the door and his head falls out. “NO! FUCK! Somebody help him!” My eyes are blurry with tears. I scream for someone to call 9-1-1. I scream for Arnie to wake up. I scream because my friend is dying in my arms.
Suddenly, Will is at my side trying to pull me away, but I won’t let Arnie go. I’m sorry, Arnie. I’m so fucking sorry. Please don’t die. Please keep breathing. I love you, bro. I love you.
Will is speaking to me, but I can’t hear him. The world goes silent. I hold Arnie’s head in my arms until the ambulance arrives. They jump out and run over to me. There is nobody to save here. Arnie is dead.
“Nick.” Will’s voice finally breaks through the silence. “Remember what I told you. You were just stopping by to say hi. Nick? Are you listening?”
Cops come and go. Arnie is dead. They take his body away. They ask me questions. Arnie is dead. I give them Arnie’s phone. His burner. The one he used to sell my drugs. Arnie is dead and it’s my fault.
I lean against the wall outside the bar. Arnie shouldn’t have been here. I shouldn’t be here. I should be with Dani. Will comes out and offers me a bottle of water.
“Dani’s last name is Batista.” I slap the bottle out of his hand.
Will looks at me like I lost my mind. “Who’s Dani?”
“My girlfriend,” I say, then I wonder if that’s still true. After what happened today I doubt she’ll ever speak to me again. “She has a picture of you. She saw you with her dad.”
I start to walk down the street towards the Bay, I think. I don’t know the city very well, not like Dani does. She could have lived around the corner for all I know. Matt probably knows. He knew about her parents. Why don’t I know? Why didn’t I ever ask? Why didn’t I go to her? Why didn’t I know I love her more than I love Will?
“Hey, where did she see me?” Will spins me around. “What picture?”
“On her birthday. You were outside a restaurant.” I can tell by the look on his face that he knows what I’m talking about. “She’s my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, well, you’re young. You’ll get over it.” Will turns to go back in the bar, leaving me alone on the street.
“Hey!” A few of the cops that are still hanging around taking pictures to document the scene turn when I yell. “I LOVE HER!” I don’t care who hears me.
Will grabs the front of my shirt and throws me against the wall. “I get it, you love her, but you know what has to happen. Grow some balls and deal with it.”
I feel like spitting in his face and running to the cop with the camera and confessing everything I know. But I can’t do that. I can’t bust myself, because that would mean busting Matt and Aurora. I don’t have to worry about Arnie. Arnie got something far worse out of all this. I won’t hurt anyone else.
Will isn’t going to let this go. He’s going to find her. He has to get rid of her because he thinks she can identify him. He thinks she can, but the cops don’t know that. Will was right. If they had evidence, they would have arrested him. So, Dani really didn’t see anything.
Will drags me into the oversized closet that doubles as his office. I sit down and try to gain some composure. Will reaches into the bottom drawer of his desk, and for the first time in my life, I get nervous around my uncle. He pulls out a bottle of Patron and pours me a shot. “You need to chill.” He slides the glass across the desk to me, then takes out a bud and some rolling papers.
I drink the shot. It burns going down. The pain feels good. I reach for the bottle, but Will hands me a joint instead.
“You just lost your friend, I know what it’s like. I’ve lost a lot of good men. But you gotta man up. You dodged a bullet today. Be grateful.”
I light the joint and pretend to pay attention. The only thing on my mind is getting out of here alive and protecting Dani. I owe her so much more than an apology.
“As for your girl.” He pauses when I look up.
Don’t say her name. You don’t deserve to say her name.
“What does she know?”
He doesn’t know about our fight, he doesn’t know she probably called the cops by now. If I can convince him that I can control her, that I’m watching his back, then maybe I can stop him from going after Dani himself. “Nothing. She doesn’t know anything. I saw the picture, I figured it out on my own.” I won’t tell him Matt knows. I take a long drag and let the smoke overtake my lungs. The weed makes it a little easier to lie. “I asked her how her folks died, she said it was a carjacking. She was sleeping in the backseat and didn’t see anything. The cops are full of shit. You’re right, if they had proof, you’d be in cuffs. They’re fishing to see if you take the bait. If you go after her now, it’s like admitting you did it.”
Will reaches for the joint and I pass it to him. He takes a long drag.
“Alright, you watch her. Don’t let the cops get to her. And whatever you do, don’t tell her nothing about me. Sometimes witnesses’ get their memories back and want to testify to shit they didn’t see. If she doesn’t know I was involved, don’t give her any reason to. You got me?”
It’s too late for all that. She knows everything thanks to me and Matt. She’s probably calling the police right now. “I got you.” I hold out my fist and Will bumps it.
He hands me the joint, and there’s a knock on the door.
“Excuse me, Will.” Suzy comes in, followed by two cops.
“Mr. Walker, we just wanted to let you know we caught the shooters.”
I drop the joint to the floor and jump up.
“Who was it?” Will sits back in his chair like they’re telling him the score of the Giants’ game.
“One of the men was identified as Devon Brown.”
They tell us Devon and the other shooter sped through the Broadway tunnel and out onto Van Ness Avenue, where they are repaving the streets. Devon lost control when the bike hit uneven pavement and swerved in front of a Muni bus. He was killed on impact. The other guy is in critical condition.
After the cops leave, Will’s mood changes. “It looks like we just got Humboldt back.”
Like I give a fuck. My best friend is dead and the girl I love is on my uncle’s hit list. All I care about right now is making it right. I can’t let him know that. I play along. “Does that mean we’re back in business?” I lean back in the chair and balance on the hind legs.
“Let me make some calls first, but it should only be a couple days before I can get a new supply up to you.
I crack a smile and stand up. “Let’s make some paper.” Will stands and takes my hand, then pulls me in for a hug. My back straightens and I feel like head butting him. Instead, I pound his back twice and let go. I’ll let him believe its business as usual until I come up with a plan.
“You know I love you, kid.” Will looks me in the eye; he’s looking for the loyalty I’ve always shown him. “We’re going to do great things together.”
I smile and tell him I love him. He believes the lie. He thinks I have his back. I don’t. I’ll die before I let him get away with what he’s done to Dani.
I’m actually relieved when Mariann shows up. She doesn’t go inside the bar. She sends T in to get me. I’ve known T as long as I can remember. He went to school with my father. They were best friends. He’s always been like an uncle to me. He gives Will a dirty look, then gives me a bear hug and tells me she’s waiting outside in the SUV.
I open the back door and see my grandmother wiping tears. I look out the window and see the tow truck loading my car onto a flat bed. I don’t want the car, they can keep it. Burn it.
“Are you ok?” She reaches for me, then pulls back.
I tell her I’m fine.
“I called Arnie’s parents. I told them I’d help with the funeral.”
It’s so typical. Money solves all her problems. “Is that your answer to everything? Money? Some things can’t be bought. People can’t be bought!” She bought me from my mother, but she couldn’t buy my love, my loyalty, or my respect. Instead I gave it to Will. I thought he deserved it more than her. I was wrong. They were wrong. I have to make this right.
She wipes her eyes with a handkerchief and stares out the window. “I don’t know how to help you. You won’t let me in. I’ve tried everything. I don’t know what else I can do.”
I feel bad when I hear her crying. Did she try? Was she there for me? I’ve warped the truth so much I don’t know anymore.
“I want to help you, Nick. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
I need a way to get out of this without sending me and Matt and Aurora to jail. I need to find a way for the cops to get the evidence they need to bust Will for murdering Dani’s parents. I need to make this right.
“Do you know anyone in the San Francisco Police Department?”
