13

TEAGAN’S CRYING SILENTLY AS SHE drives down the street like a bat out of hell.

“Where are we going?” I ask, not wanting to push her but also not real crazy about the direction we’re going.

“Away,” she says, her voice wavering as she works to hold in a sob. “Away tooooooo … crack-whores-ville?”

“Yes.” She shifts to a higher gear and presses the accelerator harder. “Okaaaay.” I pause as I consider my next words. I’m not sure that this is

the best time to engage her in a conversation about what Olga said or did. “How about you pull into that Denny’s over there and we talk in the parking lot?”

“I hate Denny’s. I’m not going there.”

“You don’t have to eat. Just pull in.” I reach over and nudge the steering wheel.

She huffs out an annoyed breath, but downshifts and swings the car into the lot. I have to brace myself against the door and dashboard to keep from being unseated.

“Wow. Been practicing stunt driving long?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

“Shut up,” she says, rolling towards a space and turning off the engine at the same time. We coast into the spot and come to a stand-still. She jerks up the emergency brake and then puts her arms and forehead on the steering wheel.

I rub her back, waiting for her to spill her guts.

“He lied,” she finally says. “He lied about that … that … supermodel assbag.”

“Olga?”

She turns her head to look at me. “Who else would I be talking about?” “Sorry. Geez, lighten up, okay? I’m not the enemy here.”

She turns her face to look at the floor again. “I know. I’m just … really

 

upset.” She’s crying before the sentence is fully out.

I grab her by the shoulders and pull her towards me. “Come here, Tea-Tea.

Don’t cry on your steering wheel, cry on me.”

She leans towards me like she has no bones left in her body. Her arms hang limply by her sides as she heaves out tear after tear and sob after sob.

“Listen, I’m only in the Rebel fan club if you’re the president, so don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe you just misunderstood something. I mean, did he actually lie to you or did this Olga bitch do the lying?”

Teagan sits up suddenly, wiping her face with her hand angrily. “No. It was a lie of omission. I asked him weeks ago whether he was ever with her and he denied it. But apparently, that’s a big fat fucking lie. They were together, Quin. Together. As in a couple.”

“Wait a minute … I thought you told me he did admit to being with her.

I’m confused.”

“No, what I said was that he said he was just in some small thing that was nothing and was very short and no big deal.”

“Somehow I doubt those are his words. There are way too many syllables involved.”

“You know what I mean! He says a lot without saying a lot.” I snort. “Says you.”

“Quin! Whose side are you on?!” Her face is bright red, and I’m trying really hard not to fish around for a tissue to wrangle the snot coming out of her nose.

“I’m on yours, of course.” I look away. “Gah, Teagan, wipe your nose.

My stomach is a mess tonight and you’re making me sick.”

She uses the back of her hand, which doesn’t improve my indigestion one

bit.

I get a text, and since the only people who text me at this time of night are

pretty much in the car with me right now I look at my phone.

Are you with Teagan?

I don’t recognize the number, but I’m pretty sure I know who it is. I respond with my own text: Go away.

“Who is it?” Teagan asks, wiping her nose again. “It’s Mick, I think.”

“What does he want?”

“He wants to know if I’m with you. I told him to go away.”

Bring her to RW. Don’t let her go to that hole.

“He wants me to bring you to Rebel Wheels. They don’t want you over at the Golden Tooth Legacy.”

 

She huffs out a snort. “Like they can tell me what to do.”

I chew my lip, trying to figure out how I can manipulate her into going to Rebel’s place. I’m with Mick. I don’t want her hanging out with the break- dancing alcoholics at her old apartment complex where she still has a place. “Listen, babe … don’t you think you’re better off in a safe place where kidnappers can’t snag your ass and punch your face off?”

She hesitates and I hold my breath, waiting for her response. I’m worried I’ve pushed too hard and will end up hitching a ride home.

“That’s not going to happen again. No one’s going to touch me. My step- mother knows they’re watching her.”

“Let’s hope not. But just to be sure, I’d sleep a lot better knowing you have a wall of muscle between you and the bad guys, if you know what I mean.”

“But that muscle is a liar.”

“Only some of that muscle is a liar. You still have Colin, and if you ask me, he’s plenty of muscle all on his own.” I can still remember the pile of wasted human being that greeted us at the top of Rebel’s stairs, when he basically rescued Teagan from their asses. One of them was in a coma for a week and the other one had just about every bone in his face broken.

Teagan sighs out long and loudly. “Fine. Take me to Rebel Wheels. But I am not sleeping in the same room as him. I’m sleeping on the couch.”

“Good. I don’t want you sleeping with that turdle. He needs to come clean and tell you the whole truth.”

“Damn straight,” she says, starting up her car and reversing out of the space. “I’m not putting up with any bullshit. I may still be poor and pretty much totally dependent on him for survival, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let myself get walked on. I’m not a friggin doormat.” She spins her car’s back wheels out as she takes off onto the main road.

“Hell to the yeah, you’re not. And don’t shoot me for saying this, but I don’t think Rebel would expect or want you to be. Doormattage is not sexy.”

“Yeah, well, I thought I knew him pretty well, but now I wonder.”

The rest of the ride to Rebel’s place passes in silence. I come up with no less than six conversation starters, all of which I abandon in favor of saying nothing. I want to believe Rebel didn’t lie and that this is all a big misunderstanding, because without his support, I really don’t know what my friend will do. I could probably get my parents to let her stay on our couch for a couple days, but after that I know they’ll tell me she has to go. Our house is just too freaking small and with Jersey there making everything ten times harder than it would be without him, having guests is just beyond my parents’ stress threshold.