Free money isn’t something she’d be smart to walk away from and she knows it.

Seeming a little embarrassed, she takes it, her eyes thanking me when her pride won’t allow her words to.

“Now, let’s go for a walk. I could use some air and you can buy me a snack or something,” I ease her.

She scoffs, disappears inside and comes out wearing her blue leather coat, and we start walking.

Victoria has that typical beach girl thing going on.

She’s tan even though it’s winter, and has long blonde hair with a little darker roots, but it’s natural, like the sun bleached it, and deep brown eyes. She’s short compared to me, but she’s fierce.

And when she sparks a joint and cuts her eyes to mine, she’s my new best friend.

Not really, but I’m with it.

She passes it my way, laughing when I sigh.

“You out?”

“Yeah, but I’m working on it,” I tell her, and she grins. “Sorry it took me a minute to get over here. Shit didn’t ...” I grimace. “Go as planned.”

She scoffs. “Yeah, no shit. Just because I’m not seen, don’t forget I go to the same school.” She cuts her eyes my way. “That was ballsy of you.”

I look away, shaking my head. “Trust me. Balls had nothing to do with it.”

“So, what was it, then?”

It’s sort of like what Bass had said to me the other night, so I try to explain it to her.

“Because they deserved me to. There’s not a whole lot people like us can do to handle a situation, not with where we’re at in our lives right now.” I take the joint when she passes it back. “So...”

“So, when you have the ability to do something, you do it, fuck the consequences?”

I nod, sliding my eyes her way.

She’s not judging. Something tells me she understands what I’m saying.

“What about after you did it?” she wonders. “Once you saw how it affected them, did you regret it?”

I lick my lips and look forward. “I wanted to.”

But I didn’t.

“That’s big of you, Rae.” She gives a tight grin and looks away. “Born in hell, yet your conscience didn’t burn.”

“When I first got here, all the shit you heard floating through the house and at school, that was all because I could. But this last time, maybe even a move or two before if I’m real, was different.”

“Because you care about them.”

I look her way. “I didn’t need a minute to think. The decision was made the second I understood what had happened.”

“Guessing you’re not about to tell me what did happen?” She lifts a blonde brow.

I laugh, shaking my head. “Hell no. I’m only talking to you now because it seems you took the stick out of your ass.”

She rolls her eyes and looks away. “I’ve got issues. When they nag at me, I take it out on everyone else.”

Unapologetic.

I appreciate it.

“How’s the house, by the way?”

“Same shit, different day. Maybell’s a little more on edge lately, so we haven’t been able to sneak off as much. Vienna hasn’t been there much this week, not sure what’s up with that since her shit’s still there. All in all, I could use a drunken night.”

“And your man?”

She shrugs. “Gone. He was a drifter and I helped pass the time.”

“You sound so broken up about it,” I joke.

She laughs, looking at me. “He was good for passing my time too.”

I chuckle, glancing her way, seeing something in the shop window and focus straight again.

“Don’t look, but that car has been following us for the last three blocks.”

She scoffs. “Do you really think you’re the only one who watches their back?”

My eyes cut to hers.

“If it wasn’t tailing us, it would have passed a long time ago.” She smirks.

“You spotted him in the window at the stop light back there?”

“Duh.” She grins. “What do we do?”

I shrug, a zing of excitement hitting me. “Ask him what the fuck his problem is?”

Victoria’s mouth opens but then closes and then opens again. “He has a car and could have a gun on his seat just waiting or something.”

“Okay, Boyz in the Hood, we’ll play naïve little dolls for a minute. The ice cream shop is a few stores up, we go inside.”

Nothing else is spoken until we step in.

Victoria spins in front of me so she can discreetly look into the street.

“They parked across the street. What do we do?”

“You buy me ice cream and we take our time.”

“Because that makes creepy cars leave,” she deadpans.

“No ... but it does make pissed-off Maddoc appear.”

Her frown is instant and then a laugh bubbles out of her.

We order something small, and like clockwork, not ten minutes after my ‘allotted time,’ a familiar SUV is rolling slowly down the street.

“There they are.” I burst from the booth and building, not waiting for Victoria to catch up, and dash into the middle of the road.

A car going the opposite way, swerves around me, honking its horn while Maddoc slams on his brakes and the doors fly open. Both him and Royce practically jump out, glares in place.

“Get his keys!” I shout, nodding my chin at the car quickly trying to pull from the curb at the side of them – they’ve unknowingly blocked him in.

Royce spins, and darts forward, attempting to knock the guy across the jaw, but the seat drops back, and he misses.

He goes for the keys and the guy grips his arm, but he’s able to elbow him from that position and his head snaps back slightly. Royce yanks the keys from the ignition.

He steps back and Maddoc wrenches the door open, pulling the guy out and throwing him against the side.

He shifts and dips away, ready to charge in again but Maddoc and Royce come at him from both sides, and he’s fucked.

He tries to swing at one then the other, but the move leaves him open to be gripped by both.

“Get your fucking—” the guy shouts, but they cut him off with a grip to the throat and a knee to the ribs.

Both pair of eyes hit mine.

“He was following us.”

Maddoc’s eyes tighten and travel over me.

“I’m fine.” I can’t help but grin. “We went into the ice cream shop and waited.”

“Wait.” Victoria steps beside me, gaping at them. “They just went caveman and they had no idea why they were doing it?”

They sure did, didn’t they?

Maddoc glares, looking from me to her.

He shifts, kneeing the guy in the nuts, and he tries to collapse, but Royce moves to hold him up as Maddoc releases him.

People start to gather outside the business, but with one look at who’s out here, they turn blind eyes and head back in.

“Wow,” Victoria bites and I glare at her.

She lifts her hands, her mouth clamping shut in amusement.

Maddoc reaches into the guy’s pocket, but before he can pull out his wallet, tires screech behind them and they jerk around to look, a truck has stopped and another guy rushes forward.