“Reign, what the fuck are you doing here?” I grumbled. “And why are you messing with Chevy?”
Reign’s shoulders hunched in, and if I didn’t know her better, I would’ve felt bad for raising my voice.
“He’s just being a friend,” she said.
I leaned against the door and crossed my arms over my chest. “I want you to leave him alone. If you have a problem from now on, you call me.”
She winced. “I’m in big trouble, Copper.”
“What kind of trouble?” I nearly rolled my eyes, but contained it at the last second.
“I killed someone,” she whispered. “I have cancer, and I shouldn’t be driving. I’m on all kinds of meds right now, and they prohibit me from driving, but I had no choice today. I had to get to a doctor’s appointment. So I drove, and I hit a pregnant lady with her husband on the way to the hospital. It’s not looking good for them.”
Fuck.
What a fucking selfish bitch.
I didn’t relay that thought to her, though.
Her issues weren’t just affecting her now. They were affecting other people.
“Why the hell were you driving when you could’ve just as easily called an Uber?” I asked. “Not to mention, the hospital is like an eight-minute walk. You could’ve just as easily have walked.”
“The medicine I’m taking messed up my right foot. I can barely put any weight on it.”
I didn’t point out that she could put weight on it about two seconds ago but was now all of a sudden not able to.
“Next time you need something, I want you to call me,” I ordered. “I want you to leave Chevy out of it. He doesn’t need to be dealing with your issues on top of his own.”
Reign’s eyes laser focused on me. “You’ll take me to the hospital if I need a ride? I won’t have to call him?”
“You won’t call him ever,” I demanded. “And instead, you’ll call 9-1-1 if you desperately need to get to the hospital. If you don’t need to get there fast, you’ll call a ride-share. If I’m home, and available, and have the inclination, then I’ll take you.”
That seemed to be enough for her because she said, “I’ll call you, Copper.”
I nodded. “Go home, Reign.”
“I’ll see you at the office tomorrow?”
I fucking hoped not.
It was too bad that she was the best forensic accountant that we knew.
It was even worse that the company needed it at all.
One
I carry sarcasm around with me like housekeys. Don’t ask me nothin’ dumb.
—Copper’s secret thoughts
COPPER
Present day
Life was good.
Not great, but still good.
