Page 122 of Lawton


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"No," she insisted. "Just from those couple of times. That's it."

A couple of times, huh? Meaning the two times I'd seen them together? That was convenient, wasn't it? I searched her face. "And you don't have any idea what he wanted tonight?"

She glanced away. "Well, Brittney did sort of threaten me, so –"

I jerked back. "Shewhat?"

"It's a long story." Chloe let out an unsteady breath. "She came into the diner maybe a week or so later. We didn't exactly hit it off, and –" Chloe shrugged. "She said she'd pay me back or something, but I didn't really take her seriously."

Chloe swallowed. "But if I had to guess, this was probably her idea of a joke."

A joke? With Brittney, I could almost believe it.

I'd seen Brittney just last night. Thinking about it, something else hit me. Also last night, Brittney and that guy – the one with the knife – had been at thesameclub. Together?

It made sense. And if they'd been there together, it would explain a lot.

Chloe was still talking, hesitant now, as if sorting things out for herself. "Or, it could've been the guys acting alone. But somehow, I don't think so. For one thing, Brittney knows where I live. They don't."

It was true. Brittney did know where Chloe lived. And she hated Chloe. I'd seen that for myself.

As all the pieces slammed into place, I heard myself say, "I'm gonna kill her."

"You're not serious." Chloe hesitated. "Are you?"

I met her gaze. "Is that what you think?"

"I don’t know what to think," she said. "You and your friend, Bishop, you guys act kind of strange sometimes, like you might not always follow the letter of the law, if you know what I mean."

I did know what she meant. I just hadn't realized how much she'd been noticing.

Suddenly, I was tired of all the secrets, and not only hers. "He's not my friend," I said. "He's my brother."

"Oh."

Funny, she didn't look surprised.

My voice was softer now. "But you already knew that. Didn't you?"

"I thought, maybe," she said. "But uh, you never said so, so, uh –"

I shook my head. "Oh just forget it." I tried to think. My friends. My brother. My suspicions. All this time, Chloe had been noticing a lot more than I realized. Was it any wonder that she'd been hesitant to let me in? Thinking, I was distracted as hell. "That's a different conversation."

"No," Chloe said. "It's the same conversation. You hardly ever talk a lot about yourself. I'd really like to know."

I gave her a look. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look," I said, tired of the games, "I know you're not dumb, so stop acting like it."

She drew back. "I don't act dumb."

"If you say so."

"You know what?" She stood. "I'm going home."

I didn't budge. "Yeah? And where is that, exactly?"