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cut into my thoughts. "She's still at work."
    "What?"
    "Yeah," he said. "Probably for a couple more hours."
    "And you know this, how?"
    He shrugged. "Caught a bus-boy at the dumpster."
    I didn't ask for details. His information was always good. With a quick glance behind me, I stepped outside and shut the door. "Someone's here."
    "Yeah?" His eyebrows lifted. "This should be good."
    "It's Brittney."
    He paused. "Brittney?"
    "She's here to apologize."
    "Tonight? How'd that happen?"
    I gave him a brief run-down, explaining how, after my last conversation with Chloe, I'd found Brittney exactly where I'd seen her earlier, in the back of that Lincoln Town Car. I'd practically dragged her over here, determined to get that apology done and over with – for Chloe's sake.
    "But why tonight?" Bishop asked.
    "Because Chloe deserves that. Don't you think?"
    He was shaking his head. "Bad idea."
    "Oh yeah?" I crossed my arms. "Why?"
    "Let me ask you this. Do you trust her?"
    "Brittney? Hell no. That's why I'm making her apologize tonight, before she tries to slide out of it." My voice grew quieter. "And, I don't want Chloe to worry."
    He looked at me like I was nuts. "About some apology?"
    I felt my jaw tighten. "It's more than that, and you know it." From where I was standing, I couldn’t see Chloe's house, but I could envision it well enough. Earlier tonight, she'd been attacked right there in her own front yard. She'd been dragged to the ground and held against her will.
    I couldn’t stand the thought of Chloe being afraid, not just earlier, but every time she pulled into her own driveway or went outside to walk her dog. She needed to know, once and for all, that it wasn't going to happen again.
    If nothing else, I owed her that.
    She wasn't like me. She hadn't grown up in a shitty neighborhood where looking over your shoulder was an everyday thing. She wasn't used to it. And the way I saw it, she shouldn't have to get used to it.
    I felt my fingers flex. Fucking Brittney.
    I was still stewing about it when I heard the front door fly open behind me. I turned to see Brittney standing in the open space. When her gaze landed on Bishop, she smiled. "Hey, Bish."
    Bishop gave her a long, cold look. "Britt."
    Her smile faltered. "You coming inside? We could have drinks or something." Her gaze slid to me, and her eyes narrowed. "And I don't mean water."

Chapter 10
    A minute later, we were all inside, sitting in the same area as before. Brittney, clutching a glass of tap-water, was sulking again. She frowned at Bishop. "Why is everyone in such a bad mood tonight?"
    Bishop ignored her and turned toward me. "Check this out. I learned what they told the cops."
    "Who?" Brittney asked. "Joey and Paul?"
    Bishop gave her a cold look. "I wasn't talking to you."
    Her mouth tightened. "You know, I thought Lawton was rude, but you're like rude times a million."
    "Good to know." Bishop turned back to me and said, "The way I heard it, their story wasn't half-bad. You saw how it played out, right?"
    I shook my head. I hadn't seen. When those guys had been freed from the trunk, I'd been on the other side of the building, searching for Chloe.
    "Get this." Bishop grinned. "So, some tow-truck driver shows up to pop the trunk, with like a hundred people watching, and those guys jump out, wearing what?"
    As the person who'd put them in the trunk, I knew the answer firsthand. "Their underwear."
    "And?" Bishop said.
    I shrugged. "Their jewelry."
    Brittney leaned forward. "Yeah, Joey and Paul, they're like total bling-masters." She nodded like this was a good thing. "They have awesome taste."
    I gave her a look, but said nothing. Yeah, they had taste alright, like disco kings from the '70s.
    Bishop was still grinning. "I'm not talking about the jewelry. I'm talking about the masks."
    I shook my head. "What masks?"
    "The ski-masks."
    I frowned. They'd been wearing those masks when they'd jumped Chloe. Even without them, she would've been terrified. But those stupid