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“Billie, I…”
I turned back to him before I shut the car door, waiting for him to finish.
“We have a job in two days,” he said.
“Fine.” I shut the door, feeling like that wasn’t what he’d meant to say, and headed back toward my house.
Mom was standing in front of the kitchen window when I got back, staring outside. Her gaze wandered over me and she squinted, as if she thought she might recognize me.
I didn’t bother going inside.
Chapter Twenty-Four
This morning, I’d broken down and sent out a message to everyone I knew. Every. Single. Contact.
That was hours ago, and there hadn’t been any replies. Not one. My old life was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do.
“Oh shit. I double-booked,” Cookie said as she stared at the calendar on her phone on the other couch.
I hummed, sensing she wanted some sort of reply, and I was the only other person there.
I caught her looking up from her phone, staring at me, and alarms blared in my mind. Was it too late to run into my suite, lock the door, and pretend not to have heard her?
It was worth a shot. I leaned forward, ready to make a run for it. She looked straight at me, catching me in her visual snare before escape was possible.
“Billie, your schedule is wide open, right?” She smiled, as if she knew she had me.
After what had happened the other night with Chaos…
I got to my feet, getting ready to run for it, and to hell with who got insulted. “I’m not sure if––”
She grabbed my arm, locking on to it like a steel vise. “Look, just go to this address and find Callie Pritchard. Make her…” She stared up at the ceiling. “You know, I can’t remember what was supposed to be fixed, but it’ll kick in when you get there. It always does.”
I tried to tug away from her. “I’m not sure if I’m cleared to do jobs on my own. I think we’d have to talk to Kaden.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you are. Plus, you’re a natural.” She grabbed a piece of paper out of her pocket and shoved it into my hand. “Go here. It’s the last day before it’s too late. Ithasto get done. This is really important, and you can name your price.”
Did she really mean that? All I could think of was my mother standing in that kitchen window, drinking herself to death, alone. If I could tinker her, convince her to quit drinking, and get her a house in a community where she could maybe meet some people…
I took the paper and held it as I thought this through. “Can you give me an example of what I could ask for?”
“I told you. Name your price. What do you want?” Cookie asked, tucking her phone in her pocket and grabbing her bag off the table, as if this was already settled.
“There’s a house I’ve been looking at buying for—”
“Done. I’ll show you how to put the details in after the job is completed. Talk to you later!” She was out the door before I could ask anything else.
“That’s it? And I get a house for my mother?” I said to no one.
This could work. I could do this.
No. Iwasdoing this.
I looked up the address she’d given and found out it was a motor vehicle agency. At least I didn’t have to worry about changing, since I didn’t have very long to get there. Jeans and a sweater were perfect. I’d get in, get out, and be done.
I went to the door and headed Topside. If I was going to be a tinker, I’d tinker and at least reap the benefits.
Hank smiled when he saw me, and it didn’t look like he was used to that expression.
