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I paid Kendall no attention, keeping my focus on Eli as he chased Rocky around Elaina and Darryl’s yard.
“Oh, come on, we’re family, Evan. You can talk to me about this stuff.”
Was she for real? I shrugged my shoulders, readjusting my arms as I leaned against the doorjamb.
“Evan.” Her hand landed on my arm, and I flinched. Her touch repulsed me to the core. “Don’t be like that. I just want to know if you’re happy. Is she making you happy?” Her words dripped with sarcasm and jealousy. It was ugly.Shewas ugly.
“Stay away from her, Kendall. I mean it. Come after Becca, and you’ll regret it.” I barged past her, ignoring her gasp when my shoulder bumped with hers, and headed outside.
“Evan!” Eli bounded toward me, and I scooped him up.
“Having fun, E?”
He nodded, his little face smeared with cake. “I’m cold, though.”
I glanced skyward. Thick clouds were rolling in, and rain was in the air. “Maybe you should come inside and check out some of those new toys.”
“Okay. Carry me? I’m sleepsy.” He yawned, nestling against my shoulder.
“Sure thing, buddy. Come on.”
The beast of a dog followed us eagerly as we made our way inside. Kendall watched us, her eyes burning holes in me, but I didn’t acknowledge her. I was done acknowledging her. I would come here when necessary and keep the peace for Eli’s sake, but that was it.
“Kid.” Darryl rose from his chair the second I entered the living room. “I need you to look at something.”
“Jump down,” I said to Eli, handing him off to Mom. She smiled, acting like nothing was up, and maybe to her, it wasn’t. She wasn’t dumb or blind. She knew the kinds of business Darryl was involved with—so did Elaina—but they were all too happy to reap the benefits.
They disgusted me.
“What?” My voice was clipped, more than I intended. But being here in their house had me on edge. Darryl cocked his eyebrow, probably shocked at my tone. If he was, he didn’t say anything as I followed him outside and around the back to his garage.
“Did you get my delivery?”
“Not cool,” I hissed. “That’s my house. My four-year-old brother lives there. What if he had—”
“Well, he didn’t, did he? This is the family business, kid. I need you. You need me. Seems pretty simple to me. We keep your momma out of trouble. You keep things ticking along nicely up at the school.”
I rubbed my temples, unable to meet his steely glare.
“Listen, kid. One way or another, this town will drag you under until you don’t know which way is up. You gotta learn to play the game. Stay on top. Soon that brother of yours will be at school. He’ll need things, want things. What are you gonna do? Get an honest-to-God job? Draw minimum wage and scrape by for the rest of your life? I’m offerin’ you something else, kid. Easy money.Bigmoney. Keep shifting the gear, prove to me you can handle the small time, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll bring you into the big time.”
My eyes snapped to his. What the hell did that mean?
He let out a throaty chuckle. “I was like you once, kid. Wanted to change the whole fuckin’ world. Be someone good. A hard workin’ citizen for good old Uncle Sam. But then I realized that Credence is a cesspool. Ain’t no big dreams to be realized here. It’s a fight for survival, kid, and I didn’t plan on losin’. Got me a good woman and a princess to take care of.”
If only he knew.I could have said it right then. I could have dropped the bombshell that would bring his own world down around him. But it was my ace card—one that I needed to hold onto in case shit got too intense with Kendall.
“So what’ll it be, kid?” He scratched his jaw.
“I’ll get rid of it.” I kept my voice flat, noncommittal, but he must have interpreted my compliance to mean something else because a twisted smile cracked his face as if he thought I was on board with everything.
As if he thought I’d sold my soul to the devil.
And it occurred to me that maybe I had.
* * *
“Hey.” I made a beeline for Becca. She was wiping down a table, looking adorable in the candy pink uniform that hugged her curves to perfection. “I thought we made plans?”
