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“It could be just random,” Tori says. “Shitty kids acting out.”
Bailey steps closer to the car. “I doubt it,” she says, pointing to a word scrawled on the hood.
BITCH
“God,this is just what I need,” I groan. “I don’t have the money for another car. Why me? Why now?”
But it seems that life isn’t quite done fucking with me just yet. In my purse, my cell phone starts to buzz. Dazedly, I fish it out and answer. “Hello?”
“Miss Aurora?” Gina’s panicked voice comes over the line. “You need to go to the hospital! Your father has had some sort of attack.”
24
ROGUE
The next day, I head on over to the Viking to go over some accounting stuff that Mal and Vinnie wanted me to look over. Neither one of them are there, but Jessie tells me Vinnie’s left the folders he wants me to look at in the back office.
“Hey, how’s Rory, by the way?” she adds.
I frown. “She’s fine as far as I know. Why do you ask?”
“She was here last night with the other old ladies from your club. They left after they had dinner and drinks here. But then a couple minutes later, Tori came back in and told me Rory’s car got trashed in the back parking lot. They had to leave it here, because Rory needed to get to the hospital. Still hasn’t been picked up.”
“Wait, what?” Alarm makes my pulse spike. “What happened to Rory?”
“Nothing happened toher,” she corrects me. “Her dad collapsed or something at home. I guess the maid found him? She called an ambulance and they brought him in.”
Shit.“Tell Vinnie I’ll look at the paperwork later,” I say, already heading for the back door. “I gotta go.”
I push out into the back parking lot, and sure enough, there’s a car back there that’s all beat to shit. The windshield’s smashed in a couple of places, and the spiderweb patterns spread out over the glass. There’s no way the car can be driven. On the front, over the hood of the car, someone has spray painted the wordbitchin all caps.
“Jesus H. Christ,” I mutter. This doesn’t seem random. I wonder if it has anything to do with the incident with Wrecker and his old lady. Seems like it’s the most likely scenario. But I don’t have time to think about that right now. I need to find Rory.
I cut back through the bar, ignoring Jessie as I pull out my phone and punch in the number for Ironwood Car and Truck Repair. Thorpe answers.
“Hey, buddy, I need you to send someone over to the Viking with a tow truck,” I say. “There’s a car in the back lot, all smashed up. You’ll see it. Take it over to the garage, see what it would take to fix it.”
“What the hell happened there?” Anyone we know?”
“Rory. Apparently, someone vandalized it last night.”
Thorpe chuckles on the other end. “Shit, man. She’s only back in town for a couple of weeks, and already you’re doin’ all sorts if shit for her. Seems like you shoulda learned your lesson with that chick.”
“Shut up, Thorpe,” I snarl. “You don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“The hell I don’t. I know she’ll open her legs for anyone who wants her to. All a guy’s gotta do is crook his finger and she’ll come running. You’re just her latest victim. All over again.”
“That’s enough!” I roar into the phone.
“Holy shit. You’re still whipped over her, ain’t you.” He lets out a loud cackle. When he starts talking again, his tone is sharp. “You better watch yourself with her, man. She’s bad news. You used to know that. You can’t trust a word outta that bitch’s mouth.”
I’m mad as hell by now — partly at Thorpe, and party at myself for wondering if there’s a chance that he’s right. “Just get your fucking ass over to the Viking and get her car. And keep your goddamn opinions to yourself.”
I end the call, and stop just short of throwing my fucking phone into traffic.
Fuming, I speed over to Morningside Hospital on my bike, weaving through the streets and pissing off more than one driver in a cage. At the hospital, I storm through the doors and up to the info desk.
“I need to know where Richard Wilkins’ room is,” I say to the older lady behind it.
