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That wasn’t going to happen, but now that Luke knew where to find him, he turned and left, not in the mood to engage with this guy any further.
Luke found Ricky just as he was about to step into a classroom and blocked him from going in.
“Come on, Man, class is starting,” Ricky complained.
“The sooner you talk to me, the sooner you can get to class. And I don’t give passes out like they do in elementary school, so you better talk fast.”
Ricky slumped his shoulders and hung his head. “What do you want?”
“For starters, I told you if you ran from me, I’d have you arrested.”
“I’m not running, Dude. I’m standing still.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I’ve got nothing to say,” Ricky shrugged. “I don’t know who that guy is.” He said that last part in a hushed tone, no doubt referring to the photo of the sketch Luke had text messaged him the last time they spoke.
“What about his business with the gang? Any ideas what he was doing at the warehouse? What would your cousin want with him?”
Ricky shook his head and shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the bounty.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “What bounty?”
“I don’t know anything, okay? I’m low level. Like the lowest of the low. But word on the street is that there’s a bounty out on someone’s head. A million bucks.”
“And?” Luke pressed. His heart was racing at the thought this was conjuring in his mind, but he put his fears aside and stared Ricky down until the man spoke again.
“And he might have something to do with it.” Ricky raised both hands in surrender. “I don’t exactly know what. He might be the hunter or the messenger or - I don’t know.”
“What about this bounty?” Luke asked. “Who are they looking for?”
Ricky scoffed. “What part of low level is unclear to you, Bro? No one tells me anything.”
As much as it pained Luke, he actually believed Ricky was telling the truth, but he wasn’t done with him yet. “What have you heard about a new drug hitting the streets? It supposedly alters people’s minds or something.”
Ricky sighed. “Nothing. Just what you said. It sounds cool as shit, but I’ve never seen it or gotten my hands on it.”
It took every ounce of restraint not to put Ricky in a choke hold for calling the drug that had caused Orly so much pain and anguish cool. “That shit is dangerous,” Luke ground out. “I want to know the second you lay eyes on it and if you can get me a sample, even better.”
Ricky shook his head. “Are you trying to get me killed?”
Luke glared at him. “I own you. Or you can spend your best years in a cell with your cousin and his friends. You pick.”
“Fine. Can I go to class now?” Ricky shuffled his feet. His eyes darted around like he was nervous standing out in the open talking to Luke.
“Get me more on the guy in that sketch and find me that drug, or going to class will be a thing of the past for you,” Luke spat out, then walked away, not bothering to look back, uncaring if anyone heard him.
Every second that drug was on the streets was another second Orly’s mind was vulnerable to attack. He couldn’t even wrap his mind around there being a possible bounty out - on her. He hated that his thoughts had even gone there, but with everything else going on, he couldn’t deny it was a real possibility. His sweet, innocent Orly was likely in even more danger than he’d thought.
Chapter 21
“You’re not even going to ask where I’m taking you?” Luke glanced at Orly as he changed lanes, unable to keep the smile from his face as his gaze landed on her. Two weeks had passed since Orly’s ordeal, and they were still no closer to finding the drug, who was making it, or the murderer that had viciously used it to get into her mind. She’d been taking precautionary measures to ensure the murderer couldn’t find her, like not looking at street signs, avoiding looking at house numbers, and other little things like that, but it was still hard on both of them. Her being so vulnerable made it impossible for Luke to protect her from another attack, and not knowing what the murderer had been looking for in her mind made it all the more likely he’d try again.
“No.” Orly smiled, warmth shining in her eyes. “I trust you.”
Her words landed like a balm to his heart. It never got old hearing her say that. She’d come such a long way since that first time he’d heard her in his mind. From someone who feared he’d side with her abusive ex to the open and happy woman sitting next to him now, with her feet perched up on the dashboard as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
He loved how she had one arm casually hanging out the open window, catching the breeze in the palm of her hand while he held her other hand, giving it gentle squeezes every time their gaze met. She wore a new pair of faded blue jeans and a flowy top with a small pink flower print and a white lace trim. She looked like a sweet southern belle, especially with her freshly painted pink toe nails and sandals with cute white felt flowers on the buckles. There was no way he could ever shop online and expect anything to fit him right, but Orly had managed to pick out just the right pieces and sizes, without breaking the bank. He’d told her not to worry about money, that he could afford whatever she wanted to charge to his credit card, but she’d still been frugal, explaining there was no way she would ever take advantage of him or even want him to think she was.
