“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” he said under his breath. Before she could return that volley, he continued, “No. His brother works with me. Adam comes by to visit. He does more than sling drugs. He delivers materials.”
“Materials?” She didn’t bother hiding her disbelief.
“It’s construction. We use building materials. Really, Callie, do we have to have this conversation in the middle of the night?”
He really didn’t get it, did he? “It’s important.”
Josh was quiet for a moment. “No, it isn’t. You’re digging into my shit without a cause. You’re doing it at three in the goddamn morning. You should be doing something about getting our mom back. Spending your time trying to drag me down ain’t fair. Either you trust me or you don’t. I’m not the one putting the Soul Charmer before family. I’m not putting an outsider like the Charmer’s muscle before family. Could be that’s why I’m not the one who got mom taken. Could be you need to remember to put Delgados first again.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Callie’s voice was so quiet, it was a miracle Josh heard her.
Something metal squeaked on his end of the line.
“No. Just. Fucking. No. I’m your little sister, but I’ve been cleaning up your messes for years. I never say no to you. I never turn you away. You sent Ford to my fucking door to demand I work for him and then the Soul Charmer. I did things I vowed I would never do—and things I didn’t even know I was capable of—for you. For family. For Delgados. Mom got herself into this shit.” As soon as she said it, Callie knew it was true. It didn’t shake the guilt gripping her spine. Truth didn’t work like that. The truth had to break you before it could set you free.
“Mom chose to be involved with soul renting. She chose to ignore my advice to stay away. She pushed. I’m not saying I’m blameless, but this isn’t all on me. I’m doing everything I can to save our mother, and it would be fucking nice to get some help.”
“Oh.” Josh swallowed loud enough for Callie to hear.
“I was calling for help. For mom. For our family. But, yeah, Josh, I’m super fucking selfish.”
He swallowed hard again. Maybe the bitter truth was caught in his throat?
Finally, softly, he said, “What do you need?”
“I need to find Mom.” She sucked in a steadying breath. Before he could bring up his private investigator idea again, she continued, “Help me find Nate.”
“I’m gonna get us a P.I. We don’t need Nate.”
The shiver shooting down Callie’s spine had nothing to do with the thermostat. That familiarity. She hated that her brother had ever met Ford, Nate, and the other scary dealers, but she might have hated it even more that he didn’t hold grudges against them. Josh had gotten himself addicted. She wasn’t trying to put that on the people who distributed the drugs. But Ford and Nate were more than that. They’d kidnapped him. They’d blackmailed her. Those acts were on them, and if she could have she would never have spoken Nate’s name again. She had to, though. She had to play his stupid game, because he held the cards now.
“Seriously?”
Josh’s end of the call offered only the rustle of fabric.
Once again, she had to take the lead here. Had to guide him along. It’d be nice if he could be the same big brother who had protected her as a kid. The one who snuck her out of school for baseball games, who hid snacks under the sink for her when Zara earmarked all their money for Blackjack, who had helped her piece together Halloween costumes, and who had hidden her from bullies. She stifled a sigh, but resignation rattled against her ribs.
“Nate has our mom, Josh. He’s literally the bad guy here. Tell me who to talk to, where to go. Something for fuck’s sake.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. Honest. I haven’t talked to Nate. He’s missing, too. That’s why we need to hire a guy to find Mom.”
Josh was lucky they were having this call over the phone, because the urge to crunch his junk with a kick to the pants was begging for attention.
“Do you at least know of anyone who is close with him?”
“His ex-girlfriend is a cocktail waitress at Rodrigo’s.” His voice wavered, but the undercurrent of hope didn’t escape Callie.
“What’s her name?” she asked, trying not to imagine anyone wanting to have sex with Nate ever in the history of time.
“Cindi, I think.”
Callie glanced at the clock. It was almost four a.m. Rodrigo’s was a T&A joint serving sucky bar food. It also kept nightclub hours. Nights and weekends only. Talking to Nate’s ex-girlfriend was off the table for at least another twelve hours. Too long. Adam was on the move, and that meant at least some of Nate’s crew knew she was searching hard for him.
She needed another lead, but Josh wasn’t up to giving it to her. They said goodbyes, and Callie started scrolling through Adam’s phone messages for more clues.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Callie had been staring at Adam’s phone for so long, she almost didn’t recognize the buzz of her own cell. The rattle of plastic and glass was a reminder of her obligations to the Charmer. If she still worked at the retirement home, requesting leave would be as simple as a form and a promise to keep others updated. She might earn an on-the-books paycheck from the soul-renting gig, but it didn’t come with a 401K or any time off.
Becoming an apprentice to the Soul Charmer had not given her freedom from collections duty. She now had more to do without Derek at her side. She missed his casual lethality, and the way it put clients in the mood to remit.
He hadn’t returned yet. She texted him. “Any luck?”
Derek’s response pinged back almost immediately. “Plates were stolen.”
Well, shit.
“Recent. Am looking into the
