She needed him focused. “I don’t have time to talk about the car, Josh. What happened? Is Nate still here?”
“He’s still here.” Her brother’s body shook, but his voice held steady. The Delgado fake-it-till-you-make-it gene in action.
“Okay,” she said like she actually had a grip on what the fuck was happening. “What exactly did Adam say to you?”
“That’s the thing. He was really chill about it. He showed up with hoagies and brought me one. Told me he heard I was doing good here—which is true, sis.”
Lord. Now was not the time to dredge up his rehab. Her boss was missing, and she had a rival’s employee waiting for questioning back at the shop. She was not living her best life, and shit kept sliding down from above to splat squarely on her shoulders. “I’m glad to hear it’s going well,” she said because she had to. “But what did Adam say?”
“I was getting to that.” The more riled he got, the less the twitching was noticeable. Progress? “So he asked how my mom was doing. I told him she was hanging in there, which is true, but not the whole story.”
Yes, she knew that part. She nodded, and he continued.
“He said he knew Zara. Said she was cool.”
Callie couldn’t stop the snort from slipping. Anyone who hadn’t been close with her or Josh growing up thought Zara had been the mom they’d always wanted. Like hitting the casinos on the regular was the kind of party life that was perfect for a single mom. Like kids would love to spend hours in the car outside said casino. Idiots.
“Yeah, well, he said he’d heard she was in the hospital and was hoping she was healing up.”
“Did you ask who he heard that from?”
“No, Callie. Why would I do that? We were eating sandwiches and he was checking in on my mom.”
Her cheeks heated and it had nothing to do with the slap of the wintry air. “Because your mother was just kidnapped and tortured and who the fuck would be talking about that other than the people involved?”
“I called you, remember? You don’t have to get all preachy princess to me. We come from the same place.”
“I know that. That’s why you should know better than to trust these people.” Whisper yelling was still yelling, and a couple of the workmen shot dirty looks in their direction. Callie sucked in a big breath of thin, frigid air, and then coughed it back out.
“Well, do you want to know what happened or do you want to bitch at me?”
She didn’t have time to placate him. “Just fucking tell me.”
He huffed, and white smoke rose from his mouth. Her beanpole of a brother transformed into a snow dragon. “After I told him she was out of intensive care, he left for a while. He came back with Nate, and that’s when I called you.”
Josh wasn’t about to say that’s when he realized he’d screwed up. Admitting guilt wasn’t something the Delgados did. They stockpiled their guilt around their organs until their liver kicked back or their stomach burned. It was unhealthy, and knowing that didn’t change anything.
“Did Nate see you?” Maybe this wasn’t as bad as she’d originally feared.
Josh looked toward the singlewide trailer at the edge of the building. Callie followed his gaze. The windows glowed with the warm yellow of agave in bloom. There was nothing ominous about the office, but her brother hollowed when he looked at it. His shoulders sagged and his jaw slackened. The white in his eyes—so vivid a moment ago—disappeared to darkness. She’d seen Josh’s skin sallow and pocked, and she’d been the one with a warm cloth wiping vomit from his chin and cheeks. This was different than his drug desperation. This was knowledge biting him. This was being near those same people who sold him drugs with a clear head, and the realization that those same people who had tossed him a free taste here and there were the people who had stolen his mother for days, who had taken her fingers, who had terrorized his sister, and who were ready to treat him with the same vile callousness.
It was a lot for anyone. Fuck knew Callie hadn’t handled her cannonball jump into this world well. It was more for Josh. He’d been trusting. He’d been the party guy. He’d been addled and avoiding. Now he had to confront it, and Callie worried the only thing keeping him from scoring meth now was the realization he’d have to go to those very people to get it. The thought soured her stomach and the sharp tang of regret filled her mouth.
“Josh?” This time it was she who grabbed his arm. Where his touch had been firm, hers was gentle. The tattered pieces of his soul called to her magic, but she shoved back against the plea. She didn’t have time for the ice to lock her hands. She coddled his soul without thinking, and the ice failed to form on her fingers.
The contact was enough to reel him back from the memories haunting him, if only for the moment.
“Nate offered to hook me up.” His reedy rasp was going to break her.
Callie tightened her grip. “He—”
“Not meth. He offered be a taste of a soul.” Josh’s lips barely moved.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There were not enough curse words in the world for this moment. Was this a ploy to mess with her? Had Nate brought along the bonus souls
