Page 111 of Bad Medicine

“No.”

Anger, my old friend, rode hot through my veins, and I gripped the steering wheel tight to keep from showing just how much that one word pissed me off.

“You feel safe going back there?”

This time, he didn’t answer, and I watched as he drew a deep breath, his narrow chest expanding below the baggy hoodie, before giving a short, sharp shake of his head.

My own chest felt tight, knowing that all these years later, this kind of shit was still happening. Kids like Sway—kids like me—who were tossed in the system and forgotten about. Kids who were neglected and abused and ended up set adrift into a society that made it pretty damn clear what they thought you were worth, which was sweet fuck all.

I fuckin’ hated it.

“Well, what would you think about staying with me for a while?”

Sway’s head snapped up, shock clear in his eyes.

“You mean that?”

“I mean, my place is small, but I got some shit in the works that might find us some better digs.” Enzo’s guy, Julian, was supposed to be sorting out the paperwork for me today, actually—and charging me a premium for it being so close to Christmas.

Why that should matter to him when he never took the day off anyway, I didn’t know, but I’d pay whatever he wanted to make it work with my timeline, so I wasn’t about to fight him.

“But, what about...you know?”

“Your social worker?” When Sway nodded, I shrugged. “Francesca’s friends with the mayor and his wife. I’ll see if she can pull a few strings.”

“No shit?”

I didn’t tell him that it would probably be Lexi pulling the strings, but the end result would be the same. Sway would disappear from the books at the Clark County Family Services department, and no one would say a goddamn word.

“Alright, then, kid,” I said, exhaling heavily. I hadn’t realized how worried I had been that Sway might say no. “We’ll swing by your place later so you can grab your things.” I’d be having a little talk with that piece of shit foster dad, too. I’d caught a glimpse of him the night I’d followed Sway home. He’d been an overweight, balding guy with a face like a dog’s ass, and a scowl to match. I’d seen a million guys like him in my day; guys who hadn’t reached their potential and blamed everyone but themselves for not living up to the dreams they’d had while playing high school football and banging cheerleaders under the bleachers. Those guys, the ones that seemed to have fallen the farthest from grace, tended to be the fuckin’ worst, but I’d hoped that appearances would be deceiving.

Looks like I’d been right the first time.

“Ain’t got much,” Sway said with a shrug, and once again, the feeling in my chest kicked up. The kid just needed someone to cut him a break.

“Well, we’ll change that, too, alright?”

Another shrug, this time with a hint of a smile, so I figured we were all good.

A few minutes later, Sway piped up with questions.

“So, what is it exactly we’re doing here?”

“We’re watching.”

“Yeah, I got that part,” he said, his voice full of sarcasm. “But what are we watching for?”

“A bus.”

“You know,” he drawled after a minute. “You were the one who brought me. You could at least let me know how to be helpful.” When I looked at him, glaring through the lenses of my sunglasses, he smiled. “I’d like to say I earned my money, Rocco. Don’t like being anyone’s charity.”

I knew he meant staying with me, and I respected the fuck outta the kid for it, but I simply nodded.

“Alright, tough guy. We’re watching for a bus that’s been making the rounds collecting people and taking them to a destination they aren’t coming back from.”

“You mean The Chemist?” Sway asked, shooting straight up in his seat. “You guys believed me?”

“’Course we believed you, kid,” I replied, making his smile grow. “Wasn’t ever about that. We just needed proof. Proof about the Frost Bite. Proof about the skin trading. All of it. Even Enzo doesn’t like to do business without solid facts.” When Sway nodded seriously, his eyes on me like he was taking in every word I uttered, I continued. “So, that’s why we’re here. We’re waiting for the bus.”