“Can’t say I was expecting the girl next door.” My friend breaks her stunned silence.
“It’s not like that,” I admit, sure she’s jumping to all sorts of wrong conclusions.
“Right.” She drags the word out.
“It’s not. I don’t even talk to her.”
Karmine narrows her eyes, and I press my lips together.
“You were whispering when I called you earlier…” I watch uncomfortably as she puts it together. “Hans, tell me you weren’t in her house.”
“Look,” I start, and I already know I’m gonna sound like a fucking creep. “I’m not doing it to perv on her or anything. I’m just making sure she’s safe.”
“By skulking through her house in the middle of the day? While she’s there?”
“When you say it like that.”
Karmine snorts. “Man, I know you’re not like these assholes.” She gestures her hand toward the bar. “But maybe you should try to spend some more time with normal people. Because you can’t be doing that. You’re good, but she’s gonna catch you. And that’ll go down real bad.”
“I don’t—She doesn’t…” I scrub a hand down my face. “She wasn’t there before. I fell asleep…”
Karmine drowns out my words with her full-body laugh.
After several long seconds, she finally takes a breath, and I level her with a bored look. “You done?”
She brushes a tear away from her eye. “Christ, Hans. You can’t just Goldilocks this girl and expect a happily ever after.”
“Goldi—” I shake my head. “I might be fucked in the head, but I’m not delusional. I know that’s not where my story goes.”
“What? Happiness?” The sad look she gives me makes my stomach hurt.
She knows my past just like I know hers. She knows what weighs on my shoulders. She knows I was too late.
Karmine’s expression softens. “You’ve more than leveled the scales of justice. Shit, you’ve ended enough bad guys to single-handedly populate one of the circles of hell.”
“And that means I win a white picket fence?”
She sighs, having no patience for my self-pity. “It means you can think about, I dunno, maybe not being such a fucking loser. Retire. Get a life. Try talking to the girl you’re stalking. Ask her out.”
“I’m not stalk—” I cut myself off because, by the definition of stalking, I think I probably am. So I change the topic. “Did you just tell me to retire?”
“I mean, not entirely. I still need you around on occasion. But why not go call up The Alliance bros? Throw hands with those fancy fucks. Change up the scenery a bit. You didn’t have us help you save that mafia asshole for nothing. I know you always have a plan.”
I lift a shoulder.
There wasn’t really a grand plan other than wanting to help out those who have helped me. True, The Alliance hadn’t realized they were helping me, considering they were hunting me, but they still helped to dispel human trafficking deals in their territory. And that was helpful to me.
Getting a life debt from Dominic Gonzalez was just a perk.
“You gonna retire?” I ask, deflecting the attention.
Karmine scoffs. “Fuck no. But I’m not as old as you. And, unlike you, I’m still getting some.”
“Bravo,” I say sarcastically.
“Don’t be a dick because you’re jealous. Human interaction is good for mental well-being. I don’t care about your fucked-up backstory; any girl would be lucky to end up with you.” She loosely flaps her hand in my direction. “Assuming they like the ruggedly handsome bad boy type.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Anytime, sport,” she snarks back, then pauses. “I’ve heard some chatter. People looking for you.”
“People are always looking for me.”
“Yeah, but not like this. This sounds close.” Karmine’s voice is serious.
“Noted.”
She’s right, of course. This newest ring of assholes has been more active than ever. And that means they have someone with lots of money funding them.
And it’s all the more reason to leave Cassandra alone. If someone’s after me, I can’t have anyone else around me to catch the shrapnel.
“Alright.” Karmine straightens from the side of the truck, hand on the duffel bag. “You want a cut?” she asks, like she always does.
“I’m good,” I answer the way I always do.