Page 77 of Like You Know

I gave his back the finger but stepped away from the window. All the windows had the blinds drawn, and I figured there was probably a reason for that. But I still couldn’t sit still, so I wandered around the dingy room, looking around. There wasn’t much to see. Just peeling wallpaper and dirty coffee mugs. Not a personal item in sight.

One of the desks was a total mess of notepads and folders, with mugs and plates on top of them. I stacked the plates and straightened the folders.

“Don’t touch that!” This time it was the chick analyst telling me off. “Jesus Christ, what kind of idiot are you? That’s classified, important information you’re messing with.”

“I was just tidying up,” I gritted out.

“Well, don’t. Just sit on your spoiled little ass and don’t touch anything.” She turned away without waiting for a reply. I flipped her off too and headed back to the couch. Why did they have to be so fucking mean? The hostility was next level.

I took my phone out to message the girls and complain about the bitchy analysts, but a text came in before I got a chance.

It was from Calvin. I sighed, not in the mood for more of him trying to convince me I should go somewhere with him for safety, but I opened it anyway.

And my stomach plummeted.

It was a short text, and a photo came through right after.

C: I have your mom. Come now and DO NOT tell your cop boyfriend about this.

There was an address at the end. The photo was of Mom. She had on the same dress she’d worn that night—the one I’d cobbled together for her—and bruises covered her face. She was lying down on some bed, passed out.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

I called him immediately.He didn’t pick up. I called again, and again no one picked up. Then another text came through.

C: Stop calling. Just come to the address. Alone.

Fuck that. Fuck him!

I sprang to my feet and ran across the room to the two analysts.

“Can you get in touch with Jet and the others?” I slapped my palm down on the chick’s desk. She looked at it pointedly, then glared at me.

“What now?” The dude sighed dramatically as the chick flicked my hand off her desk as if it were a bit of moldy pizza crust.

“You need to call them and tell them they’re going to the wrong place. I just got a text. My mom is not there anymore. Calvin ...”

They weren’t listening. They were laughing at me. At first trying to contain it, then outright laughing.

“Just wait for your boyfriend and let us do our jobs, little girl.” The chick waved me off as if I were an irritating fly. They were clearly too far up their own asses to listen, and I didn’t have time for this bullshit.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and rushed to the door. The dude called after me, swearing, but neither of them chased me down the stairs or out of the building. I called Jet on my way down, but he didn’t answer his phone. Of course he didn’t. It was probably on silent while he stormed an empty building with the other cops.

Out on the street, I looked up the address. It was a good hour drive out into the hills. I needed a car, but I’d come here with Jet. Dammit!

Pulling at my hair and growling, I turned on the spot in search of a solution. I could get an Uber home and grab my car, but that would add another forty minutes to my drive. I could go to the police station one street over. If the dickheads upstairs weren’t going to take me seriously, maybe they would. But I dismissed that idea almost as quickly as it came. There was a reason the BestLyf task force was in a shitty apartment with the blinds constantly drawn—the police couldn’t be trusted. Raine almost certainly had the local police in her pocket. What if they tipped her off? What if they tipped Calvin off? I couldn’t risk him taking Mom away again—or worse.

Think, Amaya! What else is in the area?A few friends lived in the apartment buildings nearby, but the closest familiar spot was Exert—the gym where Turner worked. I jogged around the corner and up the block to the gym.

The young girl in activewear behind the counter smiled at me. I was a regular here, and most of the staff knew me.

“Is Turner here?” I rushed out before she could greet me.

“Uh, no.” She looked worried now that she’d taken in my panicked expression, my labored breathing. “He’s not working today.”

“Fuck. OK. Julie, right?”

She nodded, looking more uncertain by the second.