“Andy, Jake is really sick. I need to take him to the hospital.” Sherry folded her arms in front of her chest when Andy kept staring at her breasts.

Andy’s gaze jerked to Sherry’s face. “Jake’s sick? I can drive you.”

“That’s really nice of you, but you’ve been drinking.”

“D’you think I can’t drive?” He moved closer, but Sherry sidestepped him again.

She had to be careful what she said, or he wouldn’t lend her the car. “I don’t want to interrupt you or Steve.” She forced a smile. “Of course I will fill up the tank to compensate for any gas I use.”

“Will ya join me later?”

“Huh?”

Andy leaned against Steve’s camper, obviously not caring about the dark stains on it. “We really would be good together, ya know?”

She had feared that he would hit on her again. Hopefully, he would still lend her the car when she turned him down. After all, she’d told him repeatedly that she wasn’t interested. “That’s, um, nice of you to say, but I really have no time for this. And Chloe—”

“She’s a fucking slut! Forget her.” He winked at her. “I already have.”

To try to talk reason into him was going to be useless. “Andy, my boy is really sick. Will you give me the keys or not?”

He inspected the gravel yard before focusing on her once more. “For a kiss, you get ’em.”

Oh, God! The thought of kissing him brought bile to the back of her throat. She swallowed. “Please give me the keys.”

“Kiss first.”

“Please, Andy.”

“Totally up to you,” he said in a singsong voice as if this were all a big game.

While she peeked over her shoulder to her trailer, one thought kept repeating itself: Jake needs me.

Andy was already bending forward to seek his reward, but Sherry held him back by laying her trembling hand on his filthy shirt. “First give me the keys.”

Andy, who had pursed his lips, frowned. “Don’t trust me, huh?”

She wanted to smile, but her lips probably formed a pained expression at best. She just wanted to cry.

He hesitated, but then he rolled his eyes and dug the keys out of his greasy pants. “Here.”

Sherry gripped the keys as if her life depended on it. Who knew how sick Jake really was this time? It could be that his life depended on these damn keys.

With any luck, it would be over soon. When his face came closer, the stench of cigarettes, cheap booze, and the weed he and Steve smoked threatened to make her gag.

Andy’s rough lips and scruff were on her before she could take another breath. His slimy tongue stabbed inside her mouth while one of his hands grabbed her butt hard.

He pulled her closer and moaned.

“Let go of her, you brute,” Rita Mae shouted.