“Because he said he had a buyer and gave me a deposit,” Vince says, and I have to wonder if we are actually talking about the same thing. Why the fuck would a drug dealer take a deposit? “Needless to say, after he got my shit, he went underground. People saw him here yesterday.”

“I’m dropping her off tomorrow night. I’ll have your money. You don’t tell her, and also, after this, you don’t go to her for his shit. She is not in this,” I say, and he just looks at me.

“I have no interest in working with Andrew again,” he says and then walks to me. “She doesn’t deserve the shit he’s putting her through, and she doesn’t deserve the shit that is going to come.”

I get into the driver’s seat and slam my door, and I want to pound my fist on the steering wheel. I have never in my life felt more powerless than I do at this moment.

I don’t sleep that night; I toss and turn, and when the sun starts to come up, I’m out the door. I pick up coffee and sandwiches for us, and when I walk into the apartment building, it’s quiet. I make my way to her apartment and softly knock on the door. I wait a couple of minutes, and when I’m about to knock again, the door opens just a touch, but it’s Dylan who greets me.

One of his eyes open while he smiles. “Hey, buddy,” I say, and he walks back, and I see that the apartment is still dark with just a little light coming from the bathroom. “I brought you food, sausage and egg sandwiches,” I say. He grabs the bag of food, walking over to the table and sitting down. I walk over and sit with him, grabbing my own breakfast. The bathroom door opens, and she comes out and she’s wrapped in a towel with her hair piled on her head. She stops when she sees me and walks back into the bathroom, closing the door. When she comes out again, she’s dressed in what she was wearing last night.

“I brought coffee,” I say softly. “And breakfast.” She looks at me and then looks at Dylan, who doesn’t care what’s going on. All he knows is that he’s eating.

“Can I talk to you?” she asks, and then I get up, grabbing a cup of coffee and bringing it to her. “Thank you,” she says softly and turns to walk into the room. “I’m going to talk to Justin for a second.”

“Okay, Mom,” he says.

“I bought you two,” I say, and he pulls his arm back and whispers yes.