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“The Broken Jokers?”

“Well, yes, but there were others, too, but the Broken Jokers were the ones he could never seem to get ahead with. And then he died.”

“But his debts didn’t die with him,” Hail guessed.

“Yup,” I sighed. “It was not even two weeks after his funeral when Trick showed up at my door and informed me that my monthly payment was coming due.”

Hail slammed his fist against the dash. “Fucking assholes!”

“I’m taking care of it, Hail. As long as I pay them, everything is fine.”

“You shouldn’t have to be paying your dad’s debts, Mary Jay. They should have just forgiven them and left you alone.”

“It’s fine, Hail.”

He shook his head. “It’s not fine, Mary Jay.”

“Well, I don’t have any other choice, Hail, so this is how it is.”

He turned in his seat, and I could still feel the anger rolling off him, except it wasn’t directed at me anymore. “I’ll handle it.”

“What? What do you mean you’ll handle it? You just told me you hated the Broken Jokers, so I have to assume that the feeling is mutual.”

“It is,” he growled.

This didn’t make sense. “Then don’t go talk to them, Hail. What if they get mad you’re talking to them about my problem and then make me have to pay it all right now?”

“Your problems are my problems now, Mary Jay. You should have told me about this.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure, sure. I’ll tell the guy I just started seeing that I also owe over seventy-five thousand to the Broken Jokers. A conversation you would totally have over cereal and coffee in the morning.”

“I’ll handle it,” he growled. “Don’t even worry about it. You don’t owe another cent to the Broken Jokers.”

“Hail, you’re crazy. I don’t know what you think you are going to do, but this is not just going to go away.”

He cradled my face in his hands, and I finally saw the man I had been falling in love with for the past two weeks.

“I got you, Mary Jay. I’m not lying when I say your problems are mine.”

“I don’t want you doing anything that will get you in trouble.”

He shook his head. “I’m not going to get into trouble.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

He brushed his thumb across my cheek. “I’m just going to talk to Hobbs and show him the errors in his ways.”

“Hail,” I whispered.

“Do you trust me, Mary Jay?” he asked.

I did. More than anyone. I was still trying to figure out how that could be since I was still getting to know him, but I did trust him. With my life. “Yes.”

“Then let me handle this.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with this. It’s my dad.”

“And your dad should have made sure you didn’t have to deal with it. I’m going to rectify that.”

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