Page 147 of Unforgettable

“And why the fuck not?” Josh asked, continuing to rub circles on Amanda’s back.

Adam paused, eyes bouncing between us, and appeared to hesitate. Amanda wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

“I swear to God, Adam. If you don’t tell me right this second why my apartment looks like the set ofTwister, I’m going to—”

“Calvin,” he choked out, his eyes going wide.

Josh and I shared a look and then glanced at our girl. Not a hint of recognition passed over Amanda’s face. Her hands balled into fists at her sides, and I noticed the first of frustrated tears clouding her eyes.

“Quit dragging it out—who the hell is Calvin?” There was a shaky defiance contorting his expression, but it quickly disappeared.

“He’s my boss.”

We all stood quietly, still waiting for further explanation.

“I told him that I was done,” Adam said, speaking only to Amanda, who was barely containing the fury I knew was bubbling inside of her petite frame. I think we all understood where he was going with this. “And I am, or I was supposed to be. Calvin is the guy we all answer to—the big boss. And he—” Adam fidgeted where he stood, looking extraordinarily uncomfortable. “He told me that if I could get this sale done in California, then I’d be free. When I was there, everything went off without a hitch—I was pretty much just the middleman for the entire thing. But it hadn’t actually been as quick and painless as I thought. The product had gone missing, and now they’re blaming it on me.This,” he said urgently, waving his arms around. “Was a message sent by him to me.”

“You’re dealing?” I asked, and all he could do was nod. Amanda’s silence was so loud. “Guessing it’s more than weed?” I didn’t need him to nod to know I was right.

“Is it your fault?” Josh asked.

Adam scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I understand I’ve fucked a lot of things up—”

“Fucking understatement of the year,” I mumbled under my breath, crossing my arms over my chest and surveying the damage once again.

“But I wanted out. It was supposed to be a temporary thing anyway, but I got caught up in all of it. I wouldn’t have fucked it up. I did everything in my power to make sure it went right. I want out.”

Amanda sighed loudly and rolled her shoulders back. Even with this new information, and the state of her apartment, she wore an eerily calm expression. “So, what does Calvin want you to do? Go back to California and make sure the shit gets to whoever?”

Adam shook his head slowly, and my entire body tensed in preparation for what I knew was coming next. “He wants me to pay for it. Since the guy didn’t get what he was promised, he’s refusing to pay Calvin. He said since I’m the one that fucked it up, I get to front the money for the shipment.”

“How much?” Amanda asked in a quiet voice, and I instinctively took a step closer to her. The silence between the four of us hung like a dense fog.

“It was fifty grand, but each day I don’t come up with the cash, he adds a grand. It’s nearly ninety thousand now. And look, sis, I know—”

Amanda held up both of her hands, effectively cutting Adam off midsentence. Slowly, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her chest expanded, air filling her lungs, and hopefully, a calm blanketing over her.

As she lowered her hands and opened her eyes, I caught the distinctive tremor in each of her fingers.

“How do you know it’s him? How do you know it has anything to do with that?”

“They spray-painted a message on my bedroom wall.”

Amanda’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “Spray-painted?!”

Then she began pacing around the apartment, muttering to herself as she closely inspected the damage.

Josh, Adam, and I shared a look. “You broke her,” Josh muttered in a flat tone. “You finally fucked up bad enough that she’s lost it.”

“Guys, I didn’t—”

Josh and I simultaneously leveled him with matching scowls that warned him from spewing the excuse we knew was poised to slip from his lips. For so long, we’d watched him take advantage of his sister’s kindness and desire to help her little brother. But enough was enough.

“Honestly, we’re not fucking surprised,” Josh began. “I mean, this is a new low for you, but you can’t seem to stay the fuck out of trouble for anything. Can you?”

Amanda turned down the hallway and headed to her bedroom.

“No, you can’t. And this time, we’re not going to let Amanda break her fucking back or drive herself into the damn ground trying to fix it for you. She’s done it every other time, she’s given you a million more chances than she should have, yet you continue to make more mistakes,” I added.

---