Page 30 of Sugar Coated Secrets

“Don’t I know it? Isn’t that right, Trent?” he says, looking directly at me and making my blood boil.

“What’s that?” Trent says, acting like he didn’t hear.

Dickhead walks idly toward the back of my car, staring at the mufflers, and says, “Doesn’t everything come to light in this town?”

Trent drums his fingers over the roof of his car with a challenge in his gaze aimed right at Dickhead. “You want to hear a story, Mays?”

“Go ahead,” Dickhead says.

“When I was a kid, my father told me I could be anything I wanted. I said I wanted to be a cop or a fireman. This was before I was into cars. I wanted to help people. They kept putting posters up at school, telling people to give back to the community. How important it was not to break the law. One day, I told my father I wanted to be a cop when I grew up. He laughed at me. I asked him what was so funny. He said he would rather me be a thief than a police officer. I was initially confused and asked him why. He said there was no point in being a police officer when I had money.”

“I’m missing the point,” Mays says.

“There is no difference. A thief. A cop. It’s all the same. They both fuck people for money.”

“Are you trying to tell me something, Trent?”

He’s trying to say his silence can be bought… or it has been bought.

“Not at all. Are you trying to bust me for something, Officer? Are you trying to fuck me for money?” Trent says scornfully.

Dickhead gives me a bewildered little smile. “That depends. I could give you boys a citation for an improper start. See how you get off on that and have these cars impounded for being illegally modified.”

I suck my teeth. “That’s all you got? Seems to me this is about something else.”

I’m not sure what his deal is with Trent. It could be that Trent is an asshole with money who gets away with shit because of who his father is, but with me, it’s personal. This is about Dulce. What gets me is how he knew how I felt about her. He was hired about the same time I left town, and the first time I saw him was when he pulled me over as soon as I passed the welcome sign. Something doesn’t add up. It looks like he was waiting for me to come back. Like he was expecting me.

“What do you think, Keller?” Dickhead asks like he cares what I think.

I cross my arms. “I’m with Trent on this one. I think you fuck people for money.”

“No, I think you’re worried I’m going to get in the way of whatever the fuck brought you back or, better yet, who.”

My leg shakes, trying to calm the urge to beat the shit out of him.

“There is no law against that,” I point out.

“No, there isn’t, but I don’t trust you, Keller. I can honestly admit that I don’t like you.”

I chuckle sarcastically. “You could have fooled me.”

“I can see right through your pretty boy smile. You think you’re hot shit. All of you. That friend of yours—Chris, is it? He’s a real piece of work,” Dickhead says, placing his glasses on top of his head.

“I wouldn’t know about that,” I tell him. “I just came back into town.”

He looks at Trent. “What’s your business here?”

Trent glances at me.

“Cars,” I lie.

“I think you’re lying, Keller.”

“That’s a strong statement, Mays,” Trent says. “That type of statement can get you in trouble. A cop targeting a celebrity. You know that won’t fly in this town.”

“Last I heard, he isn’t the mayor’s favorite.” I can see the gleam in his eye when he continues, “Both of you, but especially you, Keller…” He pauses. “Weren’t you fucking his daughter?”

“I would be careful what you say next,” Trent says, shutting the driver’s side door.

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