Page 69 of Sugar Coated Secrets

“Right,” Trent says.

I don't want to be part of whatever is going on. It is obvious Ford kicked his ass.

“You don’t have to hide the fact that you kicked his ass,” Katie says to Ford.

I clear my throat. “I wanted to ask if you had the estimate ready to fix the van.”

“It’s fixed,” Trent says.

“How… how much?” I stammer, hoping I have enough.

Ford reaches into his pocket and picks up my keys, revealing a small cake on the chain. “It’s taken care of,” he says.

I look at Trent, and he nods in approval.

“I can’t…”

I don’t want to owe them anything.

“Dulce,” Katie says, reaching for the keys from Ford. She whirls and looks at me. “It’s taken care of.”

I shake my head and look at my black and white Vans, dirty from the woods.

Ford steps forward. “Can I have a minute with Dulce, Katie?”

Katie looks over her shoulder. “If you promise not to hurt her,” she says in a hard tone.

“I would never hurt her, Katie,” he says with a hurtful expression like the idea repulses him.

“You have,” she says in a stern tone, looking between Ford and Trent. “All of you have. You’re all a bunch of pieces of shit.”

“I know,” Ford admits. “But I’ll never hurt her.”

“He’s right,” Trent says, gesturing to his face. “He’ll do this again if I so much as look at her.”

I grimace at how awful his face looks. Why?” I ask.

“You know why, Dulce.” Ford nods at Trent. “That was for the phone. He can't talk through one for a while or see a text.”

“You can’t beat people up when you were part of it,” I tell him.

“I can, and I will. I know you don’t understand why, and it might not make much sense to you right now, but all I can tell you is this is only the beginning.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Katie asks, confused, looking between Ford and Trent.

“If she told you, you know exactly what it means,” Ford says, not sure, but I’m assuming he thinks she does because I brought her here with me.

Katie scoffs. "What're you going to go reaping souls or some shit?”

Ford crosses his arms across his chest, making his biceps bulge, and my pulse picks up speed. “If that’s what it takes.” He glances at me. “I’m not leaving until it’s done.”

“What’s done?” I ask, confused. “What are you going to do? You’re not going to jeopardize everything you have worked for.”

“I don’t care about that, Dulce. I care about you.”

Tears slide down my cheeks in frustration. “Don’t…”

He cups my cheek, wiping my tears away with his thumb. “Can I talk to you for a second?” He looks at Katie, then at me. “Alone?”

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