Page 105 of Collect the Pieces

Not interested in getting stabbed by her knife-shaped talons, I jam my hands in my pockets. “I’m fine. Waiting for my sister.”

Her gaze flicks over me like she’s assessing whether I’m a bad decision she wants to make this afternoon. “Who’s your sister?”

Aren’t you a nosy little tramp?

I’m about to tell her to fuck off when Jezzie crashes through the door, bumping into me.

“All right, let’s go.” She stops cold, eyes narrowing. “Hey, Mila,” she says, her voice dripping with irritation.

Mila flashes a half smile, half sneer at my sister.

I don’t have time for this shit.

“Later.” I nod to the girl and rest my hand on Jezzie’s back, steering her around the girl and onto the sidewalk. “Which way?”

She casts a glare over her shoulder. “Why were you talking to her?” Jezzie whispers.

“Uh, she started talking tome. What’d you want me to do, backhand her?”

“Yeah, kinda.” Jezzie giggles, then threads her arm through mine, leading me to the left. “It’s this way.” She glances over her shoulder again. “I can’t believe you have a sweet, decent woman like Margot at home and I caught you talking to that deep-fried witch.”

I stop walking, jerking her to a stop.

She turns to face me. “What?”

“You need to chill the fuck out. I wasn’t trying to pick her up. Christ, Jezzie. You got that low an opinion of me?”

Her tough-girl expression wobbles. “Well, I told you, I like Margot.”

“Yeah,” I answer slowly. “So do I.” I wave one hand in the air. “I still have to, you know,talkto other human beings sometimes. Doesn’t mean I want to fuck ‘em.”

“Well,sheprobably wanted to fuckyou. She has a boyfriend back home but brings a different guy to her apartment every weekend.” She squeezes her eyes shut and gags. “Her bedroom’s right above mine.”

Shaking my head, I squeeze my eyes shut and count back from five. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, using the most patient tone I’ve got. “You want to look for a different place?”

“What? No. I just don’t want?—”

I hold up a hand to stop her. “Even if I wasn’t with Margot, I’m not interested in banging girls my sister’s age. Thanks. I’m good. Can we go now?”

She glances at my road captain patch. “She’s probably going to pester me for an invite to your clubhouse now. She’d fit in well with all the?—”

“All right. Enough.” I skewer her with my big brother glare. “I came to spend time with you, not argue about stupid shit.”

She lifts her shoulders and drops her gaze to the sidewalk. “Sorry.”

“What?” I cup one hand over my ear.

“Shut up.” She smacks my arm. “You heard me.”

“No, I didn’t. It sounded like?—”

“I’msorry!” she shouts.

I blink up at the sky. “Am I dead? Hallucinating?”

“Oh…my…God,” she spits out between giggles. “You’re ridiculous.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I mimic, walking ahead of her. “Let’s go. I told you I’m hungry.”

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