Page 591 of The Tempted

I felt the burn of the powder in my nostrils and sniffled until it passed before I wiped the counter clean. I knotted the tip of the bag and shoved the remaining coke into my pocket before leaving the bathroom and headed straight for the bar.

I pulled the half-empty bottle of Johnny Walker off the shelf and took a seat at the bar.

It was the wrong move because the minute I sat down the door opened and for a minute I imagined Lacey walking through it, just as she did that first night.

I knocked back a shot, blinked and saw Riggs.

I turned around, hoping he wouldn’t cut me any slack, but he didn’t even seem to notice I was clutching the bottle like it was my salvation and poured myself a refill.

He was too wrapped up in his own hell to notice I was reliving mine.

“Tell me I did the right thing,” Riggs demanded, as he filled his glass again.

“I don’t even know what you did,” I muttered, watching as he placed the bottle down and stared at his glass.

“It don’t matter, just tell me what I need to hear,” he said, downing another shot.

“You did the right thing,” I muttered, not giving two fucks about this kid’s problems—drowning in a sea of my own.

Still, he’s been the only man in my corner with this shit with Lacey. He’s had my back and hers when no one else would’ve given me that respect.

I owed him the same.

Not to mention it wasn’t that long ago that he saved my life by shooting me with the Naloxone trying to reverse everything Jimmy Gold did to me.

He saved my life.

He gave me a chance to be with Lace.

Yeah, Riggs deserved my respect.

“You looking to forget? That shit won’t do it,” I told him, swapping the bottle of tequila he was nursing with the bottle of Black.

“I’m sorry,” he grunted as I took a swig of his tequila.

“You have a fight with your ol’ lady?” I questioned.

“I don’t have one of those,” he replied.

I let him believe the lie because every now and then we needed to escape reality.

“Right, the baby mama then,” I corrected.

Riggs liked herb, and I had just swiped some when I grabbed the coke. I pulled it from my pocket and broke up the pot on top of the bar.

I leaned over the bar and grabbed the rolling papers from behind it before I sat back down and rolled a perfectly tight joint.

“What was that shit with the cops earlier?” he asked.

If Riggs needed a distraction, talking about what a scumbag Brantley was, would be the way to go.

“Ah, me and officer Brantley go way back,” I slurred, bringing the end of the paper to my lips to lick and seal it. “I don’t know who gave that piece of shit more of a hard-on me or Christine,” I added, passing him the joint as I met his curious eyes.

He paused for a minute, composing himself and lit the joint.

“Never heard you talk much about your wife,” he said, inhaling sharply.

Yeah, I kept that shit under lock and key. Only the people who were around for it truly knew the whole story.

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