Page 102 of Karma

Dare reached the top of the stairs and paused outside her door, taking a breath before knocking.

“Come in.”

He opened the door and stepped into her room, a vibrant purple and black haven decorated by Faith. Tess sat up in bed and smiled shyly when she saw him.

“Hey,” he said, walking over. “You look a lot better today than last night.” She’d washed up, and her face was clean of makeup and tears.

He winked at her, and she scooted back so he could sit down on the foot of the bed. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She glanced down, staring at the mattress. “Ethan said you found me.”

“I did.” And that familiar anger swirled inside him once more.

But he refused to be drawn back to that dark, angry place today, reminding himself that Tess needed him to be strong. So had Liza, and he’d failed her. He wasn’t about to repeat his mistake.

“Sam and I got the call. You scared the crap out of me,” he said honestly.

She met his gaze. “I didn’t do anything on purpose. I didn’t even get drunk. I barely took a sip of the beer, and anything I drank before that was soda. Someone put something in my cup.”

“Which is why you never put your drink down, whether it’s soda or alcohol. And if you do, you get a fresh one yourself, and you make sure you see that it’s come from a closed bottle.”

She nodded.

“Lesson learned the hard way, huh?”

She nodded again. “Are you mad at me?” she asked in a small voice. “’Cause I’m sorry. I’ve been so good, and now this happened, and I don’t want you guys to think I’m too much of a pain to have around anymore.” Her voice cracked.

Dare reminded himself that the drug was a depressant, and she had to be feeling the aftereffects, but he hated to think she’d ever believe they’d abandon her. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“We happen to like pain-in-the-ass kids.” He held out his arms, and to his surprise, his normally strong, smart-mouthed sister crawled right in and gave him a hug. “You’re stuck with us,” he told her. “You know that, right?”

She sniffed. “Yeah.”

“You mean it? Because if Ethan or Faith knew you were feeling this way—”

She shook her head and pushed back, already pulling herself together. “No, I know. I just feel so awful. Guilty, though I didn’t really do anything, sad, mortified…”

“You’re feeling the aftereffects of the drug. It can make you depressed and sad or like you want to cry. Hopefully, it’ll be out of your system soon. Try to sleep as much as you can, okay?”

She nodded. “That’s what Faith and Kelly said.”

“They’re smart.”

“You’re not working today?” she asked.

“I’m off this weekend.”

Tess grinned. “Spending it with Liza?” she asked, teasing him, her eyes bright and alert again.

He groaned. “You are so nosy.”

“It’s one of my better qualities,” she said, and he was happy to hear her laugh. “Well? Are you?”

He shook his head. “We’re taking a break,” he heard himself say. Was he really confiding in a fifteen-year-old?

“Uh-oh. What dumb thing did you do?” Tess asked, arms folded over her chest.

He lifted his eyebrows. “What makes you think it’s because of me?”

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