I start to tell her more, but it's not meant for a message. This is meant to be done in person.
"Where are you going?" Wren calls as I reach the door.
"To talk to the only friend Raya has. I need to find her."
Ember is useless. Utterly, and completely useless. She screwed someone in Ra
ya's bed, but she's too loyal to tell me where Raya lives or works. Damn it.
Pulling up in her mother's driveway is already hard enough. Seeing the Cavalier that promises her brother is home... that's fucking terrifying.
The door to the trailer opens before I even step out, and Josh's menacing eyes meet mine. Something tells me he'll pull the trigger on my balls this time, and he won't worry about witnesses.
"You've got stones showing up here," he says, already making a reference to my balls. Damn.
"I need to find her, and no one feels like answering my calls."
He rolls his eyes as he walks toward me, shutting the door behind him.
"No one is thrilled with the fact Raya ran her first con because of you. That shit is like crack to that family. Her mother is worried to death that Raya will get hooked. She's the only one—and I do mean the only one—who has lived her life on the right side of the law. She broke all her rules to save your sorry ass after you judged her. After you judged her wrong, I should say. The thing you condemned her for saved your sorry ass, and until you, she had never done anything other than whip some of our asses at cards and pool. Big step. That's too big of a step. She cracked a safe. She had a gun held to her head. And she—"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" I roar, interrupting him as my body starts to shake. A gun to her fucking head? Christ!
He tilts his head, studying me for a second. "You didn't know? I assumed the feds would have filled you in. Ray called us to fill us in, and then he hung up when we all threatened to kill him. Raya's living with him right now. I assumed you knew."
Raya's living with her father. That's a start.
"If I had known she’d had a gun to her head, I would have flipped out. Was she hurt? They kept swearing to me that she was fine, and I can't get her to answer my calls."
He crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes still trained on me as though he's searching for me to falter and give him a reason to strike.
"She's fine. Nothing happened. Brody got there in plenty of time," he says slowly, seeming distracted. "You really do care about her, don't you?" he finally asks, even though my chest is aching from the vicious beat of my heart after hearing Raya was held at gunpoint. I need a minute.
"Of course I care! I've been trying to call her for four days straight. Nothing. I have to find her, but no one will point me in the right direction."
He frowns as he purses his lips, and then he breathes out heavily.
"I can't believe I'm doing this instead of killing you. But Raya still loves you, and I hate seeing her hurting. If you actually care about her, I'll tell you. But if you ever—"
"I won't. I swear I won't. If she'll give me another chance, I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."
He lets out a harsh breath while running his hand through his hair. After glancing over his shoulder at the trailer, he turns back to me.
"Her dad won't let you get close to her. He's got the protective bit cranked up to the nth degree right now, since he really hates you. So I don't recommend going over there. Raya's working at a place called Silk."
My eyes widen at the mention of the word as visions of girls dancing on poles and doing burlesque comes to mind.
Josh chuckles as though I've done something to entertain him.
"As a waitress. I take it you know the place, given the terror on your face."
I swallow hard and breathe in a painful bit of air. I'd kill someone if they were eye-fucking a half naked Raya.
"Yeah. I need to—"
"Go," he says while turning around. "Next time it won't be Bud's ass that gets shot. Last warning," he adds while walking away.
I don't need any more warnings. I just need Raya.