“What’s he want from me?” she asks.
“Doesn’t matter, you won’t be doing it,” I say, resting my face in my hands.
“Fuck Riley! I’m tired of this shit. Tell me what he wants,” she yells.
I jerk my head to her and run my hand across my mouth. “He wants you to hack into some sites for him.”
She laughs as she stands up. “The same reason he wants to arrest me, he wants my help for?”
“It’s not happening,” I say, looking up at her. “I have to go meet him in a little while. I’m gonna tell him that I need more time.”
“Time for what?” she asks.
“Time to fucking figure out what the hell to do!” I yell. She flinches and I shake my head, standing up. “I’m sorry. I’m just fucking overwhelmed.”
She nods and goes into the kitchen, coming back with a beer for me. I graciously take it and tip it back, willing it to help me relax a little. She sits down on the couch and lights a cigarette, leaning back.
“Tell him I’ll do it,” she says.
“Fuck no.”
She glances my way and shrugs. “I have no prior record. I’ll get a good lawyer.”
“Baby girl, it doesn’t work that way. You don’t help a dirty federal agent and hope a lawyer will clear you. He’s dirty as hell. He’ll
make sure that we both rot in prison. This isn’t some local cop busting my balls. This guy has power and a lot of it. He’s also doing some fucked up illegal shit that I don’t even know the half of. He’s going to protect himself. You’re not getting mixed up in this anymore than you already are,” I say, sitting next to her. I grab her hand in mine and search her green eyes. “I will figure something out. I just need a little more time.”
“You look broken, Riley,” she whispers.
“I am, baby girl.”
She surprises me when she leans over and wraps her arms around me. I welcome the comfort and pull her closer to me, burying my head in her neck. I breathe her in and my cock hasn’t gotten the notice of how fucked up my head is. He’s pressing against my zipper, begging me to give him release.
“Let me help you. We’ll figure something out together,” she says, tightening her hold on me.
“I can’t.” I pull back just enough to see her face. “I promised you that I would protect you from all this and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’ll buy us some time.”
“How?” she asks, searching my eyes for sincerity. She still doesn’t trust me.
“I’ll tell him you’re going to help, but that we need some time.”
I have no idea if that will work, but I’m out of ideas. I’m on my fucking own here and it’s not something I’m used to. The club is always right beside me. I know without a doubt that if I turn my back it’s covered. I know that if I’m in trouble, they’ll help me. But not now. Now I’m alone and no one has my back. I’m vulnerable for the first time in my life.
“Does the club know?” she asks.
“No,” I say, pulling away from her.
“Why?”
“Because this isn’t about them. This is about us,” I say.
She nods. “Do you have a joint?”
I laugh, tilting my head. “A joint? You don’t smoke weed.”
“I need something to relax me and my mind,” she says, laughing.
I pull out my cigarettes and open the pack, sliding out a joint. I light it, taking a long hit before passing it to her. She takes a hit and starts coughing which makes me laugh. She passes it back to me and I take another hit.