Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner #5)(94)

Hayley made herself finish traveling where her thoughts had taken her. What would she have Lizzy do? Lie down and die—or fight back?

“Jason Walker,” Lizzy said next, pointing to someone else on her list. “He’s in prison, too. He’s been there for ten years, but now his release date is coming up. If he so much as looks inside his neighbor’s window, I’ll be ready to take action.”

Hayley exhaled. “Boundaries? Limits?”

“No boundaries. No limits. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“There are too many scumbags out there, Lizzy.”

“I’ll go after one bastard at a time.”

“What did this Jason Walker do?” Hayley asked.

“He raped an eighteen-month-old baby.”

Hayley frowned. “And they’re letting him out?”

“He served his time and was a model prisoner.”

Kitally barged into the room just then. “What’s going on in here?” She looked at Hayley. “She’s talking to you?”

“She wants us to take care of business while she does her own vigilante thing.”

“Bullshit,” Kitally said, then turned to Lizzy. “I’m in.”

Lizzy kept her gaze on Hayley. “I’m not going to discuss this with Kitally.”

That pissed Kitally off. “What the hell? Can you see me here in the room with you? Am I invisible? Talk to me.” She glared at Lizzy until Lizzy finally looked at her. “I thought we were a team,” Kitally said to her. “A family.”

“You’re nineteen years old, not even old enough to order a drink.”

Hayley snorted. “That’s a stupid thing to say. Age has nothing to do with anything. Kitally has more life experience than most fifty-year-olds. Whatever your plan is, whatever direction you’re going with this, we’re going along for the ride.”

“Damn you two,” Lizzy said. “We cannot get caught!” She pointed a finger at Kitally. “That means you can’t peer into warehouse windows without knowing where all your players are, got that?”

Kitally crossed her arms and didn’t say a word.

“If we get caught, it’s all for nothing. They’ll lock us in a cell, throw away the key, and it’s over. Do you both get that?”

“I’ve got more experience with this sort of thing,” Hayley said. “I’ve got a few ideas how this is going to work.”

Lizzy leaned back in her chair. “Go on.”

“The three of us work together. No going rogue. It’ll be a team effort.”

“What about Lizzy Gardner Investigations?” Kitally asked.

“The business will continue on as if nothing has changed.”

“That will be our cover.”

“Yes.”

“We do our research, make sure these idiots are deserving of our wrath. We don’t use violence unless absolutely necessary, and, like Lizzy said, we don’t get caught.”

Now that she’d starting talking to them like this was really going to happen, Hayley wasn’t happy about this newest turn of events. She had stepped over the line—she’d made her choice—but Lizzy and Kitally were wired differently. They cared about people, went out of their way to help others. It wasn’t too late for them.

“Ultimately,” Lizzy said, her tone resolute, “we do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

The silence in the room was thick and raw. It was clear in that moment that nothing would ever be the same again. But still, Hayley couldn’t help but wonder if this was only a temporary lapse of judgment on Lizzy’s part, so she looked at Lizzy and said, “This doesn’t sound like you.”

Lizzy lifted her chin. “That’s because the old Lizzy Gardner no longer exists. You don’t know me any longer. Nobody alive knows me.”