You've Got Fail(31)

“I can count cards.” She stood, though the heels made her wobble.

“I know you can. That doesn’t mean you should.”

“This time Pauly will be in on it. It’ll be easier.”

“No.” There was no way I was letting her get mixed up with the wrong people again. Guilt flowed over me like a cold rain. A year ago, I’d been so fixated on trying to go legit with a job and a future in the city that I’d let Hannah fall through the cracks. She’d been such a bright spot in my life, but I’d let predators dull her shine.

When her boyfriend at the time found out she could count cards, he’d taken her to various gambling dens all over the city. With her help, he’d made a killing. But that all ended when Pauly caught on during a game. When Hannah got busted, the boyfriend disappeared, and she came to me for help. I had no other option. I dropped my budding life in Manhattan and moved to Jersey City to help her out of the mess.

I refused to let a sleazy man like Pauly take any more from her. Not again. “We’re going to beat this, and then you’re going to school.”

She sighed, the sound rattling in her lungs. “It’s too late for me.”

“Don’t say that!” I walked to her and folded her in my arms. “You’re young. The whole world is out there for you. I’m going to give it to you. And I’ll handle Pauly.”

“I don’t know if you can. He’s cruel.” Her sad voice tore at me.

“We’ll win this, even the score, and never look back.” I squeezed her. “You don’t have to count cards for assholes ever again. But I do expect you to start community college in the fall, then transfer to MIT.”

She snorted.

“No pressure or anything.” I released her and wiped the tears from her pale cheeks. “Have faith in me to solve this.” I glanced to her pile of Rubik’s Cubes. “You read numbers. I read people.”

“I know.” She kicked her shoes off. “I wish it was the other way around.”

“You know what Ma always said.”

She nodded. “We all have our gifts and our curses.”

“Right.”

Her big eyes watered again. “Am I your curse?”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “No, you’re my sister, and I love you.” Emotion crept into my voice, but I forced it away. It was my turn to be the strong one. Hannah needed me, and I wouldn’t let her down.

“He’s going to come for me. Any minute now.”

As if on cue, a bang sounded at the front door. Hannah folded in on herself, fear overtaking her earlier resolve as she sank onto her bed.

“Stay here no matter what you hear.” I opened her door, stepped into the hall, and closed it behind me. “Lock it,” I said through the wood. Once I heard her click the handle, I walked to the front door where the banging hadn’t subsided.

“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” I took a deep breath and peeked through the eyehole, expecting to see Pauly’s slick grin. “What the hell?” Willis stood outside, his glasses askew and concern writ large across his face. I swung the door open and he burst past me, his fists up.

“Where is he?”

“Who?” I cocked my head to the side, unsure if I should laugh at the display of nervous aggression or be pissed that he’d figured out where I lived.

“Pauly.” He peered around at the neat but tiny kitchen and living room.

I closed the door and leaned against it. “Not here, Sparky.”

“Oh.” He dropped his fists. “Are you okay?”

A frozen piece at the deepest part of me melted. “Did you come here to save me?”

“Well.” He straightened his glasses with his index finger at the bridge of his nose. “I thought you needed help. And with the way you bolted, and how worried you were, and all that…” He shrugged, the Thundercat on his shirt shrugging right along with him. “I just didn’t want you walking into some kind of trouble.”

I couldn’t stop my smile. “So, you thought you’d show up and be the hero?”

“Something like that.” He held a hand up. “But I’m a feminist. Don’t get me wrong. You can take care of yourself. It just seemed like you could use—”

“Some muscle?” I stepped closer to him and ran my palms down his ridiculous t-shirt.

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing under the stubble. “Yeah.”

“That was sweet of you.” I stood up on my tiptoes so I could speak into his ear as I dug my nails into his abs. “But how’d you get my address?”

“Youch!” His arms wrapped around my waist, strong bands that glued me to him and rendered my fingernail assault useless. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I hissed. “What else did you find out?”

“Nothing. I swear.” He leaned back so he could lock his gaze with mine. “I only found out what I needed to. Just to make sure you were safe.”

I relaxed a tiny bit. Hannah’s door edged open down the hallway, and she peeked out.

“It’s okay.” I tried to back away from Willis, but he held me tight.

His gaze lifted. “Who’s that?”

“My sister, Hannah.”