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“That’s my Ri-Ri,” Zay said low. I heard the break in his voice.

“That’s her?” I asked, staring.

“Yeah. She worse than last time I seen her.”

I shook my head slowly. “Why you ain’t get her out of this shit sooner, bro?”

“I tried. She runs. She fights. She is angry at the world.”

“And I’m supposed to fix this?”

“I don’t know, bro. But I gotta try. If you don’t…”

Before he finished, his bodyguard Ralo knocked on the window. He’d been driving a Sprinter that had been trailing us.

“You want me to snatch her up, boss?”

“Nah,” Zay said. “That’s too traumatic. Let me talk to her.”

He looked at me. “You can get out. Just stay back.”

I nodded and stepped out, pulling a blunt from behind my ear.

“Let’s go.”

I leaned against the hood and lit up while Zay walked toward her.

My eyes locked in.

She was dirty. Barefoot. A head full of natural dirty-blonde curls tangled around her face.

And still beautiful.

That was the part that pissed me off already.

Even like this, she stood out. Black girl, Romanian blood mixed in, rare features. Green eyes that didn’t belong in an alley.

“Damn,” I muttered.

I didn’t know what I felt.

Angry. Disgusted. Protective.

All of it at once.

“Sis,” Zay called gently.

She jumped, stuffing a pipe into a plastic bag like it was gold.

“Zay? What are you doing here? I told Mom not to send you.” Her voice was softer than I remembered.

“I’m checking on you. You don’t need to be out here like this.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need anyone. I’m grown. I got a friend helping me with an apartment this week.”

He ignored that and crouched near her. “What you drawing?”

“A man.”