When Darkness Ends (Moments in Boston #3) - Marni Mann Page 0,107
a shockingly safe day in Boston.”
Her face began to relax.
I certainly hadn’t missed how tense it looked.
“And it was a sunny day,” she said.
I nodded. “I’m thankful for that.” I took another sip, hoping I’d satisfied her enough that she would change the topic.
“I have news.”
Relieved that I’d gotten my wish, I reached forward and grabbed a cube of cheese and a slice of prosciutto. “Oh, yeah? What kind of news?”
“I picked a man.”
“What?” I said, chewing the bite that was in my mouth. “You already have a man, so why in the hell would you be looking for another one?”
“He’s not for me. He’s for you.”
I shook my head. “Oh no.”
“You know I’ve been dying to set you up with one of the art directors in my office, and now, it’s finally time. Don’t think I forgot the promise you made me.”
Three months and one week ago, Rose had asked if she could set me up.
I’d told her I would consider it in three months.
She had been smart not to ask me last week.
She was even smarter to ask me now.
I set down the almost-empty glass I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Just as I was about to respond, she said, “I’m not asking you to get serious with the guy. I just want you to meet him for dinner. The same thing we’re doing right now. If there’s chemistry, pursue him. If there isn’t, then at least you tried.”
“You really want to get me laid, don’t you?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
I opened my mouth and then instantly closed it. I needed to think about what I was going to say before something unforgettable came tumbling out of it. “No, I suppose it’s not.”
“Good.” She grinned. “Then, let me get you laid.”
I didn’t know if I’d actually go on the date with the art director. But, to avoid one of Rose’s talks, I smiled and made sure my tone was convincing when I said, “I can hardly wait.”
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Sneak Peek of Prisoned
Prologue - Garin - Sixteen Years Ago
“Sorry I’m running late, guys.” I tossed my jacket on the bed before I sat on the floor between Kyle and Billy. “Show me what you all got tonight.”
“It wasn’t a good one for me,” Kyle said. She was still wearing her jacket, rubbing her arms like she couldn’t get warm.
I reached behind me, lifting my coat off the bed so that I could hand it to her. “Here, put this over you; it’ll keep you warm.”
She was always cold. I figured it had something to do with her being so skinny. And that was because her ma didn’t have the money for food. She sold her food stamps for cash.
Same as my ma.
Same as Billy’s.
Us kids who lived in The Heart—that was the name of our housing project—had to earn our own money and buy our own food. Four long streets with over two hundred apartments, and no one would even give up a box of mac and cheese. It may have been named after the muscle that kept us alive, but there wasn’t any life around here.
The Heart sucked the life right out of everyone.
“Thanks, Garin.” Kyle crossed her legs in front of her, tucking the jacket over her lap.
I smiled at her. “Tonight was real good for me,” I said, grabbing the cash and change from my pocket and dropping it all on the carpet. “Three hundred and forty-eight dollars.”
“Damn,” Billy said. “Look at all that drug money.” He pushed the coins together to make a pile. “Lots of panhandlers tonight, huh?”
Panhandlers used change to buy their dope. Most of the time, they’d hand me a full cup—the same one they’d collected it with. I’d keep the cups in the alley, stacked against the wall, and dump the change into my pockets when I left to re-up. Mario, my boss, owned a corner store. It was where he stashed all the dope. I’d go there and pay Mario back my advance, and then I’d refill my pockets with balloons and baggies.
Dope was way lighter than that heavy change. It didn’t make my jeans sag either.
“You should’ve seen all the junkies lined up tonight,” I said. “I thought for sure the cops were going to get called.”
“Any of the hookers try to give you head?”
I didn’t look at Kyle when I answered Billy’s question, “Not tonight.” I hated when he talked about that kind of shit in front of