Alex:
I was so relieved to know Luke has to work tonight, because tonight, I did, too. Another drop at the dock. The hum of the fluorescents in the garage is the only steady thing about tonight. Me and all my girls gathered together in the garage to prepare. Everyone’s here except Kandi.
And that silence, her absence, has teeth, gnawing me uip inside.
I lean back against the cold concrete wall, the smell of motor oil sharp enough to sting the back of my throat. The clock over the workbench blinks 11:27. Late, even for Kandi. She’s reckless, but she checks in. Always.
“Try her again,” I say, voice low but sharp.
Trixie already has her phone out. “Straight to voicemail.”
The girls shift restlessly. Boots scuff on the concrete. Someone lights a cigarette, smoke curling toward the high
