Lennox Read Online Free PDF Page A

crook to
her.
    Well, I can never make her understand. Never make anyone understand.
I got what I wanted, in the end, no matter what it cost me. Shouldn’t
that be enough for me?
    No. No, it wasn’t enough. Fuck this. I’ve more than paid
my dues. It’s time to put an end to it.
    I wind up the mountainside drive toward the Cartwrights’
estate, a gaudy fake French mansion on the side of the ridge. I hop
out of the Camry to let myself through the wrought iron gate. It’s
unlocked, because who the fuck are the Cartwrights afraid of? No one
in Ridgecrest, that’s for damn sure. The smooth, well-kept
pavement hums under my shitty tires as I pull into an open spot in
the circular drive.
    Amber’s sunbathing on one of the decks, face-down, watching a
video on her iPad while she soaks up the late afternoon rays that
filter through golden clouds overhead. Of course. She has the best
view in the whole state, and she’s watching some reality show.
Her glaze flicks toward me over the rims of her sunglasses, but she
makes no move to welcome me.
    I kick the stand out from under her iPad.
    “Hey! What the hell, Len!”
    Amber shoves herself up. Her back is tinged with red, like she’s
been out here too long, but otherwise she looks flawless as ever:
firm yoga bod, skimpy bikini, hair you could swear was naturally
blonde. Something’s off about her nose, and it takes me a
moment to realize she’s had work done. Shaved off that cute
little snub that I used to love so much. Well, she always did
complain about it.
    “Yeah, good to see you, too,” I tell her.
    “Oh. Right.” She looks me over. “Daddy said you
were getting out.”
    “So nice of you to remember.” I reach for her glass of
soda and start to take a sip, but spit it back out. Rum. Alcohol’s
the last thing I need. “I’m getting real sick of this
shit, Amber. No one will give me a fucking job. I need to catch a
break, and quick.”
    She tucks her knees under her chin, slow and languid like a cat.
“Well, don’t cry to me. You got what you deserved.”
    I slam the soda back down on her stand. “That’s bullshit,
and you know it.”
    Amber rolls her eyes.
    “I lost my best friend that night, okay? No one ever asks me
how that feels.” My voice quavers. “Not once has anyone
ever mentioned that.”
    Amber drops her feet down onto the deck with a sigh. “Look,
Len. I’m sorry for you. But I don’t know what you want
from me.” She glances up toward the mansion, that looming,
hateful hunk of marble and granite. “I think we’ve done
quite enough for you.”
    “Not if I can’t find work. Can’t pay the utility
bills. Can’t afford to take Grams to the doctor, for
chrissake.” My whole body is shaking now. “It was hard
enough for her while I was locked up. I know she didn’t want to
tell me the details, but she got worse. Way worse. And now that the
in-home nurse is gone, I’m going to have to pick up the slack,
on top of trying to make ends meet when no one in this whole fucking
county will give me the time of day . . .”
    “Again,” Amber says, her tone flat, “not my
problem.”
    “I know, I know. Because you got to just walk away. Like you
did from the wreck. Like you did from me.”
    “Who can blame me?” she asks, looking at her nails. “You
drove drunk and killed a guy. You got locked up for it. Listen, I
know we said we’d try to make it work, but I didn’t know
how long you’d be in there. It was originally going to be
fifteen years. Did you really think I would just put my life on hold
for that?”
    “Life? What fucking life was I keeping you from?” I sweep
my hand at the panoramic view—the high desert town far beneath
us, the distant mountains at the other end of the valley, ready to
swallow up the setting sun. “You don’t work. You just
hang out here and look good for your daddy.”
    “I work,” she says stiffly.
    “Yeah. You file some papers for Cartwright Industries.
Congratulations.”
    Amber curls her