Surrender Read Online Free PDF Page B

scurried into our apartment. “Joss, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened today. If I’d known you would get into trouble, I wouldn’t have asked—”
    “It’s okay,” Joss interrupted. “I knew I shouldn’t be driving, but I did it anyway. That was my choice.”
    Okay, I was curious. What had happened?
    I inched around the end of the counter, listening, pulling on a corner of the frozen dinner box in my hands.
    “But you wouldn’t have if—”
    Again, Joss interrupted. “It’s okay.” My brother set a hand on the woman’s shoulder, but he didn’t appear to be overly intimate with her. “How is Eduardo?”
    “He’s better. He had to get over thirty stitches and some shots, but the doctors said he’ll be okay.” The woman was wringing her hands, looking guilty, emotionally torn.
    Okay, this wasn’t what I had been thinking. Not at all. For once, Joss had been trying to help someone?
    “Good. Any word on the dog?” my brother asked.
    “No. If they don’t find it, Eduardo will have to get more shots.”
    Dog. Shots. The picture was getting clearer.
    Joss said, “I’ll keep my eyes open, see if I can catch him.”
    “Be careful. Please.” The woman back-stepped toward the door.
    “I will.”
    At the doorway, she hesitated. “Thank you again. I’m sorry you got into trouble. I tried to tell the officer, but he wouldn’t listen.”
    “Don’t worry about it. The only thing that matters is Eduardo. We got him to the hospital and he’s going to be okay.”
    “Yes.”
    “Keep me posted, okay?”
    “I will.” The woman patted my brother’s shoulder. “You’re a good man.”
    “Thanks.” He closed the door. Our gazes met as he headed back toward his room.
    I stopped him with a question. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “Because it doesn’t matter, right? I was breaking the law. You told me you didn’t want to hear any excuses.”
    Shit.
    His words struck me harder than a physical blow.
    “I was expecting something else. Another kind of excuse.”
    “Yeah, I know. The way I’ve been lately, who could blame you?” He visibly sighed.
    “What about the thing at MalTech?” I asked. “You haven’t told me what happened. Is it different from what I might think too?”
    “I didn’t take anything, if that’s what you’re asking.” His shoulders slumped a little. “I’m sorry, Abby. Really sorry. About what happened at work. And this. You got me the job at MalTech. And I blew that. I want you to be able to trust me. I want you to respect me again, like you used to.”
    God, his words were like daggers in my heart. He’d nailed it when he said I didn’t respect him anymore. “I want that too,” I said, thumbing away the tears leaking from my eyes.
    My brother yanked me into a big bear hung. “I swear I’m going to get everything straightened out. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I’ll make it happen.”
    Stepping out of his embrace, I gave him a weak smile. “I hope so. But it’s going to be rough. Now, after this latest arrest, you have a court date to make, probably fines to pay. You don’t have a job, don’t have a reference to get a new one.”
    “At least driving with a suspended license is only a misdemeanor. Won’t hurt me too bad. Once I pay the fines, my record should clean up. But if someone from MalTech goes to the police . . .”
    “That isn’t going to happen,” I told him.
    “How do you know?”
    “I talked to Kameron Maldonado. We’ve . . . worked out an understanding.”
    “You . . . ?” My brother’s eyes widened, then narrowed to little squints. “What kind of understanding?” His voice was low, practically a growl.
    “Not the kind you think,” I lied. In all likelihood, he was probably thinking something very close to the truth. “I’m working directly under him now, as his administrative assistant.”
    His squinty eyes got even more squinty. “Why?”
    “I guess so I can help him clear up the mess you allegedly