Branded

“This isn’t finished, Fireball!” DJ yells to my back.

I ignore him and the urge to run back into his arms as I turn the corner, pulling my cell phone out of my pocket as I go. Dialing the number to the county corrections unit that I have saved in my contacts under Never Fucking Answer, I ask to be put through to the warden immediately as soon as someone picks up.

While I wait, I cross my fingers, silently praying that he hasn’t been released. There’s no way they could release him without notifying me first. After all, it was my testimony that sent my father to prison fifteen years ago. They would have to tell me if that monster made parole. I would be the first person on his list to visit, demanding retribution for ruining his life yet again.

“Tell me everything you know about Phina’s life since high school.”

Collin freezes, his bottle of beer hovering right by his mouth. He quickly brings it down and looks over his shoulder before glaring at me.

“Will you keep it down? Finnley is right in the next room. If she hears that you’re trying to get me to give you the scoop on her best friend, she’ll castrate both of us.”

I sigh, leaning back into the couch cushions and shake my head at him. “Quit being so fucking pussy whipped for five seconds and tell me what you know about her.”

Collin huffs. “Why the sudden interest in her? I thought you said she was crazy and you didn’t want anything to do with her.”

He leans forward and glares even harder at me. “DJ, what did you do?”

“Of, fuck off. I didn’t do anything.” Much. “You know, running into her again just made me wonder what she’s been up to.”

Jesus, the lies roll right off my tongue these days.

“She’s a phlebotomist manager at the hospital. Works a lot of overtime, that’s about all I know,” Collin finally tells me, still looking at me with a suspicious stare.

“Yeah, I bumped into her at the hospital the other night when I had a patient transport. That’s not what I meant, though. I mean, like, does she have any family? Is she seeing anyone?”

Collin laughs, bringing the bottle of beer back up to his mouth and finishing it off. “She’ll never date you.”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Excuse me, asshole. You just got done telling me you don’t know that much about her and now you’re the expert on her love life?”

“Phina doesn’t have a love life, she has a sex life. From what little Finnley’s told me, it’s pretty active and doesn’t have anything to do with love. You know, now that I think about it, you two would be perfect together. You both have an aversion to settling down.”

I shake my head at him in irritation. You make one comment about how it’s unnatural for someone to settle down with one person for the rest of his life, and suddenly you have a permanent label.

“Who knows, maybe I’m changing my mind in my old age. It worked for you. Maybe I just haven’t meant the right woman,” I tell him with a nonchalant shrug.

Or maybe I’ve met the woman and she’s hell bent on denying that there’s something between us.

“You are the worst fucking liar in the world. I think we should change Fight Night to Poker Night. I could take all of your money with that shitty poker face of yours,” Collin laughs.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” Finnley announces as she walks into the living room and sits down on the couch next to Collin, curling up against his side. “What are you guys talking about?”

Collin raises his eyebrow at me and I try to subtly shake my head so he’ll keep his mouth shut. Finnley looks back and forth between us, not missing a thing.

“Alright, what’s going on with you two?”

Collin wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer. “Our friend here was just asking about Phina.”

“She won’t date you,” Finnley states flatly.

“Jesus Christ, what is it with you two?” I grumble. “I never said anything about dating her. I just wanted to know more about her. I haven’t seen her in fifteen years, I just wondered what her deal is.”

Finnley narrows her eyes at me and for a minute I seriously consider covering my balls. She’s one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met and I’m glad my best friend found her again. She also went through some tough shit with her estranged husband and, with the help of Collin, she was able to find her backbone and turn into quite the little firecracker.

“Maybe if you didn’t have selective memory loss you might remember what her deal is,” Finnley says sarcastically.

“What the hell does that even mean?”

She huffs and leans forward, mirroring my pose with her elbows on her knees. “If you can’t remember, then I’m not going to tell you. Besides, it’s not my story to tell.”

“What the hell is she talking about?” I ask Collin.

He shrugs. “I have no idea. Finn, what are you talking about?”

She rolls her eyes, but doesn’t take them off of me when she speaks. “I swear, the two of you must have shared a brain back in high school.”

I rack my mind, trying to think of what I could have possibly done to her all those years ago to justify her animosity, but I’m drawing a blank. Anyway, who the fuck holds onto something that happened when they were teenagers? Jesus, get over it already. I remember having a stupid ass crush on Phina and her barely acknowledging me, and then we graduated and I never saw her again.