ger Hit Me and

jami

to the hiking

larify-especially in lig

nnot buy. Not when you own an empire, not when your name is printed in fina

the only pla

ssis

ard m

uest

memory of a woman who used to wa

oved th

h you were-it would still go on without you. I never liked th

my coat pockets, staring down at the endles

ose to something vast to remember how

his made me l

n someone slammed

a

at

rength. For half a second, I genuinely wondered if this was how I was going to die-

ct kic

steady whoever had just decided my

e wrists of a woman who looked at me like I

scre

cream. Not a s

about to be featured on a

yelled, thrashing li

t-" I s

wait for c

led backward, and grabbed a

pl

d several thoughts

is esc

hould

this keep ha

warned, eyes wild, tear

s slowly. "You g

id not

g to stop yo

m wh

e going

. "I was

sw

immediate and d

then the world tilted sideways. I remember thinking, This

ss fol

-

up to

ce v

s never

ed, sir?" so

ractured above me, blue lights flashing between the trees lik

ad th

lted," I sai

owed jacket and vibrating with pani

o another officer, gesturi

He tried to-h

red a

tared

t moment realization p

slightly. Whatever story she'd built in he

h

ht I was

lained e

ear, poor judgment. She sat across from me, hands shaking, eyes red

ooked

o carry tha

y, not meeting my eyes. "I real

e hadn

at a cliff in a tailored s

ready to combust. Pressing charges would have

d at he

inward, remorse written in

nally. "I won't

apped up. "

ding," I replied. "A d

face so fast it nea

thank you abou

and a story I would absolutely

at would be

s wr

-

d a file Joe placed on

"Excellent academic recor

t without m

saw t

ah M

fr

funny," I

ned. "Wh

verse,"

my shoulder. "D

said. "Sh

ed. "I'm

al and/or a criminal," I

a long moment. Then-u

way to mee

ed the

t hirin

brow. "Because sh

panics, and solves

efully, "the inter

igh

I'll meet her. And th

a sol

d specta

-

next morning-limping, pale, and painfully determ

was

soon learn, ve