1

Dolly

“You said you wouldn’t hurt him.” I hiss the words, and Craig smiles at me.

“I said a lot of things.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m as serious as a dinosaur,” he says.

“Craig, shut the fuck up.” My brother has always been a total prick, but he’s never hurt someone before.

“She’s right. That doesn’t make any sense.” Hank is up in the front seat of the white van. He stares at me, and then he looks at Craig. “But we should get going.”

I look in the van at Oscar’s limp body.

“What did you inject him with?”

“Nothing important,” Craig says.

“You said you just wanted to talk to him.”

“I do. I’m leaving now, though,” he says.

“I’m coming with you.”

Before Craig can tell me to fuck off, I slide in the back of the van. I hear him groan, but he slides the door closed. He gets in the front seat, and Hank takes off.

“How far away are we?” Hank asks.

“How the hell should I know?”

“GPS bro. Check the traffic.”

I sit with Oscar while Hank and Craig look up the best route to Hank’s place. I don’t bother telling them that they should have done this in advance. Hank and Craig have been best friends since middle school, but they aren’t exactly geniuses.

“You’re going to be okay,” I say, whispering to Oscar. I pull his head into my lap, but I don’t know if I’m speaking the truth anymore.

“Don’t baby him,” Craig says. He looks over his shoulder at me. “You always baby people.”

“I do not.”

“You do,” Hank says. “It’s fine, though.”

“Why the hell did you have to inject him with anything?” I asked. I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies. “His brothers will kill you if anything happens.”

“They’ll kill us?” Craig laughs. “That’s real rich.”

“They’d have to find us first,” Hank says.

“Yeah, and you aren’t a snitch, so how would they do that?” Craig’s tone evens out.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“Yeah, well, me neither.” He turns back around and stares straight ahead. I look back down at Oscar, at the handsome man I invited to coffee. I didn’t mean to betray him. Really, I didn’t. My brother asked me to help him get Oscar into the van, and I thought I could do that without suffering any consequences.

Apparently, we were both wrong.

“Twenty minutes,” Hank says.

“When we get there, back in,” Craig says.

“Why?”

“We can haul him out of the back. Not as many people will see.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” I ask. “Hank, do you live in an apartment?”

“Um…”

“Let me get this straight: you two just kidnapped a local billionaire, and you’re bringing him back to your apartment? You really think people won’t notice that?” Dumbasses.

“It’s called abduction when it’s an adult,” Hank offers helpfully.

“Fuck off, Hank.”

“Man, you didn’t tell me your sister got mean,” he says to Craig.

“She’s always been mean.”

“Not in middle school.”

“She was twelve.”

The two of them keep talking, but I look at Oscar once more.

“I’m really sorry about all of this,” I say. His eyes flutter open. “Oscar?”

“Shit! Is he awake? Knock him out, sis.”

“Stop. He’s not going anywhere.”

I don’t know what my brother and his friend actually gave to Oscar, but they aren’t getting close to him again. I don’t care if I have to fight them both off with my bare hands. Oscar is mine, and I’m going to take good care of him.

“You don’t know that. I heard he’s feisty,” Craig says.

“He’s not feisty.” He’s calm. He looks more focused now. My eyes lock on his, and I stare at the beautiful man who doesn’t deserve this. “Everything’s going to be okay,” I say.

“Dolly.” Oscar’s voice wobbles a little.

“Don’t try to speak,” I say. “The boys are going to ask you some questions. Then you can go.”

He closes his eyes, and he passes out again.

Awesome.

“Need more drugs?” Hank asks.

“He’s knocked out,” I say.