The Hit (Team Zulu 1)

I nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll wait.” Justin was a grown adult. He could do what he wanted without telling his baby sister his every move, even if I was the only family he had. “Thanks for the advice, and the food.” I grabbed the bag and sat on a stool by the workbench.

“Any time, kiddo. I’m always here for you.”

As I packed up for the day, my phone vibrated in the pocket of my overalls. A sharp breath escaped me when I checked my cell.

It was Justin.

My stomach churned with both relief and anger as I answered. “You’d better have a damn good reason for not calling me back.”

“Cammy, I don’t have much time.” His voice sounded muffled, as though his hand covered the speaker.

“Justin, are you all right?” I paced the workshop floor. “I’ve been going out of my mind worrying about you.”

“Listen! This is important.” His words flew out fast.

“Where are you? Why don’t you meet me at home so we can talk about it?”

“No!” he snapped. “You can’t be near me.” Heavy metal music played in the background. Where the hell was he?

“Calm down and tell me where you are. I’m coming to pick you up.” I grabbed my keys from the tool cabinet and dashed to my Camaro.

“No! There’s no time to explain. You need to get out of Philly. Right now. Get in your car and go. I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked as he broke down. “Oh, God. What have I done?”

He sounded so scared, but I’d seen him this way more times than I cared to recall. Justin’s paranoia, extreme emotions, and frantic, rambling words led me to one conclusion: he was high. Worse yet, he’d probably been that way for days.

Justin imagined crazy things when his drug-induced thoughts turned delusional. Russians were poisoning the water supply, the neighbors were conspiring to kill him, the CIA had put spy cameras in his room. And yet, the sour cramp in my gut persisted, setting off alarm bells that were too loud to ignore.

I paused at the door of my car, heart pounding against my ribs. “Jesus, Justin. You’re not making any sense.”

“Please, listen to me. Go somewhere safe and don’t tell anyone. I gotta go. I love you, Cammy.”

“Wait. Justin!”

The call ended. I stared at the black screen while clenching the cell in a death grip.

I tried to ring him back, but it went straight through to voicemail. “Dammit.” I kicked a tire with my steel-capped boot, then checked up and down the street. For what? NowIwas paranoid.

Tom’s gaze remained on me as I walked back to the garage. I figured he’d overheard my side of the conversation.

“Was that Justin?”

I slipped the cell in my pocket and tried to calm my rapid pulse. “Yeah. He sounded totally fried. I bet he hasn’t slept for days.”

Tom rested his hands on his hips. “Is he in trouble? I could come get him with you.”

“He might be, but I don’t know where he is. Anyway, it was hard to tell if he was just high or in real danger.” I released a ragged breath as unused adrenaline tingled along my limbs.

Tom frowned. “Perhaps he’s racked up another loan he can’t pay back.”

It was possible. Justin had been in debt to dangerous people only last year. The trouble started when his habit spiraled out of control and he borrowed from one loan shark to pay another.

“I hope not.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I don’t want to use my savings to spare him from a beating again.” Justin had promised to get clean and pay me back. I was a fool to believe him. “All I can do is wait until he comes home, then convince him to go back to rehab. And if he doesn’t check in with his parole officer on Friday, he’ll be doing time.”

Tom stepped toward me. The pity in his eyes made my chest tighten. “Cammy, I don’t say this lightly. Maybe it’s time to distance yourself from your brother. I understand family is important to you, but I’ve watched Justin drag you into his problems for years. You don’t deserve to keep paying for his mistakes.”

“He’s all I’ve got. And he’s the only one who looked out for me when we were kids.”

Tom knew about my rough upbringing. I’d shared many meals with him and Shelley. Sometimes we’d talk about the crazy things he got up to when he’d been the vice president of the Rogue Wolves outlaw motorcycle club, and on rare occasions, I opened up about how my father had been a solid contender for Philadelphia’s shittiest dad.

My boss scraped a hand over his close-cropped hair. “I get that you want to help him, I really do. But with the trouble he’s bringing into your life, seems like nowadays he’s the one you need protecting from.”

Those words were like a sucker punch to the gut. And yet… he might be right.

My eyes remained on the floor so Tom couldn’t see the tears pooling in them. The bond I shared with my brother ran deep, and I wouldn’t ditch him when he needed me most. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. Thanks for your concern, but I’ll be fine.” I sidestepped my boss and headed for the bathroom.

I didn’t cry at work, ever. And I wasn’t about to start now.