010

August's POV

The spare bedroom that I occupied in this new house was way smaller than my bedroom in Chicago, and even the hotel I stayed in for a month after arriving in Florida. But in a matter of two days since I moved in, I had managed to transform the room, even a tad bit.

I was stretched across my bed the next morning, scrolling half-heartedly through my phone, when a knock came at my door. I didn’t answer fast enough because it opened anyway.

Dona appeared at the door, drowning in a hoodie so oversized it looked like she stole it off a linebacker. Her legs were bare underneath, and for one reckless second my brain stalled.

I cleared my throat and dragged my eyes away. Stepsister. Focus.

“What do you want?” I muttered, shoving my phone aside.

She crossed her arms. “My mom said we’re supposed to ‘do something fun together’ today, remember? Her exact words. So… congratulations, you’re stuck with me today.”

I groaned, pulling a pillow over my face. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Last I checked, you were agreeing with her yesterday,” she walked further into my room, taking a look around as she continued. “But apparently I’m responsible for showing you around Tallahassee like you’re a lost tourist.”

“I’d rather get lost.”

“Too bad,” she chirped, grabbing my desk chair and spinning it around so she could sit on it backwards. “Get dressed, Captain Broody. We’re going out.”

Her hoodie kept slipping off one shoulder, and I clenched my teeth. Don’t look, don’t look, idiot!

I finally dragged myself up. “Where exactly are you planning on torturing me today?”

She grinned like a cat. “You’ll see. It involves food, music and people.”

“That sounds like hell.”

“Perfect, then it matches your personality.”

I pulled on a shirt and grabbed my jacket, ignoring her smug little look as we headed out.

She ended up dragging me to a kind of student hangout spot off campus. A bar-café hybrid with dim lights and neon signs and a dance floor tucked into the corner, arcade machines buzzing along one wall. It was the kind of place people went to laugh too loud and forget they had exams the next day.

It would have been the sort of place I would have fallen in love with, but for the girl with me.

Dona was already at ease, sliding into a booth like she’d been here a hundred times. She waved to someone across the room and I realized she probably had.

“See?” she teased, sipping her drink once it came. “Not that bad. Better than sulking in your cave of a room.”

“I managed to spruce up that room the best I could. And I don’t sulk.”

“You do. It’s like your favorite hobby.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but my eyes snagged on something by the far wall, behind Dona. My dad was standing in the corner with his shoulders tight and his voice low. And the man with him was Russell.

My stomach flipped immediately. Russell had been one of my dad's closest friends in Chicago, back when I was 17 years old. Someone who never set foot outside Illinois, let alone down here.

“What the hell…” I muttered.

Dona frowned. “What? What is it?”

I didn’t answer. My pulse spiked as I caught the hard lines of my dad’s face, the way he jabbed a finger toward Russell. They were obviously arguing, and it looked very heated. Too heated to be a friendly reunion after five years.

Dona shifted impatiently on her seat. "Look, if you don't want to tell me what the hell—"

Without thinking, I grabbed Dona mid-sentence, yanking her out of the booth and shoving her behind the wall by the bathroom corridor.

“August!” she snapped, shoving my shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you? You nearly spilled my drink all over me.”

“Shut up for a second!" I hissed, pointing toward the corner. “Look.”

She peeked around the wall. “Okay… your dad is arguing with some guy. So what? Parents argue all the time.”

“That’s not just ‘some guy.’ That’s Russell, my dad's friend. He’s supposed to be in Chicago.”

“And?” Her thick brows pulled together.

“And my dad doesn’t argue in public, ever. If he is losing his cool here, something is off.”

She folded her arms and squinted at my dad and Russell. “Or maybe you’re just paranoid. Not everything is a big conspiracy.”

I shot her an impatient look. “I’ve had plenty of reasons to be paranoid about him. You know that.”

"I don't know that." She muttered. For once she didn’t have a snappy comeback.

I leaned forward just enough to watch again. Russell’s face was red and furious. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and stormed off, slipping through the door. I caught the flash of his license plate as he slid into a black sedan and pulled away.

My dad stayed behind and scanned the room, eyes darting like he was checking to see who’d noticed the argument. Then he straightened his jacket and walked out the opposite door.

Dona exhaled. “Well that was weird.”

“Exactly.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “So what, you think your dad is up to something shady because he had a fight with an old friend? That’s kind of a leap, don’t you think?”

"No, no." I shook my head immediately. “You don’t know him like I do. He doesn’t just show up here. If Russell is in Florida, it’s for a reason. And if they’re fighting, it’s not about old times.”

Her lips twisted. “Well, what do you think it’s about? Secret mob deals? Hidden treasure? Don’t tell me you’re about to turn this into a spy movie.”

I glared at her. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. You sound insane.”

We locked eyes for a moment, both of us unwilling to break. Finally she huffed and looked away. “Okay. Maybe it’s shady. But what are you even going to do about it?”

“Figure it out.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not a plan.”

“It’s better than pretending nothing is happening.”

Her fingers drummed against her cup. “You really think your dad’s dangerous, don’t you?”

“I know he is.” I muttered.

Dona looked as though she had a thousand and one questions, and I couldn't blame her. This was the life I had lived for years since after my mom died. I knew my dad was up to something ever since then, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Mom's death had been the wedge that had separated my dad and I.

Finally, Dona shook her head, muttering under her breath, “Great. As if my life wasn’t already complicated.”

I watched her stalk back to her booth, as I mumbled back: “Welcome to my world."