The unfamiliar red Mustang pulled up alongside Lily Reyes, matching her pace as she walked on the sidewalk. Lily didn’t like the feeling of being stalked. She began walking faster, and looked around to see if any- one was outside. The Tallahassee heat and humidity had the neighborhood looking like a ghost town; everyone was at work or had retreated inside their air-conditioned homes. The Mustang continued to creep along and pace her. Its windows were tinted, only offering her a general outline of the male driver wearing a baseball cap.

Maybe I should run up to a house and ring the doorbell, Lily thought. But what if no one was home, and her stalker took that opportunity to come after her?

The car came to a hard stop right next to her. As the passenger window inched downward, Lily took a breath to scream.

“You getting in?”

“Oh, god,” she said, blowing out pent-up air. “I thought you were like some disgusting creep. Where’d you get the car?”

“Borrowed it from a friend.”

Lily opened the passenger door, tossed her backpack inside, and got comfortable in her seat. The cooling AC blew over her. “Nice ride. Must be a good friend to let you borrow it.”

“It’s a business thing.”

Lily decided not to press him for answers. Carlos never liked it when she asked too many questions, and she didn’t want him getting uptight. He seemed distracted about something. Why, he’d barely looked at her.

Lily was kind of hoping he would have noticed how she’d dressed up for him.

“I thought you were going to pick me up at Subway,” Lily said. 

“Decided to spare you the walk.”

Lily’s mom, Sylvia, didn’t know about Carlos. No one knew about him, except for Lily’s best friend, Madison, and even she wasn’t supposed to know anything. Carlos was paranoid about being busted. When Lily had first started dating him, she’d lied about her age, telling him she was eighteen. It was only after they’d been going together for a month that Lily admitted she was only fifteen. Of course, she hadn’t been the only one stretching the truth. When they’d first hooked up, Carlos had said he was nineteen, not the twenty-one he really was.

“Did you bring some change of clothes?” Carlos asked.

“In the backpack, even though you never explained why I needed them.”

“Always nice to have options.” 

“Where we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Lily tried to play it cool, and hid her smile. Madison seemed to think that Carlos was just using her, but she didn’t know him like Lily did.

“Stopped and got you a wild cherry Slurpee,” he said. “Better drink it before it melts.”

He had remembered her favorite drink. She would certainly mention that to Madison. Lily reached for the Slurpee, and took a long sip.

“Want some?” she asked.

“Not without adding some rum.” “I’m okay with that.”

“Maybe later.”

Carlos liked to party, and liked it even more when Lily joined in with him. She had to be careful, though. Her mom was always in her business.

As if reading her mind, Carlos said, “How long did your mom let you off the leash?”

“I told her I’d probably be eating dinner at Madison’s.”

“That gives us a little time.” 

“Sure does,” she said.

Lily reached out her hand, and ran it along his leg. Carlos needed to see she was grown-up, and not some kid, but instead of positioning her hand on him like he usually did, Carlos acted preoccupied. Maybe he was just in one of his moods.

She withdrew her hand and began drinking her Slurpee. “Sure you don’t want some?”

He shook his head, and she continued to sip. Halfway through the cup, Lily’s skin began tingling.

“I feel weird,” she said.

“We can get some fresh air at Cascades Park.” 

“Is that where we’re going?”

Carlos nodded. He still wasn’t looking at her, and seemed unusually attentive to his driving, continually checking the rearview and side mirrors.

“It feels like we’re floating,” she said.

Lily flapped the hand not holding her drink. “I’m flying. Whoa.”

Something wasn’t right. Why was she feeling out of it? Her gaze fell to the Slurpee. One look, and the pieces came together. Lily’s accusation was shrill: “You put something in my drink!”

“Relax. I just made you a Molly and benzo cocktail to help loosen you up.”

Lily tried to process her panic, along with Carlos’s explanation. She wanted to feel reassured, but didn’t. One by one, words emerged from her mouth. Each syllable felt as if it were weighted down on her tongue. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted you to be calm while I explained a few things.” 

“Oh, shit.” This was bad. “You’re breaking up with me.” 

“No, baby, never.”

Lily struggled to find the words, and speak them. “We’re. Still. Together?”

“Forever, baby. It’s just that things didn’t work out with my big plan. Remember we talked about that?”
“Big score.”

“That’s right. And it would have been, but my luck went bad, really bad.”

Lily managed to say, “That’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. Everything went to shit. It put me in the hole for almost five thousand bucks.”

“I can help you . . .”

Lily had earned almost two hundred dollars babysitting. She’d give it to him. But Carlos interrupted before she could finish

“Thank you, baby. I knew I could count on you. They were going to mess me up bad, maybe even kill me. You were my only hope.”

Lily tried to follow what he was saying, but her brain couldn’t find its balance. Everything was hazy.

“After you work off my marker, baby, we’ll get back together. I promise.”

“Don’t understand.”

“A guy I know fronted the money I owed, but he needed collateral.” 

“What?”

“I had to put up something of value. And nothing’s more valuable to me than you. I love you.”

Lily had been waiting for a long time to hear those words. But now they sounded wrong. Felt wrong. Love?

Carlos said, “You’re a lifesaver. It will just be for a few months. And when you come back to me, things will be better than ever between us.” 

Too dizzy to support her chin, Lily’s face dropped down to her chest. Talking was beyond her. She didn’t know how long they drove, and was barely aware when they came to a stop. She heard two men talking, but it was like listening in to a dream.

“Is she good to go?”

Lily had never heard that voice before. She would have remembered it if she had. There was something scary about it, a rasp with a serrated edge.

“She agreed to work off what I owe.”

“You explain what would happen to you if she didn’t?”

“I told her.”

“Okay, then. I’ll find you if there’s a problem. Count on it. Give me the keys.”

Lily heard retreating footsteps. Carlos didn’t say goodbye. There was a part of her that was still listening for his voice, that wanted him to declare his love for her once more.

She couldn’t lift her head to acknowledge the new occupant of the driver’s seat, but heard the ugly voice.

“Hey, pretty lady,” he said. “I’m your Tío Leo.”