Beware of Boys (23 page)

Charly pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. “And M
kel?”

Coop put his face in his palms again, then ran them over his head. “He thinks I abandoned them. And I did.” He sat back and quieted for a minute. He banged the steering wheel. “Okay. Here it is. My moms was traveling around, trying to get the lowdown on Bobsy's condition. She was trying to see if some doctor in some other country or hospital had some way of fixing it. I was on babysitting patrol.” He looked at Charly intensely, and his eyes were apologetic. “I didn't know what to do, Charly. We were pretty broke back then, and there was no money in the house. My mom had left some behind, and I'd spent it on food, etc., and the last thing I wanted to do was worry her while she was searching for help. And that day, Bobsy ran out of meds. So I did what I knew how to do—well, what the hood we came from expected boys like me to do. I went out in the street to earn it the street way, and I got popped.” He threw up his hands. “I was borderline nerd, so I didn't know what I was doing. I got locked up, and Social Services came and took M
kel and Bobsy because they were so young.”

“Oh, no,” Charly said, reaching over and touching his arm.

Coop nodded. “Another long story short: Because of how the system is structured, the courts found my mom incompetent of being a mother for months, because she'd left M
kel and Bobsy with me, and M
kel was sent one place and, somehow, Bobsy ended up with Lex's family. Lex's family has always helped people. Eventually, M
kel wound up with Lex and 'em too.” He threw her a sideways look. “And before you ask, they helped Faizon too. Lex's pops was like Faizon's mentor—big brother, I think they call it. That's why I said Faizon knew better than to call the cops on me if the alarm went off—we're all like family, which is why he helped us when our house burned down. He did it to help us and to give Lex a break from having to do all the good deeds.” He paused, then breathed deeply. “You meant to say, ‘stuck between a dollar and a dream.' That was our old saying, M
kel used to always say that, meaning he was stuck between his dreams and our poorness. He also told Bobsy he felt like he was stuck between foster care and his family. My mom used to say it because we were stuck between finding a cure for Bobsy and the dream of her being cured.” He stopped talking, then looked at Charly, and seemed to be waiting for a reaction. “Okay, so can we go pick up this yucky vegan food now?”

Charly laughed, taken off guard. “Vegan food?”

“Yes, our ammunition. Approach Lex with some vegan food, and he can never say no. Especially if it's good. What did you think I was going to get, real weapons?” Coop asked.

Charly looked at her watch and cringed. 2:55
PM
. “Coop, can we go get some other kind of food?”

Coop shook his head. “Lex isn't crazy about all the vegan restaurants, so this one is the best bet. Why, what kind of food did you have in mind?”

Charly held her breath and prayed silently. “I was thinking the kind of food M
kel likes. His concert starts at eight, and I promised Bobsy I'd find him. You were wrong, Coop. I'm not doing this for money or just a new show—not anymore.” She shook her head. “I want to help girls like me, girls who come from the ‘wrong side' of the street,” she said, making quote marks in the air. “And my latest mission is to convince the guys to offer programs for them too. If not for me, just consider it for Bobsy, Coop. She wants it too. So essentially, me and Bobsy are stuck between a dollar and a dream.” Her phone vibrated, showing she had a text message from Liam.

Coop put the car in D, then clicked on the signal light and eased into traffic. “All right. You got my attention, Charly. Because of Bobsy and this ‘dollar and a dream' thing, I'm listening. But you better convince me before we get to this spot that sells food that M
kel likes or else I'm turning around.”

Charly shrugged. Lola had been wrong about interviews always coming after boxing matches. “Well, let me get to convincing because there's no turning around to get to Lex. Not unless you plan on taking me back to Vegas.”

C
harly slipped an orange and white floral dress over her shoulders, then looked around the room as if extra clothing and options would appear. She'd contemplated what she should wear ever since Coop had agreed to take her to M
kel's concert and she'd had her people—i.e. the network—contact M
kel's people—i.e. M
kel's publicist and the management at the Staples Center, where he was performing. She growled in frustration. Her choices were minimal. Coop had gotten all of her luggage except for the two bags she needed most, leaving her almost outfit-less and, she discovered, devoid of proper shoes. She could wear either the sneakers that Lex had given her, which were now unacceptable and dirty, or her trusty combat boots with the bright red laces.

“Yo, Charly, the TV said it's going to rain tonight and it may get cooler. You almost ready?” Coop asked from outside the bedroom door.

Charly blinked slowly, thinking of what ready meant and what it would mean later when her dad, Mr. Day, and every other adult whom she had to answer to found out she'd had a convicted criminal book her a hotel room. She knew they wouldn't care that she hadn't planned on booking it, but had to after the Faizon incident, and that she'd only have it for less than twenty-four hours, until she could fly out to Las Vegas.

“One sec,” she said, making her way over to an open suitcase and pulling out a pair of purple tights and a studded denim jacket with skull and crossbones on the sleeve. “At least it's outlined in red, so it'll kinda match,” she told herself, then slipped into the hosiery.

Coop knocked on the door just as Charly was putting on her boots. “Can I come in? You dressed?”

“Come on, Coop,” she said, lacing the boots halfway up. She smiled when he entered. “Coop, you clean up well. You don't look so scary now. What's up?”

He ran his hand over his freshly brushed hair, then popped the collar on his shirt. “It's amazing how fast you can pick out an outfit. Good thing we're right by a shopping center. Good looking on the clothes, Charly. I put all my money into helping the boys out, so I don't spend on myself.” He winked. “I was coming in here to see if you need me to carry anything and to let you know I'll go to the concert with you, but I don't want to see M
kel. I never do anyway.”

Charly crinkled her brows. “What does that mean? You never see him? How?”

Coop beamed. “Well, I go to all his shows if he's performing close to me, but he doesn't know it. We fight, but I'm proud of him. . . .” He looked away, and it was obvious that his thoughts were taking over. “So, do you want me to carry anything?” he asked.

Charly shook her head no, but her mind was saying
yes
! Coop's keeping up with M
kel was a positive clue she needed because it told her that there was still some sort of love between the brothers, even if it did seem one-sided. “I'm good until the morning. The network just emailed me my flight confirmation. I'm flying out on the first flight to Las Vegas in the morning. I have to get to Lex before his fight.”

Coop nodded. “That's right. He fights tomorrow.”

Charly nodded with him. “Yes, so that means I'll be pressed for time. I heard his dad won't let him see anyone before the matches, and that includes me. So I have to catch him at the casino.” She looked at her watch. “And I have to catch M
kel before his show, which means we have to be out. Like right now.”

 

Charly's heart stopped, and her breath caught in her throat. M
kel stood in front of her, eyeing her with bright eyes and a pleasant smile. He raked his gaze up and down her frame, taking her in. He nodded, then took a long sip from a coffee cup and tossed back his head, gargling. He swallowed, then looked at her. “Tea with honey. It helps my voice,” he explained. “So, what are you doing here besides coming to try to talk me back into collaborating on the project or making up with Lex, which is pretty much the same thing?” he asked, arming Charly with helpful knowledge. “I hope you came here for something else. The concert maybe? Because that's all you're getting—the something else.” His words were final.

Charly slunk down in the chair behind her and put her face in her hands. She'd traveled to Cali to try to find M
kel, had talked Coop into having a real sit-down with him instead of a clash of egos, and had put her career and freedom on the line. They would both be in trouble if she didn't get M
kel to agree to the show and get her behind out of Cali. Now that she was in his dressing room, close enough to smell him, she couldn't find the words to convince him, words she so desperately needed, especially since she'd realized he—and not he and Lex—was the key to the project's success. She gulped back a burning in her chest that signaled tears were in her immediate future. Helplessness was rolling in quickly. Suddenly, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She'd been in this place before, a situation where someone else—her mother—had been smothering her dream, and she didn't like it. She wasn't going to let M
kel steal from her too. She just wouldn't give up that easy. She stood. “I'm going to watch the show from my seat,” she said. “But before I leave, I want you to know I am here for something else, and I need to ask you a question.”