Yeah, sorry I can't be of more help, man. I’ll let you know if I hear anything about Aubrey,” Earl says over the phone.

“Thanks.” I end the call.

He's obviously lying.

Earl's one of my best friends, and he's great at many things, but lying isn't one of them. He said all the right words, and his explanation made complete sense, but the guilt . . . I could hear it in every syllable.

He wouldn't lie to me unless he's been instructed to do so by a higher authority: his wife. Which, of course, means that Hannah knows exactly where Aubrey is.

Hell, seeing as she's quit Oak Crest Hospital, Aubrey’s probably back in Vegas. She may even be at Hannah and Earl’s house right this moment.

If she was upset with her parents when she got back to Vegas, she would've opted to stay with her sister. And Aubrey definitely would've told her sister to tell her husband that she's not there.

Anger courses through my veins, quick as an arrow, filling my whole body with violent heat.

I can't blame Earl for lying to me, though. I probably would've done the same in his situation. His loyalty lies with his family, especially now that he's married. I get that.

The problem isn’t Earl. The problem is his asshole father-in-law, who keeps employing dirty tactics to take my woman away from me, again and again.

I swear if I catch sight of his ugly mug . . . Let’s just say it would be really hard for me to hold myself back.

I used to have to hold my own as a poor, skinny kid in a nasty neighborhood; some old, WASP-y nerd of a doctor would have no chance against me if this were to get physical.

That wouldn’t go very well with Aubrey, though. She doesn’t seem to be a big fan of her dad’s bullying ways, but she’d probably say something like, “violence is not the answer.”

I pull my duffel bag from my wardrobe and throw in a pair of jeans and a couple of T-shirts. I’ve checked the hospital and Aubrey’s apartment. I didn’t find her in either one of those places, obviously, so now it’s time to visit the next place on the list—with or without Earl’s confirmation.

I zip up my bag and turn off the light as I walk out of my bedroom.

“Where are you going with that big bag?” Mom asks when she sees me making my way across the living room.

“Vegas,” I say without breaking my step.

“What?” Mom jumps up from her couch and rushes to my side. “Did you get in trouble, A? Is it because of that girl?”

“Mom, I don’t have time to explain.”

“It’s that girl, isn’t it? I told you she was trouble.” Mom grabs my arm and refuses to let go.

I let out a big sigh. “Mom, I’m sure her dad tells her the same thing about me, okay? But I’m an adult now, and so is she. Everyone needs to stop trying to control our lives.”

“A, you don’t understand. I don’t have a problem with you being together, but you know bad things will happen to us if her dad finds out.”

“I understand completely, Mom.” I stare straight into the her blue eyes, so similar to the pair I see in the mirror every day. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do what you want me to do this time. I have to get Aubrey back, and I don’t care what her dad does. You can’t stop me either.”

“A, you can’t go,” Mom says, her voice shaking.

“I have to.” I pull my arm free. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

Just like I always do, I think to myself.

Don’t get me wrong; Mom tries her best, and I appreciate all the hard work she’s put in as a single mom. But it feels like she’s grown so reliant on me sometimes, and I’m exhausted.

As soon as I make enough money, I’m going to move out and continue to help her with her rent. She’ll have to learn to live on her own, even if she needs therapy to get there.

Unfortunately, if things go the way I expect them to, it’ll be a long time before I have some money to spare.

“I’ll tell you everything when I come back, Mom,” I say finally before I turn my back and walk away.

In the cab on the way to the airport, I ignore the chatty driver until he gets the message. I spend a few minutes on my phone, booking the cheapest ticket to Las Vegas and a hotel room.

Then, left with my own thoughts, I stew in exasperation.

I’m angry at Aubrey’s dad for trying to control her. Poor Aubrey . . . she must feel so trapped all the time.

I’m angry at my mom for being complicit in this deception. I can’t believe she’d betray me like that, and I can’t believe she thinks she has the right to ask me to leave the woman I love.

But most of all, I’m angry at myself. I feel so powerless.

I can’t help but feel like there’s more I could’ve done. If I just had enough money, I could’ve paid off Mom’s debt and just whisked Aubrey away. But how was I supposed to make two-hundred thousand dollars of extra money to give away, when I was always busy either studying or working some minimum-wage job?

I would’ve had to buy bitcoins at the right time or something. I read somewhere that if I’d bought a hundred dollars’ worth of bitcoins in 2010, I’d have more than four million dollars right now. Or Facebook shares—I should’ve bought those years ago.

But who am I kidding? It would’ve been a gamble to buy those things back when they were still cheap. I didn’t like those odds, and I still don’t, especially when money has always been tight for Mom and me.

That said, I’ve decided to not give a fuck anymore about money.

I pay the cab driver and make my way to the check-in desk.

I can always make more money. But I can never find another girl like Aubrey. I need her in my life, no matter what it’s going to cost.

I don’t care if she doesn’t want to be found. I’m coming for her.