Free Ready or Not by Melissa Brayden

stairs. “I’m running a few minutes behind. Do you think you could open for me? I need to stop by the bank and deposit last night’s cash.”
    “I came in early,” Teddy said. “You’re totally covered.” Seriously, the guy never ceased to amaze her.
    She descended into sunlight and reached for her sunglasses. “Oh. Well, that’s awesome. I’ll be there shortly and—”
    “Hope? You still there?”
    She heard Teddy’s voice on the other end of the line, but something in her line of vision stopped her cold. Because there, sitting on the steps outside her building, was Kara. Their gaze locked, and Hope steadied herself from the reaction to eyes that mirrored her own. She hadn’t seen her twin sister in just over three years now. In fact, she wasn’t sure where she’d been living or, for that matter, if she were alive or dead.
    “Hey there, little sis,” Kara said, standing. While Kara was technically four and a half minutes older, it was an ironic nickname, as Hope had spent the majority of her life picking up after her perpetually trouble-bound sister. As Hope steadied herself against the shock, she also took in the deep circles under Kara’s eyes, evidence of the years of hard living. Life hadn’t been easy for them growing up, and while Hope had done what she could to escape the rough neighborhood in Queens they’d been brought up in, Kara had done the opposite and embraced it.
    “Kara.” She glanced back at the door to her building. “How long have you been out here?”
    “Not sure.” Kara held up her wrist to display a silver watch. “Damn thing stopped running two days ago.” She took a step forward. “How you been? Twice-A-Day Benny says you’re in the big time now. That you own a bar.” Benny was their cousin from back home in Queens. He received his Twice-A-Day nickname from the number of times he opened up shop on the corner. If you needed a fix from Tylenol to heroin, Benny could get it for you. And he’d definitely gotten enough for Kara. Fucking lowlife.
    Hope shook her head. “I’d hardly call it the big time. But I have a place. A bar, and it’s mine.”
    Kara smiled. “I always knew you’d go places.” Whether or not she and Kara were on the best of terms, hearing those words from her sister meant something to her. They had an undeniable connection, regardless of circumstances.
    “What about you?” Hope asked. “You clean?” With Kara, you never really knew.
    “Three months now.” Hope studied her, trying to assess her credibility because that was impressive coming from Kara. And while part of her wanted to celebrate the victory with her sister, ask her where she’d been hiding out the past few years, catch up, and try, yet again, to put their relationship back in place, Hope knew better. She’d been down that path with Kara more times than she cared to count and got burned every damn time.
    “That’s awesome, Kar. I’m happy for you.” She proceeded down the remaining stairs, off center from the encounter but not sure there was much more to say.
    “Where you headed?” her sister asked.
    Hope turned back reluctantly from where she landed on the sidewalk. “Work. I’m already late.”
    “Can I come with you?”
    God, not this. She couldn’t get tangled up with Kara again, not when things were going so well. “Probably not a good idea.”
    “Can I stay here then? The problem I’m having, Hopey, is that I got no place to go.”
    Hope blew out a breath because this was always so hard. “Did you try Mom?” Their mother, while so similar to Kara it was scary, still had a small place in the old neighborhood. Hope didn’t talk to her much, but she was pretty sure she’d take Kara in. Hell, she’d call the woman herself if it would help.
    Kara shook her head. “She’s the one who threw me out.”
    Damn it. Hope took a second to let her thoughts catch up with her. She should just walk away, she really should. This was the girl who’d stolen her identity