Page 40 of Sacrifice

Jesse yawned again before he replied. “Have you spoken to your dad lately?”

Sebastian stiffened, and he tightened his grip on the wheel. “Not really. Why?”

“I got fucking fired last night. Byhim.”

“What?”

“It was so weird. I ran into him at the hospital just as my shift was ending. We chatted about some boring stuff for a while, like the weather or whatever, and then I asked him if he’d caught up with you when you were here a couple of days ago,” Jesse said. “He asked what I was talking about, so I told him that we’d both been looking into some possible errors in the reproductive health archives. Specifically in the old IVF data.”

A tiny muscle was ticking in Sebastian’s jaw. “You told him that?” he asked, voice low. “In exactly those words?”

“Pretty much. I figured he’d want to know, and I also figured you might’ve told him about it already. But as soon as I brought it up, he fuckingfiredme.”

“Shit,” Sebastian muttered, drumming his fingertips against the wheel.

“It was like a switch just flipped in him,” Jesse went on. “He was totally cool when we first started talking, but as soon as I brought up the IVF archives, he suddenly got angry and started raving on about my ‘poor quality of work’ or some bullshit. And that was it. My job, down the drain. He marched me down to security, practically ripped my ID badge off, and told the guys there not to let me back on the premises. I mean, what the fuck, man?”

Sebastian coughed to clear his throat. “You definitely told him thatIknow about the data anomalies? Not just you?”

“Yeah.” Jesse’s voice was tinged with confusion now. “I mean… you do know about it. But why the fuck would he fire me for finding a bunch of stupid old mistakes that probably don’t even matter anymore? Has he said anything to you about it at all?”

“No. But I’ll sort all this shit out. Just hang in there, man, and don’t talk to my dad again. Don’t even go near him if you can help it, okay?”

“Okay.” Jesse sighed. “Staying away from him won’t be an issue, seeing as I’m not allowed at the hospital anymore.”

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this shit, man. Really. I’ll do my best to fix it.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Sebastian pressed a red button on the car screen to end the call. Then he braked, opened his window, yanked his phone out of his pocket, and tossed it outside.

With that, he started the car again and took off down the road, lips set in a grim line. “You heard all of that, right?” he said, glancing over at me.

I nodded, eyes wide and heart racing. “Every word,” I said in a tremulous voice. “Your father must’ve realized that you know now, right? Or at least that you suspect something?”

“Yup.” Sebastian’s grip was so tight on the wheel that his knuckles were turning white. “He knows we’re onto him. He fuckingknows.”

14

Rose

I stared at Sebastian,my eyes wide and my heart pounding. “Do you think my father was right?” I asked. “Do you think your father would really kill you to save himself?”

Sebastian kept his eyes on the road. That tiny muscle was ticking in his jaw again. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “I don’t want to believe he’d do something like that to me. But after everything I’ve learned tonight… I feel like I don’t know him at all. Like Ineverknew him.”

“I understand,” I said softly, reaching one hand over to rest on his leg. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, baby.”

“I know. I just meant that I’m sorry about how everything has turned out. I’m sorry your mother’s killer turned out to be…him,” I said, shaking my head. “I never would’ve expected it in a million years. He put on such a good show of blaming us.”

“Yeah, I get it.” He glanced at me, eyes filled with a mix of affection and sorrow. “Would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if it just turned out to be some random guy neither of us knew, right?”

“Yes. Definitely.” I sat up straight and peered out the window. “Hold on. I think you missed the turnoff road.”

Sebastian took one hand off the wheel to briefly rub his forehead. “We’re not going to the Pinecrest Falls house anymore.”

“Why? Do you think your father could already be looking for you?” I asked, heart skipping a beat.

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