Page 344 of The Sinner: James

I wag my finger at her and click my tongue.

“Beggars can’t be choosers. I’m not so sure she’ll help you anyway. Not after fucking with her all those years. I, on the other hand...” I say, stretching a slow smile. “I may be willing to give you what you want.”

“If...?”

“If you stay away from her.”

“She’s my sister,” she says, searing me with her eyes.

“And you can be part of her life if you behave like one.”

She huffs.

I talk.

“Spill it out, pumpkin. Before she walks out of the bathroom, and your opportunity to get some money goes out the window. What do you need the cash for?”

Thoughts clash in her mind, flickering across her face.

“School. I want to go back to Boston.”

“Business is tough in New York, huh?” I toss at her. “How much?”

“I need money for two more years of school.”

“I asked how much.”

“At least 40K. I may be able to come up with the rest,” she says, squirming in her seat.

I fish my phone out of my pocket.

“This will only happen once. And you better be smart enough and spend it on school. Do you have an account number?”

She freezes.

“Daria?”

“Yes. Yes... I do.”

She reaches inside her bag, pulls out her pocketbook, and gives me the number.

I punch the information in.

Moments later, I tap my phone screen and get a confirmation.

“You’ve got 100K. Don’t make me fucking regret it.”

A message lights up her phone.

Her eyes fall to the screen. Pale, she rises to her feet and snatches her purse from the table.

“Thank you,” she says in a strangled voice. “I, um... I’ll go now.”

She takes a step toward the door, changes her mind, and spins around.

“Please don’t tell her I was here and needed money... I mean, you do as you wish, but if it makes no difference to you, I’d rather have her not know.”

“Okay.”

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