Page 52 of Sacrifice
“Insurance denied it. Said that the medicine would be covered, but all the other things would not.” Her voice wobbles, and I know she’s trying hard to control it. “So they denied us unless I can get fifty thousand dollars.”
Adrenaline surges through my veins, the top of my head feeling light as the energy courses through my body.Motherfucker!
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. I just . . .”
“We’ll figure it out,” I say through gritted teeth. “We’ll figure this out.”
“We can’t come up with that kind of money, Crew. We can’t get a loan, we can’t pawn or borrow that kind of money.” Her voice cracks again and the sound resonates in my chest. I hear Ever in the background, singing, and I can’t handle it.
“I’ll figure it out. I swear to God, I will figure this out.” I look at Will and he has turned the television on, watching SportsCenter. “Hey, Jules?”
“Yeah?”
“I might not be here when you get here. It’s important. But I’ll be back, okay?”
“Okay.”
“I promise you, I’ll be back tonight.”
I end the call, scroll through my contacts, and press SEND.
“Get your ass up and let’s go,” I bark. Will’s on his feet in a flash, tossing me a curious look.
“Shenanigan’s.”
“Hey, Jordyn. Is that guy in the suit still there?”
She laughs. “Yeah. He’s sitting at the end of the bar watching the door. He ordered amojito.What guy drinks that?”
“Pour him another. I’ll be there in twenty.”
TWENTY
CREW
The gravel cracks behind me as Will jogs to catch up. The streetlights are on, casting a weird glow over the parking lot. I park in the back next to Jordyn, the lot fuller than usual for a weekday night.
“You gonna tell me why we’re here? I’ve got the feeling we aren’t getting a beer.”
I twist the toothpick around in my mouth. I’ve gone over this meeting a hundred times in my head on the way over. I’m not sure what they even want. I just know I need it to go a certain way, to plant a seed that with a little luck will grow just in time.
“I’m meeting with a reporter,” I say.
“For?”
“Watch and learn.”
“Watch and learn,” he mutters, stepping back as I open the door to Shenanigan’s. The chimes go off as we enter. Jordyn looks up and smiles.
The bar is pretty full, but the atmosphere is calm. Too calm. There’s no music going and the televisions are even on mute. Just the sound of someone playing pool cracks through the air.
Jordyn nods her head to the end of the bar where two men, completely out of character for this place, are sitting. One is in a large sweatshirt, a bag sitting at his feet. The other is sipping a drink, a suit jacket thrown over the back of the stool.
Will’s hand clasps my shoulder. “You need me?”
“Nah, just stick around ’til this is over. Grab a drink and tell J to add it to my tab.”
The two guys at the end look bored. I size them up as I approach. The guy in the hoodie is surfing around on his phone, the other guy scribbling in a notepad.
