Page 218 of The Billion Heirs Boxed Set
Okay, maybe that liver isn’t inside Curt Hopkins.
“Looks like your son was a live liver donor.”
“I don’t know shit about that.” He shakes his head. “Who the hell would want his liver?”
Not a question I care to contemplate, so I move on.
“Mister—”
My phone buzzes in my purse. I pull it out.
Grady.
“Sorry. If you’ll excuse me, I have to take this.”
“Don’t bother coming back, lady,” he says into the phone. “I don’t have any info for you.”
“Oh, I’ll be back.” I nod to one of the guards. “I have to take a phone call.”
The guard escorts me out of the visitation area to a hallway, and I quickly call Grady back.
“Hey, Mom,” he says before the second ring.
“Hey, baby. Sorry I missed the call. I was in a meeting. You okay?” I wonder. He stays with my mother when I have to work, but this trip away is longer than most.
“Not really.”
My heart drops. “What?”
“No. I mean I’m fine. Grandma made me call you. I got sent home from school today.”
“Are you sick?”
“No. I’m fine. I’ve been…suspended.”
For God’s sake. Just what I need while I’m out of town on assignment. Investigating Grady’s biological father, no less.
Grady’s a good kid. He gets good grades, excels at sports, and volunteers with the homeless veterans during the summers. Why would my sweet son get suspended?
Whatever happened can’t possibly be his fault. My frustration and anger from the quick talk with Hopkins is pushed onto whomever has messed with my son.
“Why?” I ask.
“I… Jeez, Mom, it was the first time. I swear.”
My mind races. He’s fine. He’s not hurt. Nothing can be that bad. The first time for what? He’s way too young to be thinking about…
Oh, God…
“Just tell me what you did, Grady.” I try to keep my voice even.
“I had a joint in my backpack. It fell out during Algebra class, and the teacher saw it before I could grab it.”
Pot? Okay.
I can handle pot.
He’s not having sex at fourteen. It’s okay. Since I was a teenage mother, I’ve always made subtle yet important statements about safe sex, using condoms and doing all the things in life before having a kid. Being stable. Having a job. A partner in life. Everything I didn’t do.
