“I got into some trouble,” he mumbles. “I owe some money.”
Fuck.How bad is it? “Drugs?”
“Mind your own business.”
“Look, you can’t keep me in a headlock; people are going to notice. Let me go and let’s talk about what’s going on.”
“Your mom left, that’s what’s goin’ on, and that’s on you. I got no cash if she’s not around.”
I should have thought of that. His piggy banks have disappeared on him, one by one. He never was much for working. He likes drinking and whatever else he gets up to. How big a threat is he? Will my mom and I ever be rid of him? I’ve brought him into James’s life, too.Oh, Jesus.
“You know your boyfriend came looking for you, don’t you?” Jake carries on. “He promised me your paycheck. So you see, Sadie-bird, I’ve bypassed you and gone straight to the source, but I haven’t heard from him, so I’m back to my original plan to get what I want. You’re going to find that cash for me, or I’m going to stick a knife in you.”
“And how are we going to get the money, Jake? Someone has to transfer it.”
There’s a long pause.
“We need to talk to him, girl. Maybe your idea of getting him out here is a good one.”
“Sadie?”
James’s voice comes from behind us, and Jake swings around with me in front of him, his hand still clutching the knife. James’s eyes flick down to it and back to my face. Is he just leaving for work, or did he somehow know?
Jake lets out a harsh chuckle. “Speak of the devil! Just the man I wanted to talk to.”
James scans down my body. “Are you okay, Sadie?”
“Yes.” I don’t like how shaky I sound.
“Where’s my money?” Jake says, and James’s jaw ticks as his eyes move over my shoulder.
To my surprise, he nods. “I talked to the company, and they’re happy to give Sadie three thousand dollars upfront. We can transfer that to you if …”
Jake laughs in my ear. “Three G! Now that’s what I’m talking about! But it’s gonna have to be cash only, my friend.”
His voice has relaxed a bit. Well done, James. Don’t antagonize the man with the knife.
James purses his lips like he’s thinking.
A wail of sirens reaches me from somewhere in the distance, and my eyes flash to James’s. It’s not an uncommon sound in Manhattan, but …
“What do you use for money transfers, Jake?” James says calmly.
I realize he’s been walking toward us as he’s been talking. The sirens are louder now, up on the main street. A couple of blocks away, at most.
“Did you call the fucking cops on me?” Jake suddenly snarls right by my ear.
“No,” James says, and I can tell he’s telling the truth.
But maybe someone else did.
Jake’s moving back now, pulling me along, away from James and the sirens, which are getting louder. I start to struggle, and Jake shoves me away, down onto the sidewalk. Pain shoots through my side as I land hard on my arm. But Jake has already taken off, and my mouth drops open. I would never have said he could shift that fast if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. James takes off after him.Fuck!And, of course, he’s so much quicker than a guy with a beer belly who sits on a couch all day.
A cop car screeches to a halt right next to me and two officers vault out, pulling out their guns and running after James.
“Stop! Police!” one of them shouts.
This has got way more exciting than a Brandon Sanderson novel. But now I’m thinking I like reading about these things and not experiencing them in real life.
