“Can we see her?” my voice surprises me, shaking as I ask it.
“I can take them back.” A woman looks at us as she walks up. I recognize her from when I brought Tate and Zeke to see Z. “That sister of yours.”
“You know her,” Zeke laughs as they all hug.
“You look different this time.” She laughs as she looks at me.
“How do you know Eli?” Z asks.
She laughs. “Who do you think snuck them in to see you?
* * *
“Ohhhh… Eli… oooohhhhh… it’s the ghost who haunts your dreams.”
“You’re so weird.” It makes me laugh anyway as I open my eyes. Her blue ones meeting mine.
Z and Zeke are both passed out on the couch on the other side of the room.
“Have you heard anything about Low?”
“We cornered Dan earlier.” It makes her laugh. “He said she was still in surgery and will probably have to be medically induced for a while afterwards. He feels like he’s to blame.”
“He did the best he could with the shit environment he was given.”
Nodding my head, I stand up, lean over her, and press a kiss to her lips. “You scared me.” I whisper against her lips.
“Hate this.” Is mumbled from across the room as Z sits up, pulling the phone out of his pocket and looking at it. “Hello?” he pauses, and he laughs, pulling the phone down. “Do either of you know why Terri’s calling me about money?”
“Cause I haven’t paid her in like 6 months.” I shrug. “Blackmail.”
“Terri, it’s ironic that you’re trying to blackmail your granddaughter while she’s in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery.” He pauses again. “Go fuck yourself.” Andhe hangs up.
“Explain the blackmail.”
“We ran into her when we were out of town.” Drew starts. “She remembered Eli.”
“How? She met you, like, once?”
“No, she was one of the few arrests I actively made.”
Z’s face lights up instantly.
“Eli went and got the money while I got to spend some good ol QT with our loving grandmother. I asked him why he paid it and…”
“It needed to come out. But if we paid her one of the payments, it gave us enough time to control how it came out.”
“But then I was arrested.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “After we broke up, I paid her once more cause I knew you’d be pissed at Drew, and then I was arrested. By the time I’d gotten out, I’d already decided I was done with the secrets.”
“That’s the little money you spent of it?”
“Yeah,” I smirk, looking back at her. “Well, that entire week.”
Drew smiles at me and laughs. “I feel amazing.”
“That’s because you’re on morphine.” Z and I say in unison.
