AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 3
Five months ago—
“I need to talk to you,” Sadie announced as I answered her incoming call, annoyed as I noted the time was nearly eleven p.m., and I just finished a grueling shift at work. Waitressing wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but it paid the bills while I found a real job and began my career. I’d earned a business degree and graduated over three months ago, but I still hadn’t found a job in my field.
“It’s late, Sadie. What’s going on?”
I should have been more patient. Tired and rubbing my aching feet as I collapsed against the mattress in my bedroom, I stifled a groan. I needed a shower and sleep.
“Hey, it’s important. Seriously.”
She said that every time we spoke. Always a new gig or drama or bullshit.
If my older sister wasn’t such a mess, I wouldn’t be hesitating. Only two years and five days separated us.
Sometimes I felt decades older. As the responsible sister, I always kept my nose clean and avoided breaking the rules. Never had a speeding ticket or paid my rent late. I worked my ass off to be a good citizen and make my parents proud.
Sadie had been picked up for everything from prostitution to petty theft. She was a bit of a kleptomaniac and enjoyed being the life of the party. I didn’t think there was a single drug out there she hadn’t tried, although I knew she enjoyed ecstasy the most. Far too impulsive, she rarely thought through the consequences of her actions until it was too late.
None of this changed the fact that I loved my sister. She had a good heart and believed the best in people until they proved otherwise. She was a glass-half-full kind of personality. Driven by an unforeseen motor, she was always on the go. Sadie was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD at age seven. She’d been medicated for it since, but I doubted she regularly remembered to take the pills she needed.
“Could we talk tomorrow?” I stifled a yawn, resisting the urge to close my eyes. That shower wasn’t happening until morning now because I wouldn’t have any energy left once my conversation with Sadie ended.
“Callie.”
Her desperate, worried tone caught my attention, and I sat up. “Tell me what’s happening.”
“I-I think someone is trying to,” she paused and swallowed loudly, “kill me.”
“Shit.”
“Exactly.”
“Come over right now. I’ll put on a pot of coffee.”
“I’m already outside your door. Open up!”
Scrambling to my feet, I held onto the phone as I sprinted into the hallway, down the stairs, and to the back door of my townhome.
Flinging open the door, I found my sister shivering and soaked from the heavy downpour outside.
Pulling her in, I slammed the door shut behind her and flipped every lock. “Jesus. Get undressed. I’ll bring you some dry clothes.”
Sadie’s slim figure shivered as she peeled off her black cocktail dress. The material clung to every inch of her body, molding her hourglass figure. She had legs a mile long and kicked off her strappy four-inch heels, ringing out the wet strands of her hair over the kitchen sink as I returned with a towel, oversized t-shirt, black leggings, and warm socks.
In true Sadie style, she stripped without a single glance in my direction. She’d never been ashamed of her body or being naked, which hadn’t changed over the years. If anything, she grew bolder. That could explain her current profession—professional escort.
Of course, if I had her figure, I’d flaunt it too. Sadie took after our father’s side of the family. Tall, slender, athletic, and perfectly flawless skin that always looked kissed by the sun. Me? I followed after our mother—fuller hips and thighs, round ass, and bigger breasts. I didn’t hate my body by any means, but I sometimes wished I had her toned, flat stomach and height.
Wistfully, I set to work brewing a pot of strong coffee. The past had proved nights like this with Sadie would be lengthy. I needed the caffeine, or I’d fall asleep upright in my chair.
“Tell me you have Cinnabon creamer.” Her long dark hair hung in loose waves over her shoulders as I turned, ticking my chin at the fridge.
“Of course. I’m not a Neanderthal.”
Sadie snorted, whipping open the fridge. She pulled out the container of Cinnabon creamer and popped open the top.
Inhaling, she smiled. “Smells just like a fresh cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing.”
