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I laugh. “Iloveit when you tease me. How’s that? Okay, we haven’t said it, but I feel it and know he does too.”
“Are yousure?”
I think so.
“Anyway,” I go on, ignoring her question, knowing she’ll be able to sense I want to move the conversation along. “We’ll be able to handle all that after they’ve caught Dad.”
“They’re going to make a TV show out of this, seriously. My head’s spinning.”
“Mine too.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“Hold on a sec,” I say, covering the phone and walking toward it.
Jamie opens the door, wearing a simple, clean shirt and sharp pants. Last night, after the article, he swung by Tommy’s and picked up his clothes. He said he might need something presentable if the cops showed up. He shaved, too, highlighting his strong jaw. There’s something scary in his expression. He stares at me bleakly.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“You need to come downstairs.”
“I don’t like that sound of that.”
He places his hand on my arm. “I don’t want to scare you, but it’s not good.”
“Sabrina, I have to go,” I say into the phone.
“Yes, go. Deal with that. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Jamie takes my hand as we walk down the stairs. There’s something almost terrifying about the way he does it, combined with how he looks at me. His eyes are hard, as if ready for violence, getting that glazed-over quality that makes him look prepared for anything. He leads me into the living room.
“Where are the cops?” I ask.
“In the kitchen drinking coffee,” he replies. “I asked them if I could be the one to tell you this. Look.”
He gestures to the table. There’s a photo of a kid on it, a boy with greasy hair tucked behind his ears.
“It’s the boy from the diner. Zack.”
“Oh.” I remember when I followed Jamie to the diner. “What about him? Oh, God, is he okay? Dad hasn’t… has he?”
“As far as we know, he’s alive. I thought your dad was using him like other drug kingpins use kids. Mules. Lackeys. Servants. Lying to them, saying they’ll make them rich. Saying they’ll make it so they never have to be afraid again, but I was wrong. It’s worse than that.”
Jamie looks at me steadily now. It’s just how he looked when I revealed what Dad used to do to me. There’s so much support in him.
“Don’t say it,” I whisper, sitting down heavily.
I think I’ve guessed. Jamie sits beside me, gently wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“He’s my brother,” I say. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
“Yes, he is,” he says gently.
“Oh, no. Oh, poor kid. No, that’s not right. It’s not fair. Dadstartedto get bad before he di… before he faked his death. That means he’s been bad for this kid’s whole life.”
“Zack, his name is Zack.”
