Page 65 of You'll Never Know
“That’s unfortunate,” I say, my gaze drifting behind him toward the photo sitting on the corner of his desk—a picture of Zane with his arms slung around his kids. A boy I peg to be close to eighteen and a girl who looks at least ten years younger. She has sleek black hair and a face like her father’s, although much narrower, the hollows overly pronounced. And while Zane’s skin is a warm tan, the girl’s is as pale as milk.
I clocked the picture the second I entered Zane’s office along with the stack of medical bills piled in the basket near his computer. I instantly recognized the Harborview Medical logo in the upper left corner of the topmost envelope. After the wreck, I’d received plenty of bills from Harborview of my own, though none of them had the red past-due stamp Zane’s has. And it’s that stamp, along with Zane’s comment from the other day about the cost of health insurance, that I’m banking on to help me change his mind.
“How much would it take?” I ask.
Zane doesn’t hesitate. “More than you can afford.”
“Don’t be so sure about that. How much?”
He taps his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I don’t know. I’d have to crunch the numbers.”
“Ballpark. I won’t hold you to it.”
His lips curl into a half-grin. “You’re tenacious, I’ll give you that. A million, minimum.”
The number feels like a slap to the face. I’d expected him to demand a substantial amount, but not seven figures. I have Ethan’s life insurance settlement, sure—what I haven’t already used, anyway—every dollar of it drenched in blood. And I have what I’d managed to save for retirement before the crash still sitting in my 401(k). All in, I can come up with close to six-hundred thousand—so there’s no way I can afford Zane’s number. But I can’t let him know that, either.
“How about five-hundred thousand up front, and another five hundred once we’re done?”
His fingers stop tapping. His gaze sharpens. He says nothing, probably wondering if I’m serious, which I am. I’m not lying. I’ll find a way to get him the money. I can take out a home equity loan if I need to.
I lean in and set my elbows on my knees. “Zane, what’s your daughter’s name?”
He stiffens. For a moment, I don’t think he’ll answer. Finally, he does. “Cora.”
“That’s beautiful. I know you mentioned she’s sick.”
He frowns. “Don’t bring her into this.”
“She’s already part of it. I can see the bills on your desk. I lost my child. Let me help yours. What exactly does she have?”
He tenses, and I can practically hear his spine crack. I know focusing on his daughter is risky, especially after his warning, but I don’t have a choice; she’s the only leverage I have. My pulse thumps harder as he continues to stare at me, his eyes shining like bullets. I can’t tell ifhe’s actually considering my offer or if he’s seconds away from telling me to get out of his office.
Finally, he reclines in his chair and lets out a long breath. “Have you ever heard of MLD?”
“MLD?”
“Metachromatic leukodystrophy. Cora has this fatty substance accumulating in her brain. We all have it, actually. But hers … it builds up. It doesn’t get eliminated like it does for the rest of us. It’s slowly strangling her nervous system. It affects her ability to walk, to communicate. It diminishes her hearing and sight. The best way I can describe it is like watching someone drown in quicksand, but there’s nothing you can do to help them.”
“Jesus,” I whisper. “That sounds terrible.”
“It’s awful,” Zane says, his eyes dimming. “My wife, Maria, and I … we’ve been to so many specialists. Tried so many treatments, but nothing’s worked.” A brief tremor runs through his voice. He pauses then says, “And it’s expensive. You wouldn’t believe how much the drugs for this disease cost. The procedures. It’s backbreaking.”
“I can only imagine,” I say. “But surely what I’m offering to pay you will help.”
“Not as much as you think.”
I fold my hands and set them in my lap. I don’t know what else to say.
He pushes his tongue against his cheek, his gaze never leaving mine. A muscle pops near his jaw. His eyes turn to slivers. “If I were to consider this, and I do meanif, you would have to agree to do it my way. There would have to be no deviation. A guy like Reed is as slippery as they come. If you fuck it up, he’ll bite back. He won’t play fair. And he won’t only come after you. He’ll come after me, too. And I refuse to put my family in jeopardy.”
Something resolves in my chest. For the first time since I lost Ethan and Noah, I feel something other than grief, and somethingdeeper than rage. For the first time since the day my world exploded in a ball of glass and metal, I have a purpose. And that purpose has a name: Reed Aldridge. I can absolutely do what Zane asks. And I will.
I nod. “Understood.”
He leans back in his chair. “One point five, and I’m in.”
My stomach knots. “You just said a million.”
