My cell phone buzzed on the desk next to me.
I wasn’t supposed to take personal calls at work, but the number on the screen was not one I recognized despite being local. Knowing what my sister was like, I found my finger swiping over the screen before I realized what I was doing.
“Hello?”
There was a long sigh in my ear. “I’m sorry,” Krissy mumbled.
“Where are you?” I demanded, twisting slightly so I wouldn’t be overheard by anyone on my floor. “I’ve been worried.”
“I was in the hospital.”
A tingle of fear went through me. “Are you all right?”
“I overdosed,” she said groggily. “Now they’re forcing me into some shitty rehab center. I won’t go.”
I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath, which felt lodged in my chest. My fear for my sister grew like a poison spreading through my veins. “Where are you now?”
“About to be transferred.”
“What happened?”
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but the doc’s think I’m a risk to myself. They’re forcing me into rehab. I don’t need it. It’s fucking stupid.”
She was in denial. She needed help and had done so for a long time. I’d tried so many times over the years to get her into a facility but she’d never stay more than a few hours. If I could get her to stay this time it might just be enough to crack this addiction and get my sister back on the road to recovery.
It might be enough to get my sister back, period.
“You OD’d. You need to be there, Krissy.” My words are pointed.
“You got the money to pay for this shit? Because it’s expensive as hell. I mean, they’ve brought me here against my will and they expect me to pay for the privilege.”
My stomach churned. How the hell was I going to pay for rehab as well as everything else? “I’ll sort the payment out,” I assured her, wondering even as I said it how I was going to make that happen. “I just want you to get better.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she insisted.
“Krissy, I know you don’t want to hear it, but you’re sick. This addiction will eat you alive if you don’t get help. I can’t lose you. Please, do this for both of us. I need you.”
She went quiet for a moment. “You’re asking a lot, Jessica.”
“I’m asking for you to fight,” I said, a knot of emotion in my throat. “I can’t lose my other half.”
My voice was laced with pain and I felt it deep in my gut. Movement caught my attention and I glanced up from the desk to see that my boss, Donovan Black, had arrived. I got momentarily distracted by him, a daily occurrence whenever he was in my sphere.
The man was sex on legs. Tall, handsome, with dark blond hair and a hint of scruff covering a strong jawline. He always wore tailored suits that fit him perfectly and today was no different. The crisp white shirt he was wearing was unbuttoned at the neck, showing a tantalizing hint of his chest. My thoughts verged on inappropriate as I took him in. It was a sin to look as good as he did.
He raised a brow at me before he disappeared into his office.
“Krissy, I’ve got to go,” I said in a rush. “Stay in the rehab center. I’ll take care of the payment.”
Somehow.
I hung up on my sister and took a deep breath. The weight of everything was starting to feel like it was crushing my shoulders. How much more pressure could I honestly take before I broke completely?
I thought about the outstanding bill stuffed in my purse and tried not to cry.
It was starting to feel like I had no way out of this mess.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed my emotions down and walked into Mr. Black’s office. He was shrugging out of his suit jacket as I entered and I took a moment to admire the strong muscles of his back before he turned to me. I snapped my eyes to his face, forcing a smile on my face.