“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yes, everything’s fine.”
“It’s three o’clock in the morning,” he says as I hear the rustling of sheets in the background. “What’s —”
“I’ll do it.”
Silence.
Complete and utter.
Which means he understood what I meant.
He understood that I’ll work for him in exchange for getting my money.
“You’ll do it,” he says in a quiet voice.
“Yes.”
“Until your graduation next year.”
I work my jaw back and forth,hatingthat it’s come to this.
Hatingthat I’m letting my brother win.
But it’s fine.
It’s nothing compared to what I deserve.
“Yes.” Then, the main reason for why I’m calling. “But I want you to do something for me first.”
Another few seconds of silence before he says, “What?”
“If I come work for you, I want you to give it to the Adlers. My money.”
This time, the silence is even longer.
And I know his wheels must be turning at my request. Not that I care.
As long as he keeps his promise, I don’t care what he thinks.
“The Adlers.”
“Yeah.” I swallow thickly. “Dress it up however you like. Tell ’em you’re doing it to make up for what happened. What our old man did to them. How he…”Sent her away, had her locked up to pursue his twisted revenge on me. “And then I want you to make some phone calls.”
“What phone calls?”
“To NYU.”
“NYU,” he murmurs, thoughtfully.
“I want you to get her in,” I say, knowing and hating that he already knows.
Whoheris.
“How am I supposed to get her in?”
“I don’t fucking care. Find a way. You’re full of fucking connections, aren’t you? Find one at NYU and make it happen.”
I hear a sigh before he asks, “Is this important to you?”