Lib Novel Page 93
Me:
Running with Hope to check on her brother. BRB
After sending it to Blake, I slip my phone into my pocket and catch up with Hope.
“He was a boxer.” Hope wrings her hands as we hurry down the sidewalk. Unlike on a business day, only a few people wander these streets, leaving them fairly deserted. “He sustained quite a few head injuries and sometimes has balance issues and migraines. If he isn’t answering, that could be why. But it could be worse. I just didn’t want to be by myself. You know?”
“Is there anything we can do?” We turn the corner and his bar is directly in front of us.
“If it’s really bad, he’ll need to go to the hospital again.” Hope glances at me with concern. “He hates the hospital. They always want to do tests. He’s a big guy and claustrophobic. They usually have to sedate him to get scans. He despises being under sedation.”
We get to the front doors of the bar and it’s closed. It’s scheduled to open later this afternoon. Hope opens her purse and digs through it.
“I have a key… Here it is.” She pulls it out and opens the door. There’s a small vestibule and another door that leads inside. The lights are all off. She locks the door behind us. “Wait here. I’ll get the lights.”
She walks away, and I pull out my phone to see the texts that have been buzzing in my pocket.
Blake:
No
Blake:
Where are you?
Blake:
Answer me.
The lights come on, filling the room with a soft glow against the wooden walls and beams.
Me:
Hope’s brother owns McAvoy’s Bar
Me:
We just got here. Going to check on her brother and then walk back.
Me:
No issues. I’m fine.
Hope comes back toward me but veers to the left. “His apartment is up here. You can come with or stay here. I should only be a minute.”
The bar that seemed so full of light and life a few weeks ago now feels empty and gutted. Even with the lights on, shivers ripple through me. Yeah, I’m not staying here alone. I follow her through the door leading upstairs.
She opens the door at the top with her key. “Jason? Jason, are you here?”
I step into the doorway and wait as she wanders into the apartment.
She slips through another doorway and keeps calling for her brother. A muffled groan reaches my ears.
“Jason!” Her voice is high pitched. I give up my sentry post and hurry to where she disappeared. When I get to the bedroom, she’s kneeling next to her brother on the floor, one hand on his pulse, the other holding the phone to her ear.
I’m not sure what to do, so I just freeze in the doorway.
“Yes, McAvoy’s on Grand.” She rubs her hand over his sternum. “He was conscious a second ago, but he’s not responding now.”