Page 98 of All In: The Price We Pay

My friend looks up from her desk, from Simon to me and back. She slowly stands up. “Okay.” She walks toward me. “What’s going on? You’re as white as a sheet. Did something happen?”

I nod. “I got fired. I have to pack up. Ten minutes, then I’m out.”

Her mouth drops open. “Don’t mess with me,” she hisses at me.

Shaking my head, I lower my gaze. “Simon will tell you all about it. I . . . I have to go.”

“We’ll see about that.” She turns toward our boss’s office. “Okay. Go home. I’ll come over as soon as I can. This isn’t the end of the story.”

With trembling fingers, I grab my bag from my office, where a security guard is already waiting for me.

When I try to put my smartphone in my bag, he shakes his head. “Phone, tablet, smartwatch.”

“Right,” I mumble. I don’t even have a personal phone anymore. That’s my connection to the world. I really am dizzy now.

Nothing in this office belongs to me. I pull the few personal photos off my monitor frame. On my way out, I grab my favorite mug from the break room.

Ricky jumps up when we get to the elevators. “Parker?”

I shake my head. “Ask Carly. I don’t have a phone.” I laugh. What an absurd situation.

The security guard shoves me into the elevator. I turn around inside and wave to Ricky. Shit. The doors close and we head down. Only yesterday I was standing in front of it, hoping that this damn elevator would bring me an answer. Now I got it.

We both step out into the lobby, and my companion follows me to the gate, which only opens with my keycard.

“Key,” the guy demands.

I hand him the card hanging around my neck. He points to the turnstile, which can be passed through to the outside without authorization.

In a single step, I’m outside. My life here is over. As if on autopilot, I walk toward the exit doors. People are walking behind them.

Life goes on.

Dazed, I step out into the New York spring. Is the city always this loud?

The honking of cars is deafening.

I turn to one side. Take a step. Stop and turn around.

A taxi. Or maybe a bus?

Uber. No. I don’t even have a phone.

Where’s a bus stop?

Across the street, a bus is pulling into a stop. I jerk my head to the left and run into a damn e-scooter that has no business being on this sidewalk. I stumble toward the street. Just get to the bus quickly. My foot slips off the curb. I flail my arms, trying to keep my balance. I don’t know what or who is to blame for my failure. Lack of sleep? The stress of the night? Getting kicked out?

My arm slams into the curb, and a searing pain splits it in two. I can’t think of any other reason why everything goes black before my eyes. But not before I realize that my gaze is following my arm and landing on the street. The e-scooter rider is moving away against the flow of traffic. Instead, a car rolls toward me.

Instinctively, I turn away from the sight, force my head to turn the other way, and see a strange red and white object on my forearm. What kind of stick is sticking out of my arm? That’s the last thought I have. Fortunately, the world around me sinks into a black hole.

Chapter 24 – Evan

The vibration penetrates right down to the deepest recesses of my brain.

After the shock in Parker’s office last night, I’m not ready for reality.

Fuck, I want to sleep. Sleep and forget.