The Ultimate Merger Read Online Free PDF

“I
don’t want to get you dirty. I-I just…” Her face crumbled.
    “What happened to you?” This was the worst she’d ever seen her.
    Three months had passed since they last saw each other, and
Sabrina had begun to wonder if her cousin had died. She’d never stayed away
this long before. She hadn’t even called once the entire time. Sabrina called
the police and checked at hospitals, each time sagging with relief when no one
fitting her cousin’s description was in either location.
    Her gaunt appearance terrified Sabrina. When had she last eaten?
Other than drugs, what else was she putting into her body?
    Jewel kept her eyes trained on the floor. “I’m sorry, Brina. I
need your help. I don’t know where else to go. I tried to reach you at home,
but…but you were never there. I didn’t know how else to get in touch with you.”
    Sabrina had been having a good time, spending every possible
moment with Renaldo, when her cousin had needed her. The weight of guilt came
down on her conscience.
    “I’m here for you. You know that.”
    Jewel covered her face and cried. She barely made a sound, which
made it even more heart-wrenching. Sabrina gripped her cousin’s arms. She was
so stick-thin that Sabrina’s fingers touched her thumb.
    “Look at me. Look at me, Jewel.” Her voice shook, because she was
scared. She knew what could happen. They’d been raised together and were
practically sisters. They’d both lost their mothers to drugs. She couldn’t lose
Jewel, too. She wouldn’t let it happen.
    Jewel’s empty, tear-filled eyes finally lifted.
    “We’ll beat this, okay? We’ll do it together. You and me, just
like always.”
    Jewel nodded like a child, looking needy and trusting.
    Sabrina rushed around her desk and grabbed her bag. She picked up
the phone and told Ernestine she had a family emergency and was leaving for the
day.
    “Come on,” she said, pulling Jewel behind her. First, she had to
get her cousin cleaned up and give her clothes to wear. Then they’d go to a
doctor.
    She didn’t even want to know what Jewel had been up to. She
already knew what happened when women ran out of money because she’d seen her
mother do it. They used their bodies as currency.
    ****
    Renaldo stared at his phone on the desk in his suite. He rubbed
his fingers across his jaw. He tried not to succumb to the need to call Sabrina
again. He’d already texted and called her this morning. It was now
mid-afternoon and he still hadn’t heard from her. Very unusual.
    He didn’t like not having answers. He picked up the phone and
examined it, checking his list of texts to make sure he hadn’t missed any. No
missed voicemails, either.
    Where was she?
    Should he be worried? Was she busy today? Or was she blowing him
off?
    ****
    Thursday morning, Renaldo sat in the real estate closing signing
documents. The deal was done, yet he had unfinished business.
    He hadn’t seen Sabrina in three days, the longest period since
they’d started their affair.  A short text from her didn’t explain much
except that she was very busy with a family issue. Her explanation surprised
him because he could count on one hand the number of times she’d provided any
information about her family. When he offered to help, she’d turned him down,
stating she could take care of it on her own.
    Whatever “it” was took up a lot of her time. Not only had she cut
off contact with him, but when he showed up at her job unannounced, he
discovered she’d taken leave from work. What was going on that caused someone
like her to leave work?
    With a flight booked to leave for Brazil tomorrow, he wanted to
see her before he left. Maybe he was being selfish, but he needed to see her.
Needed. Not wanted. Needed. She’d become as important to him as breathing.
    “Last one,” the attorney said, pushing another piece of paper at
him to sign.
    He scribbled his signature in blue ink and then rose from the
chair.
    “Congratulations.”
    Renaldo didn’t