Page 50 of The Tracker's Revenge

“Um, is there anything you would like me to explain,” I said, grasping at straws, trying to find a way to get her to sign without seeming desperate.

“Not really. Everything looks fine to me, but you know lawyers. Mine is a stickler. He won’t let me sign anything without him reading it first.You can never be too careful these days, Mekare,” she added in a deeper voice. “That’s what he always says to me.”

“And he’s right,” I said, forcing a smile. “Well, you do what you have to do, and we’ll look forward to your call.” I handed over a business card.

She took it and placed it in her purse with the contract.

When we walked back into the main area, Rosalina glanced up from her desk, her brow furrowing in worry. When I talked to first-time customers, it always took longer than the few minutes Mekare and I had been in my office.

Rosalina knew right away that I’d failed to make the deal. I grimaced, fearing she would think I hadn’t done enough, but I couldn’t think of how I could’ve talked Mekare into signing without driving her away in distaste.

From the door, Mekare waved two fingers and said, “I’ll be in touch.” The chime rang above her as the door locked into place.

“She’ll never come back, will she?” Rosalina sighed and slumped in her chair.

“I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration clenching my gut and making me want to throw up.

I could almost hear our bank account draining like a leaky bucket. I knew homelessness. I knew what it was to have no money. That short time I’d been on the streets had injected fear deep in my bones. It was a wonder I didn’t get eaten by a rogue vampire while sleeping in the open.

Logically, I knew that if our business failed, I would still have a roof over my head. I could move in with Mom, Dani, or Rosalina— if she would have me after failing her so utterly. She would still have her place. She had more savings than me, enough money to pay rent for a few months even if she didn’t get another job right away. I would also find a job that would make me enough money to survive and pay rent to Rosalina, but what kind of life would that be?

I didn’t want to live constantly scraping at the bottom to avoid sinking past the scum. When we’d started the agency, we’d had so many hopes of being solvent, at least. I would be happy if all we could do was stay afloat, even if we never made extra money for cute outfits and vacations. But not even that seemed like a possibility anymore.

“She said she just wants her lawyer to read the contract to make sure it all looks good,” I explained. “She made it sound like she would come back, but you know people...”

A little light returned to Rosalina’s eyes. “Well, let’s hope for the best then. Send good vibes into the universe.”

Stretching my hands toward the ceiling, I wiggled my fingers. “Sending good vibes into the universe,” I chanted.

Rosalina mimicked me, also wiggling her fingers and humming in the back of her throat like some sort of yogi master.

We both laughed, peering into each other’s eyes with understanding. She should be mad at me. It wasn’t her fault we were in this situation. Yet, she had nothing but kindness to offer me.

God, how did I get so lucky to have a best friend like her?

I ended my chant and said, “Em is waiting for me at Cup ‘o Java.”

“Oh, I thought she’d left.”

“She wouldn’t. She thought I was trying to get rid of her and insisted on waiting. But it’s fine. We’ll go see Tom, get this over with. Besides, it won’t hurt. We need all the help we can get to take down Bernadetta and Stephen. Maybe, Tom and his people will be able to figure something out.”

“I hope so.” She blinked slowly. “I really hope so.”

I left and crossed the street, hoping that all our hopes could become a reality soon.