SWNOVELS Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT–SISTER TROUBLES
Over the next week, having Elena move into the apartment went……smoothly enough. Jasmine found herself having to adjust to sharing space and constantly having another person around.
But she tried to view it as getting much–needed quality time with her newly–discovered sister, a chance to bond on a deeper level.
If she was being honest, though, there were little things about Elena’s behavior that made her pause occasionally. Like how touchy she was about certain personal items or parts of the apartment that Jasmine tried to tidy up or rearrange.
More than once, Jasmine caught Elena bristling if she attempted to move a piece of clothing or accessory that had been carelessly strewn about.
Then there were the odd instances of cash or valuables going inexplicably missing around the apartment.
Nothing major – just little things like a pretty silver bracelet Elena had sworn she’d left on the bathroom counter only to have it vanish the next day. Or Jasmine missing a twenty dollar bill from her purse that she could’ve sworn was in there.
The unsettling occurrences didn’t stop there, either. Jasmine began noticing frequent unknown numbers popping up on Elena’s call–Hog, often late at night or early morning while she was asleep.
Her sister would take the calls in the bathroom or kitchen, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard.
When Jasmine inquired, Elena brushed it off as new job prospects or dealing with lingering issues from her past landlord situation.
But the itch of unease and doubt persisted, no matter how vehemently Jasmine tried to squash it down. She refused to accuse Elena of any wrongdoing without proof, however, not wanting to sabotage their newly–cemented bond.
That all changed one fateful Friday night when Jasmine decided to treat Elena to a night out, feeling guilty for burying herself in work all week. Arranging for tickets to a trendy new art exhibit downtown, she breezed into the living room with a bright smile to share the news.
“Hey, sis! Clear your schedule for tonight, because Jasmine’s voice caught in her throat as she registered the scene before her with confusion.
Elena was p
perched on the sofa, laptop open before her as she rapidly typed with a focused intensity. Her cellphone was also laying beside her, a series of texts and images flashing across the screen too quickly for Jasmine to make sense of
“Elena? What’s going on here?” Jasmine asked with a light frown.
Her sister started in surprise, color flooding her cheeks as she hurriedly attempted to close the laptop and snatch up her phone.
“N–Nothing! Just a little side freelance project I’m working on to make some extra cash.”
Jasmine fixed her with a disbelieving look. “At 10pm on a Friday night? And how could you possibly be freelancing again already? You were supposed to start looking for a real job, remember?”
Elena avoided her gaze, tension radiating from her slouched posture in waves.
“It’s…it’s not a big deal, Jas,” she muttered evasively. “Just something small to bring in some income, you know? No reason to get all interrogational about it.”
Biting back a surge of irritation at her sister’s deflections, Jasmine decided to drop the subject for the
time being. “Okay, well whatever. Just try to tear yourself away tonight, yeah? I snagged us tickets to that big art exhibit i was telling you about.”
Elena stilled at that, eyes flicking back up to meet Jasmine’s with sudden intensity. “The one at the Caldwell gallery? With the Renoir pieces on display?”
Jasmine blinked in surprise at the palpable spark of interest in her sister’s demeanor. “Uhh…yeah, that’s
the one.”
She watched as Elena visibly struggled to school her features into a mask of nonchalance. “Cool, I mean… yeah, sure I’m down for that. Could be fun.”
But Jasmine couldn’t shake the feeling that Elena’s interest in the art exhibit was driven by something deeper than just spending a fun night out together.
She got her answer when they arrived at the gallery later that evening and Jasmine proceeded to lose track of Elena almost immediately.
Dodging through the thick throngs of people, she finally caught sight of her sister huddled in a quiet comer alcove, bent over her phone with a look of intense focus etched on her features.
“Elena? What in the world are you doing over here?” Jasmine asked in bewilderment.
Once again, Elena flushed guiltily and hastily attempted to conceal whatever she’d been engrossed in on her phone.
N–Nothing, just checking in on a text is all. About that freelance project from earlier, you know?” she
gin on a stammered.
But for the first time, Jasmine sensed there was something more nefarious brewing beneath Elena’s evasive behavior. Narrowing her eyes in scrutiny, she reached out and firmly gripped Elena’s forearm.
“Don’t play games with me, Elena,” she said in a low tone, all warmth drained from her voice. “I want the truth. What’s really going on with you? Are you…are you up to something illegal here tonight?”
Elena held her gaze for a taut moment before her shoulders slumped in resignation. She cast a panicked glance around the gallery before leaning in close, her voice lowering to an urgent whisper.
“I was going to tell you everything after tonight, I promise, Elena rushed out in a hoarse whisper. “Just let me get through this job, then I’ll come clean about everything‘
Jasmine felt her heart plummet into an icy pit at her sister’s admission of criminal wrongdoing. She tightened her grip on Elena’s arm, forcing her sister to meet her turbulent gaze.
“Job? What job, Elena?” She demanded in a fierce undertone. “Don’t even think about lying or playing games with me anymore. I need to know the truth, right now.”
Elena wavered, conflict and desperation flickering across her features before her shoulders slumped in defeat. She leaned in until her mouth was a mere inch from Jasmine’s ear, her words coming out in a tremulous rush.
“I’ve been hired to help… acquire a few pieces from this exhibit tonight. Minor stuff, I swear – nothing that will be hugely missed. But the payout is tremendous, enough to really set me up properly.”
She pulled back, anxiously searching Jasmine’s face as her sister struggled to process the bombshell revelation.
“I know how it sounds,” Elena continued urgently. “But you have to understand, I’ve spent my whole life hustling and scraping just to get by. This job, as dodgy as it is, could be my ticket to finally getting out of that mindset.”
Jasmine simply stared at her, engulfed by roiling waves of shock, anger, and hurt so visceral she could
scarcely breathe. How could this be happening…again? Just when she had finally allowed herself to trust her sister, to open her heart to Elena in a way she hadn’t been able to in years….
ton
“Is this…is this why you were so insistent on coming here tonight?” Jasmine managed to choke out, feeling bile rise in her throat. “You used me, used my connections to this event, just to pull off some heist?
Elena’s expression crumpled with remorse as she reached for Jasmine in a gesture of entreaty. “No! Well…not exactly. The job was already lined up before you even mentioned the exhibit. But yes, I did think it could make things…easier for me.”