“Sure?”
“Yeah. Sorry if I hit a sore spot. Again.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
With a fist bump to the shoulder, I left him sitting at the bar. I had to get out of there. I didn’t want to think about Elaine, but nothing would stop my brain from drowning in her memory. In the past, alcohol had been a guaranteed solution to the bad feelings. Alcohol or sex. But I couldn’t drink her away tonight, and the thought of touching another woman turned my stomach. I only wanted her. I wanted her so bad it hurt.
Bee stings… needles… rope burns… Hailing a cab, I passed my hand over my face again. Jesus, this fucking ache. I had to fucking get back to
the office and get to the bottom of the Star setup. And I was going to break the phishing ring, and I was going to work out, and sleep, and eat my meals, and put one damned foot in front of the other, and do whatever the fuck it took to make this time pass. Until I didn’t think about her any more. Until it didn’t hurt.
I was going to need a lot more work.
Chapter 12 – Something Bigger
Trying to find Star without a photo ID was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I’d started with the database of prostitution arrests in the last five years. She was too good not to be a professional, but I wasn’t convinced she’d have a record. Still, it was the only idea my instincts suggested, so I followed it.
My eyes were crossing looking at photo after photo of bleached-blonde mugshots when I noticed I wasn’t alone. Pausing from my nonstop scrolling, I looked up to see Nikki standing in my doorway, hip cocked, eyebrow arched.
“I was beginning to wonder what was going to make you look up.” Her rose-lined pink lips curled into a smile, and the tightness in my chest eased slightly.
“What’s up?” I asked. Derek and I might have come back to the office changed, but Nikki was the same as always. Teased hair, huge earrings, tight dresses. Funny how her efforts didn’t capture my attention so much anymore.
“I thought you might take me to lunch. Unless you’re skipping it again today?”
“Have I been skipping lunch?” My brow lined as I looked toward the clock. Already two.
“Come on,” she said, stepping around my desk and catching my arm. “I’ll let you buy me a salad in the cafeteria.”
“There’s a cafeteria?”
“In Building C.”
“I’m glad I’ve got you and Derek around. Otherwise, I might miss all the hidden perks of this complex.”
She exhaled a laugh. “The food isn’t that great, but they make a decent salad. And I think Derek said the bacon club isn’t bad.”
Outside, I noticed the season was starting to change. Soon the holidays would begin, but I was glad they were a ways off. I wasn’t in the mood. We walked quietly through the courtyard and entered the third building to our left. My thoughts were preoccupied with the search for Star and how I wasn’t finding a damn thing. She could be anywhere. Hell, for all I knew, she was from another city, another state altogether. Derek was probably right. I should just forget it. Count myself lucky and wait to see if anything ever even came of it.
That just didn’t sit right with me.
“Jesus,” Nikki broke through my distraction. “I’ve never seen two men more changed. What the hell happened while I was gone?”
My eyebrows rose as I took in her posture, leaned back in the chair, she had both hands on her hips as she studied me. Her salad appeared untouched.
“Sorry, Nik,” I said, picking up the club sandwich I’d ordered. “You’d be surprised all the shit that went down after you left.”
“I’ll take that as your funny way of saying you missed me.”
In spite of myself I laughed. “I was pissed at Derek when you left.” I took a bite. “But that was just the beginning.”
She leaned forward and poked her salad with her fork, not eating. After a few quiet moments, she shook her head. “Are you going to tell me?”
Dropping the sandwich, I grabbed a paper napkin and wiped my hands roughly. “First, you can’t tell Derek,” I exhaled. “He told me to drop it.”
A smile curled the side of her mouth. “You’re worried about me ratting you out to Derek?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve fucked up enough on this one.” I shook my head, throwing the paper on the table.