Luca ate the food Nox left, this time cleaning everything out of the container. After he tossed his garbage, he piled up on the bed and set up the other phone. Luca spent the next couple of hours waiting for Nox to show up. Around six, he crept into the motel room with a couple sandwiches.
“I got the computer set up.”
Nox nodded. “Good.”
“I was hoping you’d help me do some research on that name you remembered, Dr. Dante. I thought if I could find out who he is, we can figure out more about what’s going on.” Like why those Anubis were after him.
“I’m not sure that would be a good idea.” Nox set the bag of food on the dresser.
“Please.”
Nox bunched his shoulders.
“Help me do this.”
“You have the man’s name. That’s more useful than anything I could do.”
“You could recognize something. And who knows, if you saw a picture of this guy, it could jog your memory some more.”
Nox winced.
“How are you going to drive the van if you can’t be in the same room with me?”
“I don’t know.” Nox pressed his palm against the side of his head.
“Sit, please.” Luca patted the space beside him.
Nox stared at the spot. He shuffled his feet, taking a step closer. Then his expression crumpled as if something hurt. “I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t.” He fled the room.
“Damn it.” Luca followed. The sidewalk outside the door was clear.
A few people wandered the parking lot. Meaty smoke trickled from an exhaust vent on the roof of the bar. The neon sign read open.
Luca went back inside and turned on the TV. After a few minutes, he turned it off. He was not going to sit here and do nothing. If Nox wanted to abandon this—whatever it was they were doing—then Luca wasn’t going to waste his time. He’d already lost one chance to live a little.
Luca grabbed the fleece jacket Nox had bought for him and walked out. He meant to cross the parking lot and head for the bar. Instead, he found himself heading down the hall splitting the space between the stairwell and the room with the ice machine.
Around the corner, the two hundred rooms lined up on the ground floor. Luca stopped at two twelve.
He raised his fist.
What the hell was he doing?
And why did it matter?
Vic was someone to talk to, someone who would talk to him, a slice of normality in his very limited lifespan.
Luca knocked.
Two black men came out of the room next door. One kissed the other on the cheek. They glanced at Luca who counted the ridges in the concrete in front of his toes. One guy left, the other returned to his motel room.
This was stupid. As if Luca had anything to offer anyone. He started to turn, and the door opened.
Vic had a towel around his waist and the long side of his hair stuck to his cheeks. “Hey.” He glanced down at himself. “You want to come in? I’ll throw on some clothes.”
“I didn’t know you were busy.”
“I was taking a shower. Not what you’d really call busy.”