“Eat, man. You’re wasting away.”
I shrug. “I’m not hungry.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and levels me with a serious glare. I roll my eyes as I take a bite of the pizza. My, how our roles have reversed. I think Aris secretly likes taking care of me as I wallow in my fucking misery. I’d say he gets off on it, but his concerned eyes that are exactly like Mamá’s don’t lie. And because of that, I eat the damn pizza.
“I really do need to bail,” he mutters. “I hate leaving you like this, but Selene can be such a bitch.”
“Married life,” I say with a grunt.
“Not yet.” He laughs. “Hell, maybe not ever.”
“You bought a fucking house for her.” I scratch at my jaw. “Am I an embarrassment?”
“Truly, you are,” he taunts, his brown eyes lighting up with playfulness.
“Fuck off. You never have me over.”
“You’ve been preoccupied. You think I want to rub in your face the fact I’m happy with Selene and thinking about popping the question while you’re dying over here in despair? Hell no. I may think you’re a dick, but I’m not going to do that shit to you.”
I chew the pizza and frown before swallowing it. “Don’t tell me you let her decorate.”
He winces. “The kitchen is seashell themed.”
“Jesus,” I say with a laugh. “Mamá would be rolling over in her grave.”
We both sober up momentarily.
“I miss her,” Aris rumbles. “I miss her so fucking much.”
I, however, have mixed feelings on the matter. She fucked over my dad. Sure, he can be a dick. Like me. But did he deserve to be cheated on for a damn decade? Did he deserve to be shot because he was angry about the affair? He sure as hell didn’t deserve to lose his ability to walk because she couldn’t keep from having sex with Niles Fucking Nikolaides.
Is that what happened to Talia? Did she run off with her secret lover?
No one fucking knows. Especially not me.
“Maybe when you’re not getting fucked up, you can come over for dinner one day. Make some décor suggestions to Selene.”
“Maybe,” I grumble. We both know I’m not leaving this fucking hotel to go give interior decorating advice to my brother’s whore wannabe wife.
Aris leaves the room and returns shortly with a glass of ouzo. He smiles as he sets it down next to the plate. “My peace offering.”
“Who knew you could be so cordial, brother?”
He grins. “Someone has to take care of your broody ass.”
I suck down the ouzo and then slam the glass back down on the table. “You out?”
“Yeah. I’m out. See you tomorrow.”
“Any leads?”
A frown mars his features. “If I had any, you’d be the first to know.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “We’ll find her, Kostas.”
Bones in a ditch.
Hair hanging from a vat of acid.
Her big diamond ring at the bottom of the sea.
That’s how I imagine we’ll find her one day.
I hate that I’m losing faith we’ll find her alive. It’s been so long. Her mother is devastated. Phoenix is damn near crazed. And me, I’m fucking destroyed.
A year.
A motherfucking year.
It’s not getting better. It’s getting much, much worse.
“If you want me to stay with you and talk,” Aris says, “I can tell Selene we’re working more leads. I don’t like that look in your eyes.” He clenches his jaw. “You can’t do to me what Mamá did to us. Don’t leave me with our damn dad all alone.”
He thinks I’m going to kill myself.
It’s like he doesn’t know me at all.
I don’t want to kill myself…
I want to kill anyone and everyone involved in the disappearance of my wife.
And if Talia left me of her own accord, well, I’ll deal with her ass when I find her.
“Go,” I grunt. “Go play house.”
He smirks. “You’re jealous.”
“Jealous you’re going to get your dick sucked? Fuck yes. But by Selene? Hell no. Sorry, Aris, but she’s a snotty bitch.”
Rather than be offended, he shrugs. “She gives good head.”
We both laugh and then he lets out a sigh.
“One more peace offering and then I’m gone,” he grunts. “You can get your lazy ass up off your couch if you want any more. Tomorrow, come to the office sober and we can shake up some more leads.”
He disappears and once again returns with my glass refilled with ouzo. With a tip of his head, he leaves me with my alcohol and my depressing thoughts. After I suck down the drink, I stumble into the bathroom, shedding my bloody clothes along the way. I take a long, hot shower and lean my head against the cool tile. My hand rubs at my dick, but between the ouzo and my shitty attitude, it’s not interested in release.
“What the fuck ever,” I grunt out.
Once I’m dry, I wrap my towel around my waist and fall onto the bed. I reach into the drawer, pulling out my iPad. Turning it on, I open the pictures app and find ones I have saved of Talia.