Eventually, Nora broke the silence. “That thing you did. Back there.”
He didn’t look up. “What thing?”
“The… flipping and kicking and… Jesus. You moved like a fuckin’ ninja.”
Ash shrugged, eyes on his plate. “Adrenaline.”
Nora snorted. “I’ve seen guys on adrenaline. They scream. They flail. You—” She leaned forward. “You fought like it wasn’t even a fight. Like you were dancing.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “Must be a natural, then.”
“Uh-huh.” She didn’t push, but her expression said she wasn’t buying it. “Who are you?”
He looked at her then, steady and direct. “I’m a friend of Jimmy’s.”
“ Jimmy?” Her whole face lit up. “Where the hell is he? I’ve been trying to reach him fordays, calling, texting, but he’s not replying. I even stopped by his apartment yesterday, but he wasn’t there. I’m going to kill him when I see him!”
Ash glanced back down and sliced into his lasagna. The blade of his fork dragged through the layers of pasta like cutting into memory. “Looks like someone beat you to it.”
She froze, fork suspended midair. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he said, voice low, “ Jimmy is dead. Murdered.”
Her hand flew to her mouth, but the gasp never came. The food went untouched after that. The plate in front of her became an island, something to stare at instead of the truth. Her eyes went glassy, mascara bleeding down her cheeks in crooked rivers. “How?” she whispered. “What happened?”
He decided to spare her the gruesome details and get to the point. There was no reason for her to know that her best friend had been mutilated, his face removed, his body ditched in theback alley like a piece of spoiled meat. “I was hoping you could help me figure that out.”
She blinked, confused. “Me?”
“It seems you were the last person to see him alive. Besides the one who killed him.” He paused. “What can you tell me about the night you two were together?”
Nora wiped her nose with the back of her hand, still dazed. “It was, like, five nights ago? We went to Inferno. He was messed up, but that wasn’t new. After a while, we split up. I went dancing with some fella who’d been hitting on me all night, and Jimmy went to the bar. He was there for a while, flirtin’ with the bartender.”
Ash smirked, taking another mouthful of lasagna. “Griffin?”
“I don’t know the guy’s name,” she said. “Buzzed head, handsome, looks kinda like he’s in a punk-rock band or something.”
That’s Griff, all right. Ash leaned forward, gaze sharpening. “What happened next?”
She hesitated. “I was pretty high,” she admitted. “I didn’t pay much attention.”
“Try to remember,” he said softly, coaxing.Come on, give me something. Anything.
She sighed and closed her eyes. “They were still at the bar, talking, when I left with my guy. I never saw Jimmy again.”
Ash sat back, stomach curdling.That’s it?So much risk, so much effort, and for what? A name he already had. He was no closer to the truth than he’d been days ago, standing over Jimmy’s body in that piss-soaked alley. His hands tightened around his fork, the taste of frustration bitter on his tongue. Outside, a bus hissed to a stop and rumbled off again, leaving a trail of fumes and fading lights. He exhaled through his nose. “You can’t stay here, you know.”
Nora looked up, startled. “What do you mean?”
“The Yakuza aren’t just gonna forget you. And they sure as hell won’t forgive.” He watched her face carefully. “Do you have anywhere else to go?”
She faltered, thinking. “I’ve got an aunt down in Delaware.”
“That’ll do. I’ll take you to the bus station when we’re done here.”
“But—I need my stuff. My place—”
“That’s the first place they’ll look. They’re probably there already.” She opened her mouth, but he reached across the table and took her hand. “You can’t go back to your old life, Nora. That door’s shut. I’m sorry.”
