He looks proud of himself, and I can’t help but sputter in disbelief. “You’re getting married?”
He nods, confirming my question with a wide smile.
I run my hand through my hair. “Wow, this is a lot to take in.” I laugh, and he just shrugs.
“This baby’s going to come sooner than later, and I want Liv to know I am all in. I don’t want there to be any doubt in her mind.” He removes something from his pocket and shows me a velvet box. As he carefully opens the box, my eyes are immediately drawn to the shimmering engagement ring. She is going to absolutely love it.
I whistle. “That’s a huge rock.”
Simone comes back to take our order and sees Dax with the ring. We both look at her as she walks off without taking our order.
“Bro, thanks a lot. Now we are never going to eat.”
He laughs. “Do you think we should go somewhere else?” He looks around the sports bar.
“Naw, it’s all good.”
Simone never returned to our table, which was okay with us. After finally placing our order with a different server, we ate quickly as most of the time was taken up by waiting to place our order. We made plans to get together before he left on holiday break.
I’m just walking to my car when Eduardo calls me. He usually sends a text, so I wonder what the urgency is. I quicklyanswer the phone as now we are working together with a singular purpose.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” I hit the button on my key fob, start the car, and wait until the phone picks up on Bluetooth.
“Hello,” I hear Eduardo say into the speakers.
“Yeah, I’m here. I just got in the car and am headed to your place. Are you at work? The club?” I stop at the light and something catches my eye one block from the restaurant—a woman with short blonde hair wearing combat boots, leggings, and a crop top. Oversized sunglasses cover her eyes. The light turns green, and I speed up as she enters a bookstore. “Fuck,” I curse, hitting the steering wheel.
“Jameson, you all right?”
Silence.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I thought I saw someone I know, but I lost them.”
Eduardo chuckles. “Alright then. Are you coming over to drop off the trackers? You finished already?” Hope radiates in his voice.
“Yes, I worked all morning on them, and I have what you need. I’ll drop them off and explain what we need to do and how they work.”
This seems to make him happy, and I can sense the worry leaving his voice.
“Great, I appreciate this, man. More than you know.”
I end the call and pull up to his club, parking in the back.
Eli meets me at the door, patting me down. I am annoyed that I have to go through these measures, but in the world Eduardo lives in, I guess no one, even people you’ve known for years, can be trusted.
I pass through the hall that leads up to the Heavenly Pearl and wonder if Eve has been by the club recently. Has she been with anyone else? The thought makes me murderous, and Iclench and unclench my hands as we walk up to the hall that leads to Eduardo’s office.
Eli knocks on the door, and I hear the lock click meaning Eduardo hit the button on his desk to open the door for us. Eli walks in, and I follow, plopping myself into one of the chairs.
I run a hand over my face, and Eduardo stares at me.
“I’ll ask you again. You okay, Jameson? Is there something you need to tell me about Emma?”
I see the worry on his face, and I shake my head. “No, I was just thinking about someone I met a while back.”
He smiles and runs his hand over his face, rubbing at the scruff. His eyes are alight with amusement. “You met someone?”
I hear the door close and realize Eli left us alone together. I nod, confirming as much but not willing to give anymore details right now. I pat my pockets, pulling out the velvet purse-stringed bag.
