Evianna sighs, and her voice softens. “Will his family be all right?”
“I don’t know yet.” What the hell do I do now? Pull my cane out from behind my chair and stand up? Just say it? Oh, by the way, you should know…I’m blind.
“I need a cup of tea. Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Holloway.”
“Dax,” I call after her as clipped footsteps head for the counter behind me.
Her voice changes, so much so I think she must be smiling at the young clerk as she orders a cup of chamomile. When she returns, she drops into the chair across from me. The other day, I thought she had short hair. But today, with the light behind her, I think maybe…her hair’s long. Dark brown.
“It’s been an endless day of frustrations…Dax. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. Thank you for coming.”
The band of tension around my head tightens, and I pull off my glasses so I can pinch the bridge of my nose. Sometimes, that’s enough to stave off the headache for a few hours. The movement jostles my briefcase, and my folded cane tumbles out of the side pocket and clatters to the floor.
Evianna gasps, and now she knows. What I look like—or think I look like—without the glasses, and why I didn’t take her hand yesterday.
“Oh my God,” she says, her voice muffling as she leans down and picks up my cane. “You’re…blind?” Warm fingers brush mine, pressing the cane into my palm.
Jerking away—I don’t like to be touched—and setting the cane on the table between us, I offer a single nod. “Yep.”
“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Gritting my teeth, I put my glasses back on. “I don’t need your pity. I’ve done just fine for the past six years.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She sighs, and a hint of exasperation tinges her tone. Hearing her swear is…refreshing. Like a crack in her armor. “That wasn’t pity. It was an apology for my less than professional behavior yesterday. And a little shock. Either I wasn’t paying attention during our meeting, or you’re very good at hiding it. I mean…you read my police report. Or…I thought you did.”
I try to ignore the pounding headache threatening as I tap my glasses. Coffee wasn’t a good idea. “There’s a small camera embedded in the frame. It works with my phone—optical character recognition? Reads me restaurant menus, street signs, police reports.”
“I didn’t know they came that small.” She blows on her tea, sending a sweet aroma wafting over me.
“They do when you employ one of the best hackers in the world. And have enough money.”
Evianna’s light laugh carries a hint of strain, but this is progress. Hope that perhaps she won’t fire Second Sight before I can find someone more…capable to protect her. “Touché. I did a lot of research on OCR technology for Alfie. I’d like her to work with more adaptive devices in the next version. It’s…why I built her, ultimately. But she has to prove herself first.” After another sip of tea, she clears her throat. “Have you…um…found anything in Kyle’s…past? Or any evidence he might be truly violent?”
An overwhelming need to reassure her flares up inside me, and I barely stop myself from reaching across the table. Not that I know where her hand is. But what I have to tell her won’t go over well.
“Evianna…we can’t find him. I sent Ronan to his apartment this afternoon. His neighbor said she hadn’t seen him in two days. The mobile phone on his account is off, and he hasn’t used any of the email accounts tied to him since the night he threw the brick through your window. He’s gone dark.”
“Oh God. That…can’t be good.”
Running my fingers over my folded cane, I try to find the words that will make this okay. “It isn’t anything yet. Good or bad. He could have left town. Gotten a new job across the country. Be on a two-day bender.”
“Or he could be waiting at my house.”
I haven’t felt this…useless in years. “Evianna, I want you to know…in a couple of days, I’ll have another one of my employees escort you to and from work. We’re just short-staffed right now.”
Someone starts shouting obscenities outside, I tense, and the table shakes as Evianna turns in her chair.
“What is it?”
“Shit. Sorry. It’s just kids horsing around,” she says with a little tremble in her voice.
I wish I knew what she looked like. Because right now, she sounds like she’s about to crack. “Ford said you usually take the T home, but it’s late. I have a car service I use. Let me call them. I’ll ride with you, and by the time we get to your house, Vasquez should be there.”
“Are you sure? I mean…I can call a Lyft. You don’t have to—”
“You hired Second Sight to keep you safe. I know I’m not exactly who you expected. But as off balance as Kyle’s been lately, we haven’t found any evidence he’s stupid enough to try anything when you’re not alone. Besides,” I try for a smile, even though I feel about two inches tall, “I’m pretty damn good with this cane.”
Evianna
