He glances at me from over the menu. “Just for saying that, I’m going to order something different.”
This time, a ghost of a smile takes over my mouth. A rare smile. A crack of emotion to my carefully confined expressions. “Yeah, you do that, man.”
He sets down the menu, having chosen his meal for the night. He opens his mouth to say something, but my phone chirps. I hold up a finger, pick my phone up from the table, and quickly read the text from Andre. I keep the small grin on my face for show as I read. There’s another shipment of Russians, and he’s inviting me to view again. I don’t know why he invites me, but I don’t think he realizes that, by doing so, I’m learning the ins and outs of his job and just exactly how I can take it over once I figure out how to get rid of him. Scratch that. I know why he invites me. He wants to flaunt the job he has, the job he thinks I’ll never be able to take away from him.
“Work?” Noll asks after the waiter drops off his beer, murmuring that he’ll be back in a moment to take our order.
I grunt in response and set my phone on the table, face down.
The waiter returns, and we place our orders. Noll watches me with a keen eye until the waiter leaves, and I work like hell not to fidget under his gaze. He always sees more than he should.
“You know, this kind of fancy place isn’t what we came from. I know you make the big bucks these days, but there’s no need to flaunt it in front of me.” It’s said in a joking manner, as if he knows that I need another smile.
I don’t give it to him though. “I like the food.”
He nods slowly and glances around as if noticing everyone else for the first time. “It is good food, but I thinkyou come here to prove to yourself that you're not that poor child fighting for food anymore.”
I only shrug because there’s a chance he isn’t wrong.
He studies me again. “Tomorrow’s the day.”
My jaw flexes. “I remember, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You have to talk about it, or it’ll eat you alive. You and I both know this.”
“It’s not going to bring her home, Noll,” I nearly growl.
He holds up his hands. “I miss Megan as much as you do, but you should still remember the day she disappeared.”
Megan is my cousin, but she might as well have been my sister. I spent the majority of my time at her house since my own mother would forget to fill the fridge every damn week. If it weren’t for my aunt making sure I was fed every few days, I’d have been skin and bones. Noll dated her until that day…
Noll and I were in college when she disappeared, ten years ago tomorrow. It’s eaten us alive every day. She just… was gone. Poofed from her walk from her job to her car. No one could find her, and there’s very little trace of where she might have been taken – because she was definitely taken. She’s not the type to run away.
That woman at the auction? She looked so much like her, and since that night, I’ve had a hard time not seeing her in my nightmares.
“There’s no way she’s still alive.”
“Don’t say that,” Noll says. His eyes narrow at me.
I pick up my drink and swallow a big gulp. “She would have been found by now.”
“I still have hope, and so should you.”
I say nothing and, instead, stare at the amber liquid in my glass cup. He’s wrong, and he’s an idiot for having hopein the first place. There’s no use telling him though. He’ll deny it until his last breath.
“You used to be such an optimistic guy.” I glance up at him and the shamed tone his words carry. “Your job has changed you.Moneyhas changed you.”
“Not that much.”
“Sure, dude.” He chuckles darkly and leans back in his seat. “Anything new about your job? Anything you want to share?”
Noll knows I’m in the porn business. He doesn’t know the rest of it, but he is privy to what I do. I hid it for a while from him, but he’s too good at digging. He’s the reason we knew that Megan was taken in the first place.
I shake my head and drain the rest of my whiskey.
“Oh come on, Nix.”
Eyeing him from the side, I decide to give him something. “A new girl interviewed last night.”
