Once again, Nina stops mid-motion, this time grabbing a glass. She pauses for a second, then sighs and looks both ways before speaking.
“You should stay. Have another drink.” Her words are casual, but her focused gaze sends me a different message.
I get the message loud and clear. “Sure. I’ll have another drink.”
Over time, I down both glasses, the alcohol now working its way through my body. I’m not tipsy, per se, but the tension is now slowly evaporating from me. Nina doesn’t pay me much attention, but she checks if I’m still there every once in a while. The sultry bass music travels to my bones, tightening my nipples. The dance floor fills with still-clothed bodies, but their motions are less inhibited, with intimate touches hidden right in plain sight. I imagine Leon and me grinding on the dance floor, his thick cock rubbing over my dress-covered ass, and I barely suppress a groan. I bite my lip as hard as I can, hoping the pain will stop my stream of thoughts, but there’s no such luck. My body craves Leon.Icrave him.
Worse yet, I miss him. My eyes start burning in the all- too-familiar sensation, and I curse myself for coming here tonight. I’m obviously not in the right state of mind.
A movement catches next to me. A guy who must be 6’4” 250 pounds walks behind the bar, straight to Nina. His neck is covered with a blackout tattoo, making him an even more terrifying sight. Still, Nina doesn’t look scared. Her features soften, the corners of her eyes wrinkling with a smile. She presses her palms to his expansive chest, and his lips pull into a smirk. A knot inside me unravels. They’re obviously together. She tells him something, motioning her head toward me, and the knot in my stomach is back full force. I look around, hoping that she’s gesturing to someone else. But no, it’s me.
The man shakes his head, making Nina purse her lips. Theygo back and forth for a minute before the man sighs, saying something that looks like ‘Fine.’
He starts toward me, and my pulse picks up, my throat constricting. “Walk with me,” he says in a low tone. Nina shoots me a smile that screams encouragement, but she’s still a girl I’ve just met. I hesitate for a second, so the man repeats his request. “Walk with me.”
Unsure if I have a choice, I follow the scary-looking man to a hallway behind the bar, clutching my purse with everything I’ve got. He leads me into what seems like an office, showing me to a seat. I drop into a black leather chair as I try to take in my surroundings. The cement-colored walls, the industrial styled desk. Pretty much every piece of furniture is black, which fits the man who brought me here perfectly.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asks from the dry bar. Even the sight of it reminds me of Leon.
“No, thank you,” I croak out. I want to scream out, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ but something tells me that this man wouldn’t appreciate it.
He returns with a drink in hand and sits in the chair across from me. Even sitting down, he’s massive. “Now, how can I help you?” he asks, like it’s a perfectly normal question, in a perfectly normal situation.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“Nina told me you’re looking for someone.”
“I-I am. For my cousin.” I swallow around the lump in my throat. “Sophie Landers.”
His pupils widen in recognition, but he reveals nothing. “And what makes you think you could find her here?”
“It’s a long story.”
He takes a measured sip of the see-through liquid. “I have time.”
“She’s been missing.” He dips his head. “For a few months now.”
“And the police haven’t found her?”
Guilt hits me at his question. I’m a terrible cousin, putting my own trauma before her safety. “I haven’t called the police.” He raises his eyebrows, so I add, “She left me a note. Saying she’s okay.”
“Did she now?” None of what I’m saying seems to surprise him.
I nod.
“And how did you find your way here?” I hesitate for a second, and he continues, “I can only help you if you tell me the truth.”
I clear my throat. “She left me a note saying she’s okay. On a flyer of Petrovic Casinos.”
“This is not the Petrovic Casino.”
“Yeah, well, the Petrovic Casino was a bust. But I heard something that led me to believe the owner of this place was also missing.”
This manages to surprise him. “Seems like you know your way around getting information. But now that you got this far, I’d suggest you drop it.”
“I can’t… She’s the only family I have.”
“Look…”
