In the end, I stepped back again and watched him drive away. When he was out of sight, I walked through the back door of the bar like I owned the place, and out to where Jonas and the boys were waiting.
“Did you catch him?” Decker asked with a smirk in his voice. “Luca is one of a kind.”
I rubbed at my jaw. “Yes. And you’re right. He’s remarkable.” I shut down further assessment of Luca and moved on to discuss whether one should buy or lease a property.
“Depends on your contract and where you want to retire,” Decker added. “You can do whatever you want with that big contract.”
I smirked, but my attention faded from their conversation. My mind refused to stop thinking about Luca. When we were ready to go, I raised my hand for the tab. “This one is on me.”
The server approached with a smile. “Your beer is on the house.” She put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in. “Thank you for defending Luca. He really needed this job. I hope he can find another soon. Everyone works two jobs in this city. It’s the only way to survive.”
Decker glanced at me, then took out his wallet. “Pony up for the gratuity, boys.”
We each took out enough money to cover any loss of business the servers may have incurred. It wasn’t their fault the boss was a shit.
“Let’s get dinner at the little Italian place down the street,” Karlsson suggested.
By the time I got back to my hotel, the jet lag and time change had settled in. But as I dropped into bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Luca was a good man, and I wanted to make up for what happened. The only problem was that I had to find him.
The following afternoon, I went back to the Midnight Market. Stepping inside, I found the same bartender. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
I shrugged and took a seat. “Unfinished business.”
“Unfortunately, Richard is out sick today.” Popping the cap off a beer, he placed it in front of me.
I looked down at thePaulsner. “I didn’t order anything.”
He pushed it closer. “It’s on Richard. He has little man syndrome or some shit, with a super-inflated ego since daddy owns the place. The fucker still lives at home with his parents.”
Twirling the bottle between my fingers, I got right to the point. “I need to find Luca.”
“I wish I could help, but we’re only work friends, not close.”
I looked around at the other servers. “What about them?”
“I can ask. Hold on.” When he returned, he shook his head. “No luck. Sorry, man.”
This was frustrating. “Okay. What about his last name?”
“That I know. It’s Vaughn. Luca Vaughn.”
When my internet search proved inconclusive, I was forced to return to the Midnight Market the next day to confront Richard. Mitch tipped his chin when he saw me coming and pointed toward the kitchen. “He’s in the office.”
Striding to the back, I didn’t have to put in much effort to find the weasel in the tiny space. He looked up as I stepped inand closed the door behind me. He raised his hands. “I don’t want any trouble.”
I leaned forward on his desk, looming over him. “Give me his number.”
The asshole leaned back in his squeaky office chair that threatened to collapse under his weight. “That’s private information here in the States. Employment information is protected. I don’t think I can do that.”
I came prepared, knowing it was going to go this way. “You will,” I said, standing to my full height. His eyes widened in fear when I reached into my back pocket for the envelope. Placing it on his desk, he reached for it and looked inside. Greedy fucker.
“Why do you want to find him so badly?”
“It’s none of your concern.” I reached over and snatched the envelope back.
“Okay, okay. I’ll give it to you.”
I knew I could buy him off. Walking around the little office, I pulled open drawers, not really caring about what was inside. “One call to the right person, and I could buy this place. Maybe the whole block.” I closed the drawer more forcefully than necessary as I turned to stare at him. “Should you give me the wrong number, that’s what I’ll do. I’m sure your daddy wouldn’t like that.”
