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“What kind of resources?”
“The thing about servers and waiters, Sarah, is that nobody notices them,” Fergus says. “So, they know a lot of things and secrets that people accidentally reveal.”
My eyes widen, and I let a sliver of hope seep in. “You think the servers at Ritters could have overheard something? Would they be willing to help me?”
Fergus uses his thumbs to wipe my tears away. “I won’t give them a choice.”
I frown at that. “What do you mean?”
He brushes back my hair. “I’ll fire them if they withhold information.”
“You can’t just… wait, what? Can you do that?”
He winces. “So, funny story. You remember how you assumed I was the bartender?”
“Assumed?” I echo.
He gives me a sheepish look. “I kind of own the bar.”
I stare at him, stunned. “Then, what about the restaurant where you work part-time as–”
“I own that, too.”
When I try to pull away, he holds fast, refusing to let go. “It’s not like I lied to you.”
“You let me think that you were struggling to make ends meet! I gave you five–” I glare at him. “I want my tip back!”
He laughs at me.
The stupid jerk laughs at me before he kisses my cheek with a loud smacking sound. “You’re adorable!”
He opens his wallet and shows me a neatly folded five-dollar bill tucked in the see-through sleeve. “You’re not getting this back.”
I shake my head at it. “That’s a weird thing not to tell me.”
He studies me. “You’re not angry?”
I glare at him. “I’m angry about the five dollars I gave you. But aside from that, I don’t care. I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell me, but you were under no obligation to.”
I take a deep breath. “You can’t lie to me about this, though. Do you really think you can help me find Bryan?”
He nods. “I have a few other friends who have some connections. I’ve already told them to start digging. But, if Roy did come here looking for you, then you can’t stay here anymore.”
I get up and rub my arms, nervously. “This is my home, Fergus. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“What about friends?”
I shake my head. “I can’t put them through this. And none of my friends knows about Bryan going missing or him having joined the Street Serpents, at all.”
“You could stay with me,” he offers, slowly.
I still and then swallow. “As tempting as that is, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’ve already dragged you into my life and my problems as it is.”
He stands up as well, his hands in his pockets, giving me an amiable smile. “You’re right. It would be best if I just overworked myself at the bar and the restaurant and then came here every night to check up on you to make sure you’re not dead or kidnapped or worse. That sounds reasonable to me.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Nobody’s asking you to check up on me.”
Fergus leans on the arm of the couch, straddling it. “I don’t know if you know how relationships work but making sure the other person is still alive is part of it.”
