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He arched an eyebrow at me. “What do you think it’s for? I brought you ladies here to get wasted. It’s the best way to forget a scumbag, right? But all you ladies better know right now that you’ll be taking care of your hangovers on your own.”
Nora snorted. “As if I’d need you for that.”
Maria just snickered and followed after Nora. Abe was behind them, and I was behind him, looking at him with new appreciation. That he would go out of his way to invite Nora out for this when he didn’t even like her made me happy. I didn’t dare think that he was doing it for my sake, but my heart still stuttered.
We stepped into the club, and suddenly it was a lot darker. There were strobe lights various colors swirling around the room, tasteful, heavy beat music beat from the speakers. The place was a little crowded even this soon, people out on the dance floor, waiters walking around with trays carrying drinks and empty glasses.
“Follow me,” Abe called out to us.
He led us to a set of stairs pressed close to the wall that had a rope and two bouncers standing at the foot of it. The moment they saw Abe, the rope was pulled back and he was allowed to go through. We walked up to the second floor that was a bit less crowded. There were comfy looking seats set up in groups, and Abe led us to a free area. A couch and two seats circled a coffee table, and we were right against the balcony with the best view at the first floor.
“I come here often,” Abe said, settling down on the couch and pulling Maria down with him. Nora took the single seat opposite the balcony, and I took the one opposite Abe. “Drink up, ladies. Whatever you want to order, I’ll pick up the tab. You can do whatever you want, and I promise to get you all home safely. That means, no picking up guys.”
That last bit was said with a glare shot at his sister, who just rolled her eyes.
“Can I dance with a guy?”
“No heavy groping and no going out of sight or I’ll have people follow you,” Abe said immediately.
“Whatever,” Maria muttered, turning away from him and looking around. “Where are the waiters around here…?”
Abe raised a hand and one materialized immediately. We gave our drink orders, and I could tell Maria and Nora appreciated it, even with the rules. And, so did I. the entire time, I had my eyes set on Abe as I saw him in a totally different light.
He…was a lot more reliable than he’d been even six years ago, and I was starting to think it would be okay to trust him.
Chapter Nineteen
Abe
“I stalled her for as long as I could. If you’re going to do something, then you better get your ass moving soon. And if she asks you, I had nothing to do with this.”
I got off the cell with Nora and got up. I was at home, after taking some time off work. I had a plan in the works, and since Brooklyn was on her way home today, I would have to do it today.
With all the problems surrounding the Paul issue, we hadn't had much time to talk since that day at the café about a week ago, so neither of us had said anything about her going back home. I’d known it was coming, but I was too busy, between work and trying to catch the conman, that I couldn’t pay much attention to it.
If I didn’t hurry, I knew I was going to pay for it.
Paul had been found. My people got to him just a bit before the police did, and whatever happened to him was out of my hands, but he would at least be going to jail for quite some time. Most of the cash he’d stolen from Maria and Nora, though not all, had been recovered. There were other people also looking for him that he’d stolen from, but I only cared about those two.
It was when I called Nora, that I had an idea. It wasn’t necessarily my brightest, but I could admit to myself that I was starting to feel desperate.
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I didn’t want Brooklyn to leave. We were on much better terms, but I had this nightmare that if she went back to California, I’d never get to see her again. Never mind that I could just take a private jet over and have some people find where she worked and lived for me. Just because I could, didn’t mean it was a good idea, and I’d held back from doing so before because it seemed a bit stalkerish.
What I wanted, was for Brooklyn to give me a chance, not to run away from me because I was acting creepy.
I made a call to Maria, and my parents. It was short notice, but there was no time like the present. Then I went back to my bedroom, picked good suit and put it on. I rushed out of the house and to my car, hoping not to meet too much traffic on the way. I didn’t know when Brooklyn’s flight was, because Nora didn’t know, so it would be lucky if I managed to get there before she left. I could just make a search or a call to check, but I wanted to keep some hope.
Thankfully, there was no heavy traffic on the way. In about half an hour, I made it to the airport. There some delay as I searched for parking, then I was jumping out the car and heading toward the terminal. My cell vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see the text that had just come in. It was from Nora.
“Everything is handled on my end, you deal with yours. If you fail, you better compensate me!”
I grinned, thinking I might come to start liking Nora after all. Then, I was back to looking around the airport, trying to find Brooklyn. It was a bit crowded, and dressed the way I was, I was getting a lot of attention and it was hard getting past all the people. I didn’t know whether or not to consider myself lucky that no one seemed to know who I was.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, I caught sight of her. She was seated in one of the waiting areas, her suitcases beside her, her head ducked down as she looked at something on her cell. I smiled, relieved, then walked slowly over to her. I no longer had eyes for the people blocking my way, walking easily around them until I came to a stop a few feet away from her.
Whatever had her so engrossed on her cell, she didn’t even notice I was standing right there looking at her. I smiled softly and just watched her for a moment, with her hair tucked back in a ponytail, a few wisps falling out of it and around her face. She was chewing down on her lip, her hands holding tight to the cell. As far as I could see, she wasn’t really doing anything besides staring at it with a single-minded focus. I’d been so anxious before that I couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
