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My phone rings, and I groan at the sound, looking down to see an unknown number.
“Who is this?” I answer.
“Atlas, it's Jay, man. I’m at a payphone on Venice Beach.”
“Jason,” I sit back in my seat. “I’m glad to hear from you, mate. I was wondering where you’ve been.”
“Oh, here and there.”
I frown at the tone of his voice and wonder if he’s back on drugs.
“I need your help, actually,” he tells me, piquing my curiosity.
“Let me take you for a drink,” I reply. “Name the spot.”
* * *
I arriveat the bar just after nightfall and find Jason quickly. Ignoring the looks from the waitress, the side glances at my face and the wide eyes, I order a pitcher and two glasses before I slide into the booth opposite of him. His clothes are clearly second-hand and the grime under his nails speak of too many days without a shower.
“Long time, friend.”
“Too long,” he agrees, a smile on his scruffy face.
“You look like shit, man. You back on the streets?”
Jason shrugs it off. “Yeah, well, I’m doing alright. Got a little place to sleep, it's enough.”
I don’t believe him for a second, but I don’t press. I owe him a lot, but also know he’d ask for help if he wanted it. I don’t believe in saving people who don’t want to be saved.
The waitress comes back with our drinks, and we say nothing until she scurries off. Jason chuckles.
“As unapproachable as always, I see.”
The corner of my lips twitch in response.
“Some things don’t change,” I tell him, and he holds up his glass.
“Cheers to that.”
We drink in silence for a moment and I look over at him once more. Although he’s only a few years older than me, he looks older than his fifty years.
“You said you needed something.”
Jason nods, a solemn look covering his face.
“I hope it's nothing, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t ask.”
My forehead knits together. “What?”
“A friend of mine, a very sweet girl who lives near me, hasn’t been around all week. I know she went to an audition at Club Rio near you, you know the one my cousin owns. She never showed up for the audition, and I was wondering if you could put out some feelers on the streets near you.”
My frown deepens.
“It’s not a great area, anything could have happened, but I can ask. Name? Do you have a picture?”
“Her name is Kinsey Russell. I don’t have a phone or anything, so no picture, but she’s a pretty little thing with silver hair. Hard to miss.”
My face must change because Jason’s expression immediately flashes into one of concern.
