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And I’ve had to hear about it each time I see her. Nice job, Draven. “Then send her flowers. But I told you, I don’t have time to plan a party.” I downed my beer and said, “I have a meeting tomorrow that I need to get ready for.” I pulled out a fifty to cover the tab.
“What about MaKayla?” he asked as I stood up.
“What the hell is MaKayla?” I asked.
“The woman from the email who needs help to find her family.” He raised his hand before I could say anything and added, “Let me forward you the email. If you don’t want to help her, then I won’t mention it again. But I’m telling you, there’s something about this that feels like there’s a lot more to the story than what she wrote,” Draven said.
“Or maybe you’re getting soft and just can’t say no to a damsel in distress,” I teased.
Draven grunted. “Fuck that. If I were soft, I’d be working for free and sure in hell not turning down the sweet offer she made.”
“What did she offer?” I asked, wishing I hadn’t.
He smiled and said, “Guess you need to read the email to find out.” He got up from his seat and added, “Thanks for the beer. And I think I’ll take your advice.”
“Which one?”
“Send mom flowers. It will make dinner on Sunday a little less painful,” he laughed. “I could be wrong, but I swear she burnt my piece of chicken on purpose.”
Mom wasn’t one to voice her displeasure, but very possibly make her point known in other ways. “If I were a better brother, I would’ve reminded you of her birthday,” I grinned. Even though we were both in our thirties, I still enjoyed the fact that I hadn’t forgotten and delivered her gift in person.
“You’re an ass,” he said.
“So I have been told,” I nodded and headed for the door.
I knew Draven wasn’t heading home or back to the office at this time on a Friday night. When he wasn’t working, he was playing. Chasing after his next conquest. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t mix business with pleasure with some of his clients. He might only be two years younger than me, but at times it felt that we were years apart.
My apartment was only a couple of blocks away, so I decided to walk instead of taking a taxi. I’d barely made it to the first intersection when I heard my phone chime. I pulled it out of my suit breast pocket and saw that it was the email from Draven. I had meant it. I was not interested. But no matter what, this woman deserved a reply, and I had a feeling Draven wasn’t going to give her one. I had no idea whom to refer her to, but at least she wouldn’t be wondering if Draven was going to take her on as a client.
Reluctantly I clicked on the email and started reading. The woman was looking for her late father's family. Pretty much what I had thought, but Draven was right, there was something about her wording that hinted at it being something more. Still shocked that Draven didn’t jump at this job. MaKayla had offered twenty thousand dollars if her family could be located. I didn’t want to dig further into it, and really should’ve just replied that she would need to look for someone more suitable to assist her, but I couldn’t bring myself to. It wasn’t the money. It was her...desperation that tugged at me. The wrong person would take advantage of that, and I didn’t want to see it happen to her.
What the fuck!
I had a feeling I was going to regret this, but I replied with my business location and a time I could meet with her on Tuesday to discuss her situation in further detail. If that didn’t work for her, then she was out of luck. I wasn’t going to work around her schedule.
Instantly I received a response.
THANK YOU. I WILL BE THERE.
I liked to be prepared for my clients, but I had so little to go on that I had no choice but to wait till we spoke on Tuesday. That was a good thing because it gave me time to finish up with some paperwork I needed to handle.
Before I even opened my laptop, Draven sent me a message.
DID YOU READ IT?
Keeping it simple, I replied. YES.
AND?
The last thing I wanted was for him to gloat. But he was going to find out anyway.
AND AGREED TO MEET FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
I could picture his smug expression. Surprisingly he didn’t have a smartass remark.
GOOD. I THINK SHE NEEDS MORE HELP THAN SHE’S SAYING.
She really didn’t say much. One line stood out.I need to know where I came from, so I can know where I’m going.
