by Sal Bianchi
Luck was on my side that night, though. As soon as I lifted the camera up, Thompson leaned over and began to kiss the woman in the driver seat again. I zoomed in to make sure his facial features were clearly visible. It was dark, and the video looked a little blurry, but there was no doubt it was him.
Once I felt satisfied by what I’d captured, I put the camera back down before they could notice me. I leaned back in my seat and pulled my phone out of my pocket to wait for them to leave. They got out of the car a few minutes later and headed into the bar, and I sat back up straight. I’d upload the footage to my computer tonight and call Christine tomorrow to give her the results. I felt satisfied that I’d solved another case and excited at the prospect of getting paid, but at the same time, the results were bittersweet. More often than not, my job consisted of charging people for bad news. Hopefully, I’d be able to give my other client a more positive update.
It was too late now to start working on the adoption case, though. The sun had set while I was recording Thomson and his mistress, and now the sky was black.
I was about to pull out of the parking spot and head back home but stopped with my hand on the gear shift. I was in the middle of the city, surrounded by bars and restaurants, and it seemed like a waste to just head straight home now that I was here.
My first inclination was to call Jase and ask if he wanted to hit up a bar. Before that thought could fully materialize, though, I suddenly thought of Roxanne. I hadn’t seen her in a few days, but somehow it seemed like it had been a lot longer since that morning when we’d had breakfast together. In an instant, I had made my decision, and before I could think twice about it, I was calling her.
“Hello?” She answered almost immediately.
“Hi,” I replied, smiling even though she couldn’t see me. “Are you busy right now?”
“Not really,” she hummed. “Why?”
“Do you want to have dinner with me?” I asked as I stepped out of my car and glanced around at the surrounding restaurants.
“Right now?” She laughed.
“Yeah,” I replied as I leaned against the side of my car. “Why not?”
“All right,” she chuckled. “Should I meet you somewhere?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m on South Miami Avenue, near the intersection of Fifth Ave. We can meet here and decide where to go from there.”
“Okay,” she huffed. “You might be waiting for a while, though. This is pretty short notice, and I’m not about to head out without getting ready.”
“You’re worth the wait,” I replied smoothly.
“Wow,” she scoffed, but I could tell she was smiling. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
“See you,” I replied before ending the call. I opened a search browser and began to look up good restaurants in the area. One of the first results was for a fancy Italian place called Il Gabbiano. I smiled as I thought that it might be a cute place to take her since we’d talked before about eating Italian food together.
Even though she’d teased me about having to wait a long time, Roxanne arrived less than half an hour later. I just happened to glance up and was surprised to find her walking toward me. Considering how long it would have taken just to drive here, she must have gotten ready in a rush, but she still looked great.
“Hey, Nick.” She grinned as she came to a stop in front of me.
“Hey.” I smiled back at her. “Did you have to park far away?”
“I took a cab,” she explained. “I didn’t want to deal with the traffic, and if I drink, I won’t be able to drive, anyway.”
“Smart move.” I smirked as I snaked an arm around her shoulders. “You got here faster than I thought you would. Were you that excited to see me?”
“Shut up,” she scoffed as she playfully elbowed me in the side. “I just didn’t have anything better to do tonight.”
“Oh, I see,” I teased. “So I’m just your last resort? That’s harsh.”
“Yep.” She smiled. “So you better have something fun planned for tonight, or I might just decide to go find something else to do.”
“Fun, huh?” I mused aloud. I could think of a few things, depending on how adventurous Roxanne was. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about her. We’d only slept together once, and this was the first time I’d seen her since then. “Why don’t we start with dinner? There’s an Italian place near here that looks good.”
“You’re all about being Italian, aren’t you?” she chuckled. “That night at the bar, you kept bragging about it, too.”
That was a little embarrassing to hear. To be honest, my memories of that night were fuzzy at best. I only had vague memories of anything that had happened after the shot-drinking contest I’d had with Jase.
“Italian men are the most handsome,” I replied before steering her in the direction of the restaurant. “An international survey found that, worldwide, Italian men are the most attractive on average.”
“What?” Roxanne cackled. “What survey was that?”
“I don’t remember,” I replied honestly. “But I really did read that somewhere. I swear I’m not making it up.”
“I believe that,” Roxanne replied coyly after staring intensely into my face for a few seconds.
We chatted for a few more minutes as we made our way to the restaurant. I hadn’t paid very much attention when I’d looked it up earlier, but the restaurant was actually a lot fancier than I'd anticipated. I’d known it was on the beach, but I hadn’t realized just how close to the water it was. Had we taken a few steps further, we would have literally been standing on sand, and even from the outside it looked incredibly opulent and expensive.
“This is where we’re eating?” Roxanne whispered as we made our way up to the host standing at the front of the restaurant. “Nick, isn’t this a bit much?”
“Do you think so?” I whispered back, feeling a little uncertain myself.
“Do you have a reservation?” The man at the podium asked before she could reply.
“No, we don’t,” I admitted. I was beginning to regret not having read anything past ‘specializes in authentic Italian coastal cuisine’ under the restaurant’s description earlier.
“That’s perfectly fine.” The man smiled. “We’re pretty slow tonight, so I’ll be able to seat you right away. Just two for tonight?”
“Yes.” I nodded, relieved that we didn’t actually need a reservation to get in tonight.
“Perfect.” The man smiled again. “Would you like a table outside?
“Sure.” I nodded again.
“Excellent,” the host replied. “If you’ll just follow me, I’ll take you to your seats.”
He took off at a rapid pace, and I hurried to keep up with him.
“Nick,” Roxanne hissed as he took hold of my sleeve. “I’m not dressed up enough for this. Look at this place!”
“You look gorgeous.” I grinned back at her. She blushed and rolled her eyes, and I had to suppress a chuckle at her reaction. It wasn’t all talk, though. She was wearing a simple black dress that hung off of her shoulders to show off her delicate collarbone and a pair of black high heels. It wasn’t an extravagant outfit, but it was still nice enough that I didn’t see why she would feel out of place.
Still, she had a point. The restaurant was stunning with walls and furniture all shades of stark white, accented by black and gold. It was also bigger than I expected on the inside, and it seemed as though the host was leading us through the entirety of it. Finally, we arrived at a large open doorway that led to an outdoor area at the back of the restaurant.
“Oh, wow,” Roxanne gasped as we walked past the occupied tables. The outdoor area of the restaurant consisted of several semi-private booths set literally on top of the water. Each table butted against a terraced balcony so that diners could look out over the sea as they ate.
“Someone will be by soon to take your order,” the host informed us before offering us one last smile and turning to walk briskly back into th
e main part of the restaurant.
“Why didn’t you tell me this was such a fancy place?” Roxanne admonished me as soon as he was out of earshot. “I would have worn something nicer!”
“I told you, you look gorgeous,” I replied. “And I also didn’t know. I didn’t realize it was going to be this high-end.”
“Amazing,” she chuckled. “So what do we do now? We can leave if you want. I won’t be upset or anything.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, the server showed up and handed us a set of menus.
“Good evening,” the man greeted us politely. “My name is Bryce, and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you started on some drinks?”
“I think we’re fine for now,” Roxanne replied right away. She looked like she was trying hard not to laugh.
“All right.” Bryce smiled. “I’ll let you have a few moments to look over the menu then. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
He turned and walked briskly away, and Roxanne broke into a fit of giggles as soon as he was gone.
“Look at these wine prices!” she exclaimed. “This is insane.”
I grinned at her outburst as I looked down at my own menu. I knew as soon as I saw this place that the prices were bound to be outrageous, but it still shocked me when the first item my eyes landed on was a two-hundred-dollar antipasto that featured caviar as its main component. On second glance, though, there were other, less extravagant dishes like pasta and lamb that were a little more reasonably priced.
“This is too much, Nick,” Roxanne murmured. “We can go somewhere else.”
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “We’re already here. We’re in too deep to quit now.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” I nodded. “Besides, I already have something else planned for later. If we leave now, we might not have time.”
“Oh, you do?” she giggled. “And what is it that you have planned?”
“It’s a surprise.” I winked at her. “You said you wanted to do something fun, right? I have the perfect idea.”
“Okay, I’ll trust you,” she hummed.
I smiled at her response, and I sincerely hoped she’d be up for my idea. It was kind of a risky move since the odds were high she’d either be really into the idea or really against it.
Dinner flew by in a flash. On top of being extremely pretty, Roxanne was actually really funny and laid-back as well. True to her word, she’d had a few drinks by the time we finished the meal, so it was just as well that she hadn’t driven here. I cringed internally as I paid the bill at the end of the evening.
“All right,” she declared as we left the restaurant, her speech just a little slurred. “You said you had something fun in mind, so what’s next?”
She snaked her arm around mine so she could hold on to me like an anchor and smiled up at me expectantly.
“How would you like to go to the beach?” I asked as I led her away from the restaurant and back toward where my car was parked.
“The beach?” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Weren’t we just on the beach? I could have sworn we were just staring out at the ocean while he had dinner.”
“Nah, this one’s special.” I grinned as I opened the passenger side door for her.
“I don’t like that smile,” she giggled as she ducked into the car. “What are you up to?”
“Just trust me.” I smirked before closing the door and circling the car to get in on the other side.
The destination I had in mind was only a bridge crossing away, so we were there after just a few minutes.
“The Ritz-Carlton?” Roxanne asked skeptically as we pulled into the hotel’s parking lot. “You don’t waste time, huh Nick? Not that I mind, I suppose...”
“No!” I scoffed as I turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car. “Well, yes, but no, I had something else in mind.”
“Why else would we come to an expensive hotel?” Roxanne raised an eyebrow at me.
“Because of the expensive hotel’s private beach,” I whispered conspiratorially.
“What?” Roxanne giggled as she stepped out of the car. “Why? Nick, there are so many beaches in Miami. It’s actually impossible not to eventually hit one if you just keep walking, why would come to one of the only private ones?”
“For the thrill,” I replied as I snaked my arm back around her shoulders. “Come on, you’ve never done something just because you weren’t supposed to? Just follow my lead and pretend like you have every right to be here.”
“Wait, what?” she gasped as I steered her forward, not toward the entrance of the hotel but around the back and through some palm trees set against the edge of the main building.
“Nick,” Roxanne hissed. “What are we doing right now?”
She was staring at me with a look of shock, but she was smiling.
“Just trust me.” I grinned as I led her further around the side of the building. I stopped when we arrived at a low, thick wall, about as tall as I was. “I think right here should be good.”
“Good for what?” Roxanne laughed as I kneeled on the ground.
“I’ll give you a boost.” I smiled up at her. “So hurry up and climb over before we get caught.”
“You’re out of your mind,” she giggled. Despite her words, she still took her heels off and clambered onto my back.
“Watch your step,” I whispered as I took Roxanne’s hand and helped her down. The Ritz-Carlton had its own private stretch of beach reserved exclusively for its guests, but Jase and I had discovered several years ago that we could climb a certain part of the exterior wall and onto the other side, directly onto the beach. As long as we acted like we belonged there, no one ever bothered us.
“This is crazy.” Roxanne grinned at me once we were finally on the ground. “What if someone catches us?”
“You better be ready to run,” I teased as I led her over to unbelievably soft and sandy beach. The beach here was even cleaner and prettier than in other parts of the city since relatively few people used it, and it was privately maintained by the hotel.
“Very funny,” she scoffed as she hit me lightly on the arm. “How many times have you done this? You obviously knew exactly where to go.”
“I used to do it a lot when I was younger.” I shrugged as I sat down on the sand. “I haven’t snuck in here in a while.”
“Well, don’t I feel special, then,” Roxanne cooed as she took a seat next to me in front of the water. “So you were a juvenile delinquent, then?”
“Something like that,” I replied. She was closer to the mark than she realized. I’d done a lot worse in my time with the mafia then just sneaking into a beach after dark.
“I’ve never done anything like this.” She grinned impishly.
“It’s pretty romantic, right?” I smiled at her.
“Super romantic,” she hummed. “I’ve never broken the law on a first date before.”
“I’d never have guessed,” I replied sarcastically. “You’re such a natural at it.”
“I guess I--” she started to whisper. Before she could finish whatever she was saying though, we both flinched as we were blinded by a stark white beam of light.
“Who’s there?” a loud male voice boomed from the other end of the beach.
“Crap,” I hissed as I took hold of Roxanne’s thin wrist. “We gotta run.”
I shot to my feet and pulled her with me as I ran straight for the main exit. There was no point in sneaking around now that we’d already been caught.
“Stop!” the man yelled as he chased after us.
“This way,” I hissed once we were in the main courtyard of the hotel. I pulled her sharply to the right and ducked behind a particularly large potted plant just as the light of the flashlight reached the ticket area.
Roxanne stared at me with wide eyes, and I lifted a finger to my lips slowly as the security guard rushed past us. I strained my ears to list
en as the man’s footsteps faded away.
“Come on,” I whispered as I took her hand and led her through the sprawling hotel layout and back toward the parking lot where we’d left the car.
“That was scary,” Roxanne giggled as we approached the car.
“Sorry,” I apologized sheepishly. “It was a dumb idea.”
“No.” Roxanne shook her head vehemently. “Don’t apologize. That was the most fun I’ve had in years. Scary, but still fun.”
“I’m glad.” I smiled in relief. For a second, I was worried getting chased by the security guard might have ruined the evening. “Do you want to come back to my place?”
“I have to be up early tomorrow,” she replied. “And to be honest, I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I would have been lying if I’d said I wasn’t disappointed, but the night had been fun, regardless.
“Next time, we should have drinks at yours, though.” She smiled.
“All right.” I smiled back. “Do you want me to give you a ride home?”
“I’ll take a cab,” she replied. “I don’t live that far from here, and it’s already pretty late. I don’t want to keep you out any longer.”
“Okay,” I replied before leaning down to kiss her. “I’ll call you later, then.”
“Later.” She smiled after we’d kissed, her cheeks visibly glowing red even in the low light.
I watched as she headed into the hotel to wait for her cab before getting back into my car. The clock on my dash notified me that it was already a little past ten in the evening. Time had flown by so quickly while I was with her, and after the disastrous day I’d had, it had been just what I needed to lift my spirits.
28
Nick
I knew as soon as I turned the door handle and stepped inside that something was wrong. It was locked, just as I’d left it, but there was just something in the air that just felt different. Like the prickly feeling you got on the back of your neck when someone was staring at you. I was immediately gripped with an uncomfortable sensation that I was being watched.