“Good morning, Mademoiselle Keats.”
“Good morning, Claude. Is Dugan around?”
The doorman pointed to the long line of cabs and cars. She spotted the limo at the end of the block. Taking quick, determined steps, she walked in that direction. Dugan must have spotted her. He stepped from the limo and gave her a curious look, then checked his phone.
“Ms. Keats?”
“Hey, Big D. I need a ride.”
He met her at the door and opened it. “Mr. Patras didn’t send me a text.”
“He’s in the shower.” The limo driver’s eyes narrowed beneath his bushy brows. “Look, I’m with you. I’m being honest. Text him if it makes you feel better, but I need to leave now and I’m either walking or getting a ride from you.”
He shut the door and withdrew his cell again. Moments later he was behind the wheel. “Where to?” he asked, easing the car from the curb and into traffic.
“Parker Hughes’s apartment building.” His head jerked and she met his challenging stare in the rearview. “Should I walk?”
Rather than answer her, he brought his phone to his ear and dialed. Lucian was likely just getting out of the shower, but he wouldn’t hear his phone ring. Deceit sat like heavy oil in the pit of her stomach, but it was better she deal with Parker than leave it to Lucian.
The entire ride there, Dugan’s phone never left his ear except to press Send again. He never made a peep, which meant he never got through to Lucian. He did, however, manage to take the longest possible route from A to B.
The limo pulled to the curb of Parker’s building and she got out. Dugan placed himself between her and the entrance. “I’m not sure what’s going on, Ms. Keats, but I know this isn’t okay with Mr. Patras.”
She shifted her weight and tried to reason with him. “Look, Dugan, I need to go in there. I told you to call Lucian if you want to and I had no doubt you would. I’m not hiding anything. This is only a detour. Just . . . please let me go.”
She brushed past him and he caught her arm. “Evelyn.” It was the first time he’d ever called her by just her name. She looked at him and his eyes were softened by age and worry. “You didn’t see him before. Don’t do that to him again. He loves you.”
She placed her hand on his. “I know. I love him too. That’s why I have to do this. Ten minutes, that’s all I need.”
Before he could stop her again, she rushed inside and took the elevator to Parker’s floor. The route to his door was familiar. Had she really lived here only a couple of months ago? It felt like a lifetime ago.
When she reached his door, she took a deep breath, made a fist and knocked hard. She heard movement inside and knew he was home. The door opened and he stared at her, confusion and a mix of concern tightening his brow.
“Scout? What are you doing here? Are you okay?”
He looked different from the last time she saw him. His face was no longer battered and he’d gained more weight. He was still fit, but gone was the gaunt look of years of starvation. He was no longer a lost cause. He was a man.
“I know what you’re doing.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“With the company Lucian was dealing with. I know it’s you messing with him.”
His expression immediately shuttered. “What? Is he sending you to do his dirty work? Shows how much he—”
“Oh, cut the crap, Parker. You’re messing with his livelihood.”
He laughed, but it came out more as a snarl. “His livelihood? Are you kidding? He’s Lucian fucking Patras. He’ll get over it.”
“Will you? What you’re doing is wrong and you know it.”
“What I’m doing is business.”
“Business like the way your dad conducted his.”
His lips tightened. “I’m nothing like him.”
“You may want to check your reflection again, Park. You aren’t playing the game on even ground. That’s how it all starts, isn’t it?”
It was the first time Parker ever directed his anger at her. He stepped close and hissed, “What do you want me to do? Give it back? That isn’t how the real world works, Scout. I worked my ass off for this deal and if I get it, it’s because I’m the better man.”
“Will that help you sleep at night?”
“You have no idea what gets me through the night.”
“Why? Because I’m not there? This is all some pathetic game of revenge because I didn’t want you! I did want you, Parker. I wanted you to be my friend. But all that crap about just wanting me the way I am was just that. Crap. Having me as a friend was never going to be enough for you, and you ruined everything.”
Her voice cracked, but all the words she’d never had the strength to say suddenly came pouring out. “Why was that not enough? You say you loved me? When did you once prove it? You were my friend and you betrayed me and took our friendship away without asking.”
His face wavered from indignation to apologetic. He stiffened. “I can’t undo what’s been done.” The elevator bell sounded and she knew she only had a few seconds left.
“I know. That would be too much like the gentleman you claim to be and too far from the self-serving prick you truly are. That’s why I’ll always pick him first. He’d surrender anything if I asked it of him.”
“You think that—”
“I know that,” she snapped with absolute assuredness.
“Evelyn.”
She didn’t need to turn to see that Lucian found her. She looked up at Parker and said, “Our friendship is over. You hurt me and friendship can forgive some things, but I will never forgive you for going after him.”
When she turned, Lucian’s expression was assessing, but blanked. He’d clearly caught the last of her words and was piecing everything together. She didn’t need to justify coming to his defense.
She walked up to Lucian and said, “I know you’re pissed. I’m sorry. I can’t help that I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me.”
He brushed his finger over her chin and there was something inherently sad in his eyes she didn’t like. “Lucian?”
“Sweetheart, Pearl ran away.”
Ice shifted through her veins, and she forgot all about her mission. “Wh-what?”
“Pearl. She left the rehab this morning and no one can find her.”
“That’s impossible. Where would she go? She has no money.”
“One of the nurses turned in a report that her purse was stolen. She didn’t have much in there, but she had enough for cab fare.”
Evelyn’s world began to spin. She grasped her temples. “No, no, no, no, no.”
“We’ll find her. I have people driving around now and I put a call in to the local cab companies with her description. I can’t turn in a missing person’s report for a few more hours still.”
Arms wrapped around her as her knees went weak. “We’ll never find her.”
“We will. I promise,” Lucian said fiercely.
“What’s going on?” Parker’s voice rang like a distant reminder of his presence. Why did she come here? She wanted to be anywhere but here.
“It’s not your concern,” Lucian snapped, pulling her toward the elevator.
They’d have to go to the tracks. They’d have to go everywhere. Her mother was missing, and all she could think of was the sweltering stench of bodily waste and garbage that was going to greet them in every place they’d be forced to search.
“Goddamn her!” she suddenly hissed. “Why can’t she just be normal? Why does everything she does have to tear me apart? I’ll never forgive her for this! She was clean!”
She’d fallen into hysterics, which delayed their quick escape. Lucian cradled her face and spoke softly of things that should reassure her, but there was no getting Pearl back there once her mother realized she was free to leave.
The elevator made a sound and Parker held the door. “What do you think you’re doing?” Lucian growled.
“What do you think? I’m going to help find her mother. I know the places she goes.”
“Last time you offered your help it came with conditions. We’ll manage without you.”
“Whatever. I really don’t give a fuck what you want. I’m helping Scout.”
Lucian looked at her as she wiped her nose and eyes. He must have come to some decision, because the next thing she knew they were exiting the building as a group and climbing in the limo. Lucian’s Escalade was parked at the curb, forgotten.
Once inside, Lucian directed Dugan to the tracks. The ride was made in awkward silence. She couldn’t look at Parker. Her mind continued to arrange a slideshow of the worst-case scenarios.
When they reached the tracks, she went to open the door and Lucian held her back. “No.”
“I’ll go look,” Parker said, letting himself out. The door quickly closed behind him. This was where Parker had found his own mother’s body years ago. Would he find Pearl’s as well?
They waited for what felt like days. Parker had disappeared under the torn chain link fence and vanished into the old abandoned mill. Her tears had dried and her skin was cold.
“How long ago did she leave?” she croaked.
“The nurse said they think she left around seven a.m.”
“What time is it now?”
“Almost one.”
It was about a thirty-minute ride from the rehab to the city. Would Pearl even know an address to give the cab driver? She could have told him Folsom and directed him once he got closer to roads she recognized.
The door suddenly opened and Parker slid in. “She’s not there. No one’s seen her in months. Do you have hand sanitizer?”
Lucian reached in a compartment and tossed him a small bottle. “Where else can we look?”
“She’d most likely come back here,” Parker said as he cleaned his hands.
Lucian looked at her and she shrugged. “This was her home.”
“Is there anywhere else she went? Where did she get her drugs?”
“I got them for her. It was either that or watch her sell herself until there was nothing left.”
As he drew in a deep breath, she heard the way it shook. “Where did you buy them?”
She met his gaze. Showing him this side of her past was so much more painful than telling him about it. There was no diluting the truth when it was right before his eyes. “There’s an old school about eight blocks from here. There’s a house . . .”
The limo drove as Parker directed Dugan in the right direction. The few houses that marked the way were mostly abandoned or in ill repair.
She rubbed her head, weary from worry. The thought of what this day could still bring utterly exhausted her, but she’d get through it, because that was what she’d always done. Humpty Dumpty fell down, and she put her back together again and again and again.
The school came into sight. It was vacant beyond the fact that summer was here. Scout recognized the old familiar landmarks and pointed to a run-down house across the way. It was likely an apartment at some point, but had the bones of an old Victorian.
The siding was a faded shade of maroon. Trim was painted everything from green to blue. The crumbling cement steps were barely climbable. Graffiti was scribbled everywhere, even over the wood that filled the windows like patches over empty eye sockets.
The Victorian was the crack house where everyone went to get stoned. Next to it, the small, run-down white house with blue trim was where the dealer lived.
Lucian looked to Parker and he shook his head. “He’ll only talk to Scout.”
“I’ll need some money.”
Lucian scowled at her as if she were crazy. “You’re out of your mind if you think you’re going in there alone.”
“Lucian, if you go, he’ll shoot you. He’ll think you’re a cop or worse, someone poaching from his territory. Just give me a few dollars and I’ll be right out. He’s probably already loading his gun from the window wondering what the hell a limo’s doing in his front yard. I just want to find Pearl.”
“I’m going with you.”
“No.”
“Evelyn—”
Parker suddenly interrupted them. “I’ll go with her. He at least knows who I am. He doesn’t like me, but he’ll recognize me.”
Lucian’s jaw tensed. “I swear, if anything happens to her on your watch I’m holding you responsible. You have three minutes and I’m coming in.”
They climbed out of the car and approached the tiny white house. A sheet fluttered over the unbarred part of the window. They were being watched. She knocked, just as she always had, the quick, two short raps.
The knob turned and the door eased open as if by a phantom touch. They pressed through and she was immediately bombarded by the tainted scent of meth and rotting waste.
Piled-up trash crunched under her shoes, and she was incredibly grateful she wore her sneakers that day. A half-naked woman slept on a bare, stained mattress in the corner.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Scout. I’m getting one surprise after another today. You’re looking . . . well.” The dealer turned and scowled at Parker.
“Damien, we’re looking for Pearl. Have you seen her?”
He shrugged. “I see lots of people. I’m a very sought-after gentleman. Hard to keep track of who I do and don’t see.” He sat slouched on a broken couch. She made out the shape of a gun under the worn cotton of his pants.
“Please.” She held out the hundred-dollar bill Lucian gave her. “I only want to find Pearl.”
She never let Damien know Pearl was her mother. While they may have resembled one another at some point, those days were long over. Giving a man like Damien that sort of information only gave him more power.
He took the money and eased back in his seat. Feigning disinterest, he flipped back the sheet over the boarded window. Through the small cut-away space she saw the limo. They’d been gone about a minute.
“You’re rollin’ with a new kinda crowd now, eh, Scout? I’m thinking you could do a little better than this if you really wanted my attention. Why don’t you run on out there and ask your sugar daddy for some more money and I’ll help you find Pearl.
“Here, you piece of shit,” Parker said, tossing another two hundred on Damien’s lap. “Now tell us if you saw her.”
Damien picked up the money and tsked slowly. The girl in the corner moaned. The smell was getting to Evelyn and she felt like she was going to pass out if she didn’t get into some fresh air quick.
“I don’t recall inviting you in, boy. Why don’t you step outside so me and Scout here can have us a chat?”
“Not on your life.”
Damien’s lip lifted as if it were attached to a fishing hook. He laughed. “Ah, or maybe on yours.”
“Parker, go wait in the car.”
“Are you insane?” Parker hissed.
“Better do as she says . . . Parker.”
“I’m not leaving you here. You have about one minute before I’m the least of your problems so I suggest you talk.”
Damien sat up, his hand going to his waist. “What’s going on, Scout? Who’s in the limo?”
“No one. No one who wants any trouble. Look, Damien, please just tell me if you’ve seen Pearl and we’ll leave. If I’m not out of here within a minute, you’ll have company I know you don’t want. Just tell me what I paid you for and we’ll go.”
His bloodshot eyes narrowed. He seemed to be weighing his options. Unwanted company led to gunshots, which led to the police, which led to trouble for everyone. “A’ight. She was here first thing this morning. Bought her usual shit and left, just like you and boy wonder are gonna do right now.”
She nodded, a thous
and knives tearing at her heart. There went her mother’s sobriety.
They left the house just as Lucian was getting out of the limo. She drew in a breath of fresh air that was hardly fresh. Everything around that place smelled of decay.
She quickly walked to the limo.
“Did you find out anything?”
“She bought heroin this morning. That means she’s not far. If I know my mom, she went to the first dark corner she could find to get high.”
The three of them turned and looked at the three-story Victorian. She was most likely in there.
Evelyn suddenly couldn’t move. All of her life she’d had this despicable vision of finding her mother dead. Each time she knew Pearl had gotten high she feared it would be that moment come to life.
Chances were they’d find her all doped up, she wouldn’t recognize any of them, and they’d be carrying her like a screaming banshee out of there. But the little girl in her, the one who many times tried and failed to wake her doped-up mom, feared that wasn’t the worst they could find.
Dugan appeared and handed Lucian a gun. Fuck, things were getting out of hand. “I’ll go look for her and come get you if I find her,” she said.
Lucian nodded at Dugan in some sort of code. She looked up as Dugan’s large shadow blocked the sun. The chauffeur stepped close. “I’m sorry, Evelyn.”
She squinted at him. “What?” He grabbed her and she jerked, unsure why he was suddenly restraining her, but his grip was too strong.
Lucian turned to her. “Parker and I will go in while you wait here.”
“What? No! I’m going in. It’s my mother.” He was already walking away. “Dugan, let go of me!”
“It’s for your own safety, Ms. Keats.” He dragged her to the limo and she struggled as he shoved and shut her inside. Her fingers jammed against the handle as the safety locks engaged. She smacked her palms against the glass and screamed. “Let me out!”
There were dangerous, rotted places in the house that wouldn’t hold the weight of two grown men. Parker wouldn’t know where those spots were hidden because he never went in there.
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