by Ted Evans
The only reason I hadn't yet, was because I was afraid she wouldn’t be willing to give up the life she had for me. Cali was all the way across the country, and even though the fastest flight could take about five hours, it would still be a hassle to move back and forth. So, I was holding back for the moment, but I knew, when it came time for her to leave, I wasn’t going to be able to let her go.
“You can go in and see her,” I said, giving her an encouraging smile. “It’ll be tough on her, but she’s always been strong. She’ll get over it.”
“She was really serious about this, though,” she said worriedly. “I mean, she was going to marry the guy, you know?”
“He was probably tricking her, the same way he tricked my sister. Once she knows everything, it’ll hurt, but she will try to forget about him. I don’t know Nora that well, but I do know she doesn’t waste thoughts on people that don’t deserve it.”
Brooklyn sighed as she pulled off her seatbelt. “Let’s hope it’ll be that way this time. Sorry for holding you up. You probably need to go and stay with your sister, too, huh. I can't believe he would go after someone so young. He’s the same age as me and Nora, so he should be seven years older than her.”
I chuckled at her disgruntled look. “There are people in relationships with a bigger age gap. But don’t worry, I’m not going to let him off just like that. I’ll make a few calls around and try to find him. Maria said she came back with him from California, but she’s not sure where he is right now.”
“If you find that guy, give him a punch in the face for me,” she said with a small grin, then took off her seatbelt and jumped out of the car.
I watched her go then started up the car. I pulled away from the curb and headed for home to take care of my sister. Maria was strong, so she couldn’t be so distraught, but that didn’t mean she would be okay.
If I find that bastard, what he’ll get from me is a kick in the crotch, I thought ruthlessly.
Thinking of any man taking advantage of my sister this way totally pissed me off. It already had because I was sure they’d slept together already. Maria may be twenty-one-years old, an adult that could make her own decisions, but she was still my baby sister. She was barely ready to start dating, let alone sleeping with men and making plans for marriage. I was hopeful that, with this event, she would be wiser next time.
On Wednesday, I still had to go to work, but I made a bunch of calls to collect information on the guy. I also tried to find him, but I couldn’t. Around midmorning, I made a call to Maria who told me she couldn’t get ahold of him. A text from Brooklyn told me Nora wasn’t even trying, willing to forget the entire thing even happened. Nora and I had never been close, but I figured I would have to talk to her sometime. So I told Brooklyn to meet me for lunch and bring Nora, and I would bring Maria.
I set out a little early. It was a restaurant close enough to walk, and I locked my office behind me as I left. About twenty minutes later, I was walking into the restaurant. I frequented the place often, so it was easy enough to get a private room, and then I went in to wait for the others to arrive. Ten minutes after I arrived there, the women came in. Both Maria and Nora were dressed in black and looked like they were mourning.
“Please, seat down,” I said, standing up. “Someone should come over to take our orders soon.”
Nora frowned at me and didn’t sit down. “Why don’t you just tell me what it is you want to say,” she said, her voice rough. “I’d rather go home and back to bed than be here.”
Her voice was completely flat. I wouldn’t say she was heartbroken, she was probably still in shock from what happened. I turned to look at Brooklyn, who nodded in understanding and guided Nora over to a seat.
“Just sit your ass down for a minute and listen up, okay? It won’t kill you, you know. He’s treating us to lunch, it’s not like you to refuse, Nora.”
She hesitated a bit, but with a sigh, finally sat down.
Maria, in comparison, was much more composed. Though her mood was dark, she moved to sit beside me, looking subdued, but there was fire in her eyes. It made me breathe a sigh of relief, because I’d been worried my baby sister would take things hard, even knowing her personality wouldn’t allow for it. Brooklyn sat between Nora and me, and a moment later, a waiter came into the private room.
We looked over the menu and placed our orders, the three women sounding like they couldn’t be bothered about what they ate. Then the waiter left the four of us alone.
“You had something to say,” Nora said after a moment of silence.
All three of them turned to look at me, and I took a deep breath.
“I made a few inquiries and I found some information that…none of you are going to particularly like.” I frowned, not sure how to say it delicately.
Maria, sensing my indecision, patted the back of my hand. “Just say whatever it is. I’d like to have this over and done with as soon as possible, please.”
“All right,” I said with a sigh. “So, here’s the thing. This Paul, or Chris, technically neither name is his real name, but he’s used Paul the longest, so let’s go with that. He is definitely not who he told you he was.”
“I could figure that much out on my own, Abe,” Maria said with a roll of her eyes. “Tell us something we don’t already know.”
I pursed my lips. “What none of you know, is that this Paul has several other names and he’s been with other women in relationships that usually get cut short just before the wedding.”
“He’s a con artist,” Brooklyn muttered, catching on.
“Exactly,” I said darkly with a frown. “And when I find him, I’m going to break every bone in his damn body for messing with my sister.”
“So have you found him already?” Maria asked, looking eager and a little bloodthirsty. “Leave a few bones for me to break, too.”
I sighed. “There’s just one little problem. I think the guy must have figured out it was best to cut his losses and run. He’s done a disappearing act. Just before, though, he transferred some funds from the both of you. Someone is still tracing where those funds went.”
Nora paled a little, and Maria’s face tightened. Right then, the door opened and the waiter brought the food in. there was a deadly silence in the room as the food was set on the table. I wasn’t sure they’d still have the appetite to eat, but the moment the waiter was out of the room, they fell on the food like starving beasts.
I raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior, but dug into my own food. I would find this Paul, eventually, and when I did, I was going to wring him dry and leave him by the roadside for the vultures to finish him off.
Chapter Eighteen
Brooklyn
It had been a few days already since we got the news, and Nora was taking it hard. It was understandable, since it wasn’t just her being jilted by a guy. He’d lied to her, stolen from her, and disappeared.
For the past few days, I had been with Nora, comforting her. I’d moved out of the apartment she’d gotten for me already, with all my stuff moved to her larger apartment. Nora wasn’t very rich, but after the cash Paul took off with, she was definitely poorer.
“Don’t worry too much, okay?” I said gently. “Abe will definitely catch this bastard for you. With all the resources he’s putting into it, I’m positive, okay? So stop moping already.”
Nora just sighed, and shifted a little before settling back. We were seated at her dining table, having lunch. Nora had her elbow braced on the table, her chin in her palm, and she was running her spoon inside her bowl but not eating. And while she wasn’t eating, it felt awkward to start eating myself, so I wasn’t eating either.
I didn’t like seeing my friend so down. This was Nora, the woman that would keep moving even if ten guys dumped her, but getting conned by someone she was dating affected her differently.
“Maybe I should just let this go?” she asked wanly, looking up at me.
“Do you think you can let it go?” I asked back, arc
hing an eyebrow.
She sighed and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she frowned. “Honestly, I don’t think so. You of all people know how much I hate being made a fool off. I really thought this guy had feelings for me, I thought he wanted to marry me and I was so excited about it. But not only was he seeing someone else, it’s a younger woman related to someone I knew, and he made off with my money. Not to mention all his other targets.”
Nora huffed, and I heard light thumps as she tapped her foot on the floor. She had been doing this, too, moving between anger and depression, though I could tell she was mostly angry. Especially since she couldn’t do anything besides sit back and wait for Paul to be found. We’d gone to the police after Abe told us the guy was a conman, and both Abe and the police were searching, but Nora couldn’t contribute. It went against everything she was, which was probably why it was attacking her this hard.
“Should we put off lunch again?” I asked with a sigh. “We’ve had to warm this stuff up twice already. If we do it again I don’t think it’ll be healthy. Too much microwave…waves or whatever.”
“At this point, is it still lunch?” she snorted, then sighed. “No, it’s fine. We should just eat. I’m not going to starve myself over this, if I won’t even do it for the sake of losing weight.”
“You don’t need to lose weight,” I said patiently. “I’ve told you hundreds of times already, you look just fine. You’re a little curvier than me, but that’s not exactly a bad thing.”
For the first time in a long while, she cracked a smile. It was a small and almost painful looking, but it was a smile, and it made me feel relieved.
“Whatever you say,” she said with a sigh. “Why don’t we eat, and then I can deal with the whole wedding thing. It’s been called off already, but I haven’t made the calls to cancel anything…”
I watched until she started eating before I did the same. We were both subdued, throughout the meal. At least we’d thought to call for take-out instead of trying to make anything ourselves, because I didn’t think it would have been edible. Afterwards, we stood side by side at the sink and washed the dishes.
Just as Nora was about to go lock herself in the bedroom to make the calls she needed, when my cell vibrated. We both guessed the message was from Abe, and Nora froze, her eyes going to my cell.
“Is it him?” she asked, drifting closer.
I unlocked the screen and read the text. “Yeah, he’s asking how we’re doing.”
I typed a quick reply back, “We’re fine. Any news?”
“I’ve got a lead on him, but I wanted something else. Fancy going out? Both of you.”
I pursed my lips and showed Nora the second message so she could make the decision for herself. She deliberated for like a second, then she gave me a determined look.
“Let’s go,” she said. “We might as well. It’s better than just staying here doing nothing.”
“Don’t you have calls to make?”
“They can wait a little longer,” she said with a wince. “I’m honestly not against putting it all off. I don’t know how I’m going to face all those people, and how much money I’ve sunk into all this…”
She sighed, then headed for the bedroom, and I followed after her as I texted Abe back so he could pick us up. We were both in t-shirts and sweats for comfort, but now that we were heading out, we needed to get changed. It was particularly cold outside, so we dressed up in jeans and tops, with jackets and scarves. Nora let me borrow a pair of her boots.
By the time we made it outside, Abe was already parked and waiting for us with Maria in the front seat. The rolled the window down and waved at us.
“Get in.”
“Can I ask where we’re going?” I asked, stalling. Nora jumped right in without hesitation, though, so I followed after her.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be some place you’ll all love. I hope.”
The car was already moving, so I decided to trust him. We were all quiet, with the radio on some rock music station to fill up the silence. It wasn’t that late in the evening, but we still came across some traffic. Then we pulled into private parking of what looked like a club.
“What are we doing here?” I asked as we stepped out of the car.
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.
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.