“Absolutely positive, mister,” I say. “I’m in a hurry.”
He shrugs and puts the car in drive and I sink down low in the seat, making sure nobody can see my face through the widow. I’ve hit a lot of rock bottoms in the last few years of my life, with my marriage, my addictions, my moving in with Janka, and my financial destitution, but never once did I think I was going too far.
It was all for the greater good. All for my own happy ending.
Now I know I’ve made a grave mistake. A mistake that could cost me my life. A mistake that might have costed an innocent man his life.
I wonder if the cab driver can hear my heart racing or if it’s just the blood rushing to my ears. I try and think about better days ahead but my mind goes back to that place of fear I first learned the night Serafin was attacked in the alley. I was so helpless, I couldn’t do anything to stop his attackers. I just had to try and lay low and preserve myself. Hide. Just like I’m doing right now. I guess things really haven’t changed in the last twelve years.
6
Serafin:
“What the hell are you doing, cousin?” Rafal asks. I quickly slam my laptop shut, but it’s too late. He’s already caught me doing the one thing I swore I’d never do.
“Are you finally joining us in the twenty first century?” He picks up the screen to my laptop and I don’t stop him.
“It’s for work,” I say, knowing damn well he’s not going to believe me for a second. When Mia no showed my birthday party last night, I was pissed. It ruined my whole fucking night, and took me right back to that place where I was recovering in the hospital, waiting around for her to show up, waiting around for her to come make everything better. I don’t know how she has that power over me after all these years.
This morning, through my splitting hangover, I realized I invited my ex girlfriend who I haven’t seen in twelve years to a sex club. I’m glad she didn’t show up. She’s always been a smart girl. She was looking out for herself. For all she knows, I was setting her up for something. I’m proud that even after all these years she hasn’t lost her keenness. It’s always been one of the most attractive things about her.
I realized if I’m going to have a shot with her, I’m probably going to have to do things the ‘normal’ way, so I figured I would set up a social media account and track her down.
“We’re gonna have to take a good profile picture of you. This one definitely won’t work,” Rafal says, looking at the grainy dark picture I took from my flip phone. “You look like a creep. I mean, it’s the world wide web, you can be anybody you want. It’s not like you’re a bad looking guy. It’s about time you put yourself out there.”
“Fuck off.” I’m only doing this so I can keep tabs on my little mouse. She already knows who I am. I’m not trying to draw attention of the random hags who think they know who we are and think we’re the keys to a piece of the kingdom for them.
“Cross your arms over your chest and stick your shoulders back,” he says. I lean back in my chair and roll my eyes at him as he snaps a picture from his cellphone. “You gotta make a good first impression before you slide into their DMs.”
“I don’t know what the fuck that means,” I say, holding my hand up to my face as he continues to snap a bunch of photos. “I’m just trying to reach out to Mia.”
“Oh, dear Lord.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. “We’re doing this again?”
“Doing what again?” Fabian asks as he steps into my office and slams his navy blue canvas messenger bag onto my desk. He slides up a chair, and pulls out his laptop, hooking his phone up to it with a long cord.
“Old softie here is trying to set up social media so he can track down his high school sweetheart.”
I shrug. “I know she’s in the city. I know she’s single. I know she still wants me.”
Fabian rolls his eyes and flips open his laptop.
“Well, you might not have to make too much effort to track her down. While you two dip shits were nursing your hangovers and having a photoshoot I was at the hospital with Jakub.”
The hair on my arm stands up. I was just talking to Jakub last night. Why didn’t he call me?
“What the hell happened?” I ask. “Is he alright?”
“He had a minor heart attack. He should be resting at home with his wife and kids by tomorrow morning.”
“I’ve been telling him to lay off the coke for a long time now. Old man seems to think he can still party like he’s in his twenties,” Rafal says, shaking his head. Jakub is one of the last men standing from our fathers’ era. While all of our dads were taken from us much too soon, Jakub always seemed to get lucky. Looks like that’s the case once again.
“What’s that got to do with Mia?” I ask.
“You’ll see.” His tone is grim, and for some reason, I don’t think I want to watch what he’s about to show me.
I slam my laptop closed and we gather around him as he brings up some security cameras from the hotel last night. There’s a grainy video of Janka running out of a hotel room. Not too long after, a crew of paramedics come through the door with some police officers behind them.
“What am I looking at?” I ask.
“Apparently your girl and her best friend are turning tricks.”
“Mia would never,” I growl, clenching my fist at my side.
