Nate dismissed the offer with a smile. “Michael, I’m sorry.” He made a point to use the man’s name. “But not tonight.”
“Why?” Michael downed the shot and pushed the empty glass back toward Nate. “Is it your kid?”
Nate pursed his lips. That wasn’t really any of his business. “Another?” he asked, ignoring the question.
“Don’t be so cold.” Michael chuckled. “He started middle school this year, didn’t he? Luka?”
Nate raised an eyebrow.
“Too creepy? I sound creepy, don’t I?”
“Maybe a little,” Nate said. “More surprised you remember pillow talk from months ago.” He wasn’t in the habit of talking about Luka to customers.
“What can I say? Memory of an elephant.” He smiled. “And that’s not all.”
Nate laughed. The mood between them lightening. “In your dreams.” He straightened and exhaled. “Thank you, but I’m sorry. As you said, Luka’s in middle school now. With that and this place, I’ve a lot going on.” Sex had fallen so far down his list of priorities it had almost dropped off completely.
“Then, another time?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.” Luka was his priority.
Two things were a must where Luka was concerned. Either Nate’s shift at the bar started once he had welcomed Luka home from school or ended, and he was home in time to see his son to bed.
“Excuse me,” he said when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “Abi, can you watch the bar?” He waved to catch her attention and when she nodded, he slipped into the back room.
“Lee, everything okay?” He glanced at his wristwatch; it was almost five.
“Hi. Yeah. I think.” Lee’s tone was hesitant. “Is Luka with you?”
As soon as the question was asked it was as if the air had been knocked from him. A knot tightened in his stomach. “You know he isn’t.” They had settled into a routine; she knew his schedule at the bar.
Lee fell silent.
“Lee? You’re kind of scaring me right now.”
“Damn it. I knew I should have asked you.”
“What are you saying?”
“Luka told me he was going to a friend’s house after school.”
“Okay.” This wasn’t the first time Luka had gone to play with friends. “Who? What friend?”
“Erm, Keegan.”
Nate pushed the office door shut. “Keegan. Yeah, I know Keegan. He should be on the list of contacts I gave you of his friends.”
“Yeah I have his parents’ phone number here. But I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I mean this kid Keegan was standing right there, face of an angel as he told me Luka was going to go play at his house until dinner time.” Lee cleared her throat. “But then, I phoned to ask what time they were bringing him home so I could fix him a meal, ’cause Luka hadn’t really said and was in a rush and excited to go hang out with his friend and…”
“And?”
“And they said… They said he hadn’t been there. Turns out he’d bribed Keegan with some comic book to get him to say he was going home with him.”
Nate pressed his palm to his forehead.
Luka was a good kid. Too good sometimes. Why would he lie?
“Did Keegan say anything else? Like where Luka was actually going? Who he might have gone to see?”
“No. Just that there was something important he had to do.”
“No, no, no.” What should he do? Police? Was that the right thing to do?
“I’m sure he’s fine. You just need to stay calm.”
“Calm?” Seriously? She was telling him to calm down. “Calm,” he repeated.
Luka’s my world. The reason I get up in the morning.
If anything… anything had happened to him…
“He said he’d see me later, that they were playing until dinner time. Wherever he was going, he planned on coming home to eat. What do you want me to do? Should I go look for him?”
Nate crossed the room to pick up his jacket and wallet. “No, you should wait there in case he comes back.”
“And you?”
“I’ll get a cab, head to the school and I guess home from there. If he’s still not turned up after that, then I’ll call the police.” He paused at the office door. His hand trembled as he reached for the handle.
“Nate?” He’d fallen silent.
He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. I’ll call you when I know anything.”
“Same,” Lee said. “He’ll be fine.”
“Yeah. Of course he will.” He hung up, immediately regretting how abrupt it had been. This wasn’t Lee’s fault. There was no reason for her not to have believed Luka. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary him playing at a friend’s house after school.
What was so different this time?
He filled his lungs and pulled the door open. He raised his hand when Michael was about to say something. He wasn’t in the mood for anymore flirtatious banter with a customer. “Abi,” he said. “I’m really sorry to have to do this, but I need to go.”
“Problem?” she asked.
“I hope not. Will you be okay for a while? I’ll call Gregg, see if he can come in earlier, or maybe—”
“I’ll be fine.” She gave him a firm look. “So, whatever it is just go. Go on.” She shooed him.
“Are you sure?” He switched his weight to his other foot.
Abi didn’t say anything, just pointed to the door.
“Thanks.” He walked around the bar, Michael stopping him, catching hold of his wrist.
“Are you okay?”
Nate nodded. “I have to go. Enjoy your night.” He twisted his arm free and jogged for the exit.
The cool early evening air hit him in the face as he stepped outside. He hadn’t realized how suffocating the bar had become during Lee’s phone call. The walls had closed in and smothered him. He breathed in deeply, pulled on his jacket, and headed for the main street for a cab.
Damn it, Luka, where are you?
Nate wasn’t sure he’d ever
