Page 10 of Ever After
“Finley, I’m serious. What you’re getting involved in is extremely dangerous. I don’t want you to get caught up in the middle of all of this,” he says, dodging my question.
“Grayson, I’m getting a location and leaving. Also, don’t ignore my question. Did you put a tracker on my car?”
His hardened stare morphs into guilt. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it because he composes himself and stares blankly at me. “You’re not going in there alone.”
“Grayson, if you come in, I might not get this information. He might chicken out, and then his family will suffer. Is that what you want? This could lead to information about Nick’s death. I’m not going to let this opportunity slip because you can’t trust me to walk in there alone.”
He growls in frustration and pushes his fingers through his brown hair, messing up his locks. He doesn’t advance when I walk toward the doors without him.Thank God for small miracles.I wrap my hand around the warm metal door handle and pull it open. The bar looks like any other one. Big bar with lots of liquor, two men behind it, and a scattering of tables around the space. A few light-up signs for Bud Light and Guinness are littering the walls, and there’s a smoky haze that seems to linger.
I walk up to the bar, and the man behind it leans down toward me so he can be heard over the music. “What can I get you?”
“I’m looking for the owner. I’m supposed to be meeting someone here, and he said he knows him.”
“Who are you meeting?”
“Miles Pierce.”
He nods once and points toward the back of the bar, pointing to an employee only sign on a door. “Follow the hallway down, second door on the left.”
I nod and smile at him. Following his instructions, I stop in front of a closed door. I knock and wait for an answer. I can’t hear anything besides the beat of the music, so I look up and down the hall then at my feet. I shift my weight and fidget with the strap of my purse as I wait. I’m about to turn around when it cracks open, and Miles pops his head through.
“Dr. Grier, you came,” he greets me, the relief evident in his voice.
“I told you I would. You have something you wanted to share with me? Can I come in?” I take a step closer to the door, and he stops me, opting to come out and close the door behind him instead.
“We need to make this quick.” He hands me a folded sheet of paper and looks down to the ground.
I open it and study the address on it. I’m not familiar with it. “Where is this?”
“The trains. That’s all I can give you. I’m so sorry. You need to leave now. Keep my name out of this. My family’s lives are at stake here.” He looks down at the paper one last time, then walks back through the door, locking it behind him.
For the first time since Nick Genova’s death, I’m scared that he wasn’t the good man I thought he was. I stick the folded piece of paper in my back pocket and make my way back down the hall and into the open street. Grayson is leaning against my car and stands tall when he sees me. I jog across the street and hand him the piece of paper, not saying a word to him. He unfolds it and looks at it.
“Finley, we have to talk. Can we take my car? We’ll come back for yours.”
“N-No.” I clear my throat, trying to steady my nerves. “Follow me home if you want, but I’m not leaving my car here.” I try to hide my trembling hand, but my keys rattle, giving me away. I get in and close the door behind me, not giving him the chance to talk to me. I take a few deep breaths and start my car, eager to get out of here.
He walks toward his, and I let out a breath. My phone rings and I jump. I pull it out of my purse and see it’s another blocked number. I know I don’t want to answer this call, but I can’t help it either.
“Hello?”
“You’re walking a fine line, little girl. Stop sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, or else.”
“Who are you? How did you get this number?” I yell into the phone. It’s no use, the phone disconnects. Whoever it was got his point across. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified now.
Grayson
We make it back to her place. I get out of the car and walk over toward hers. She’s still sitting there, hands on the wheel, car running, and she’s staring straight ahead. I know this look.She’s petrified. I open the passenger side door and slide in, closing it behind me.
“What happened?”
She turns and looks at me, eyes wide with horror. She swallows hard. “I got another call.”
I turn her car off and pull the keys out of the ignition, then unbuckle her. “Get out of the car, Finley. Get in my truck,now.”
I’m happy when she complies without question. When she gets in, she locks the door behind her and stares straight ahead again. I start my truck as she turns to look at me.
“Where are we going?”