by Nikki Chase
After that talk with Kendra at The Succubus two years ago, I decided to stop going to the club altogether.
I also decided to start using another way to find Katie.
I built a company from the ground up and made it one of the most successful machinery and equipment leasing companies in the city. I can find a girl.
So, I decided to do what I usually do when I’m stumped: I hire someone better than me to do the job.
Obviously, I don’t have any experience finding people. That’s why I hired Sawyer.
But as it turns out, he’s not much better than me either.
“Don’t you have any leads?” I ask.
“Look, I really don’t think you understand what you’re asking me to do.
“You want me to find a woman—there are 125.9 million women in this country. She’s a brunette—guess what? That’s the most common hair color.
“Her name is Katie—a popular name, which can be a form of other names, like Kathleen, Katherine, or Kaitlyn. Hell, my sister’s name is Katie.”
“Your sister?” I frown. He’s never mentioned her before.
Sawyer narrows his eyes at me and points at me with his index finger. “No.”
“What? It’s possible that she’s—”
“No,” he repeats, cutting me off.
“Seriously, how old is—“
“Don’t even.”
I shrug. “Okay.”
“The odds of any one Katie being your Katie is infinitesimally small. Also, you don’t even know if that’s her real name. Most women in that line of work use fake names,” he says.
Here we go again. People keep telling me Katie probably lied to me about her name, but I don’t think she did. There was something genuine about her, something real I don’t often come across.
“You know what? Fine.” I let out a deep sigh.
Of course, I don’t usually talk like this in my office because most people are here for business, but this is Sawyer.
I don’t blame him for not wanting to continue working on this case. I pay him handsomely, but I know it must be frustrating to work on a case that never gets solved.
A guy like Sawyer must have better things to work on. His private investigation company is growing, and he’s been getting more and more clients requesting his help. I’m sure many of them are able and willing to pay him just as well as I do.
If Sawyer doesn’t want to help me anymore, that’s fine. If he doesn’t even know what else to do, his help doesn’t mean much anyway.
“I’m sorry, man. But you don’t even have a picture,” Sawyer says.
“I told you. The club doesn’t allow cameras.”
“Well, I mean, there are always ways to sneak a camera into—”
“Isn’t it too late to be talking about that anyway?” I pause and squint at him. “Wait a minute. Do you have a camera on you right now?”
“Well, I . . .” Sawyer maintains his poker face. But he’s a PI—a good one. He’s supposed to be good at lying.
Nevertheless, the long pause may mean he’s caught off guard. It’s not only me who relaxes my defenses when it’s only the two of us.
“Okay. I could lie here, but I wouldn’t do that to you.” Grinning, Sawyer adds, “Yes, I have a camera with me. And a recorder. But I always do. It’s not personal, man.”
“Turn that shit off.”
“Okay, okay. God, you’re so bossy.” Sawyer twists to grab something that’s stuck to his clothes, something so small I didn’t notice it before.
“Look, Adam, speaking as a PI, I want you to keep looking for her. You’re my biggest client. Thanks to you, I can expand my business and reach new clients. I owe my success to you, and I’ll keep looking as long as you want me to keep looking. I mean, I still like your money.
“But speaking as your friend, I think your obsession with this Katie girl is unhealthy, man.” Sawyer leans back in his chair and relaxes.
He’s giving me advice, but I like that he’s not pushy about it. He doesn’t presume to be right. That’s probably why I like working with him.
“You should get your mind off her once in a while. Maybe you’ll even meet someone else you like more than her,” he says.
“You’re starting to sound like my mom,” I groan.
“Well, you know what they say, mom knows best.” Sawyer shoots me a cheeky grin. “But then again, you may not want to listen to me. I don’t have much experience with moms, unless you count my sister.”
Sawyer’s family, like mine, is incomplete. But where mine was destroyed by my selfish dad wanting to live life like a free bachelor, Sawyer’s parents died in a car accident not long after he turned eighteen. His sister was thirteen at the time.
Thanks to being an adult—at least in the legal sense—Sawyer could adopt his sister and take care of her. Otherwise, she would’ve been stuck in the foster system, which I hear is a nightmare.
I admire that about Sawyer. At eighteen, he was more responsible than my dad was when he had me.
“I don’t know what to say, man. I wish it was that easy,” I say. “You didn’t see this girl. She was perfect.”
“Know what you need?” Sawyer asks. “You need a life.”
“Hey.”
“Seriously, you’re either cooped up working in your office or coming up with crazier and crazier ways to track down this chick. No wonder you’re obsessed.” Sawyer stares at me matter-of-factly. He knows he’s right, and he knows I know it.
“You have a point,” I finally concede.
“A very good one,” he adds proudly. “What are you doing this weekend?”
“I don’t know. Work?”
Sawyer laughs. “See, this is what I mean.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with how I spend my weekends.”
“Okay. I don’t want to get into an entire debate about healthy ways to spend weekends. What I’m trying to tell you is, my sister and I have our family dinners on Saturday. You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
I stare at Sawyer. We’re friendly to each other even though this is supposed to be a business relationship, but he’s never invited me to a family dinner before. This is new.
“I’d be honored,” I say when I get over my surprise.
“Okay. I’ll tell my sister there’s going to be an extra guest.” Sawyer gets up from his chair and says, “Oh, warning. There’s going to be a baby.”
“That’s cool,” I say from behind my desk
“Good. You’re going to love my nephew.” Sawyer walks across my office, his shoes tapping on the tiles. When he reaches the door, he says, “Let’s lay off this whole woman-hunt for a while, okay? Take a break. I think it’ll be good for us both. Just think about it, and let me know what you decide.”
“Okay.” I’m pretty sure I’m just going to hire someone else in case I have better luck elsewhere, but it’s probably not a good idea to tell Sawyer now.
Sawyer grins as he pulls the door open. Before he steps outside, he says, “Hey, who knows? After all the work we’ve put into tracking her down, maybe your Katie could really turn out to be my sister.”
He cackles, then shuts the door before I get a word in.
Man, he really gets on my nerves sometimes.
Katie
Sawyer’s friend is kind of weird—not that I’m surprised because my brother’s a weirdo, so of course, he has weirdo friends.
So, I get home from my shift at the hospital—now that I’ve got William in my life, I don’t have any time left to do any moonlighting anymore.
(In other words, I’m earning less money and spending more because of the kid. It’s a cliché, I know. All parents say the same thing. But I have to say again: it’s hard, but it’s all worth the hard work. William’s worth all the sacrifices I’ve made.)
I’m standing in the kitchen, just putting some last-minute garnish on the roast chicken, when Sawyer shows up.
I have a stupid galley kitchen layout where I have two full
, parallel countertops that stretch all the way to the ceilings. This means there’s a wall that separates the kitchen from the living room, which also means it takes some advanced acrobatics to keep an eye on William sometimes when I cook, especially now that he’s started to waddle around.
That’s why it’s easier to have Sawyer come over and eat my food rather than deal with housework and a baby at the same time.
I even managed to convince him to make weekend dinners a family tradition. I tell him his nephew needs a male role model in his life, and Sawyer just eats that up.
In reality, I just need all the help I can get, and I’m not above lying to my brother to get it. I’m not proud of it, but it’s hard being a single parent, okay? Besides, maybe William will actually appreciate having Sawyer as his “male role model.”
Sometimes, Mr. Role Model brings a guest to dinner. It’s usually not a problem; it’s not terribly difficult to cook slightly more food. But occasionally, he brings home some really weird people.
Like tonight, for example.
Sawyer appears at one end of the kitchen, carrying William in his arms and holding an index finger out for the baby to grab in his tiny hands.
I look up from my chicken to find that another man’s joined them. Unlike Sawyer’s other dinner guests, he’s really well-dressed.
He’s wearing a pair of dark slacks, a button-down shirt, and a navy-blue cardigan on top of it. He’s rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing the shiny watch around his wrist—it looks expensive.
He’s handsome. Messy dark hair that looks like it would be soft to the touch; warm, green eyes; and strong, chiseled features.
He stands stiffly beside Sawyer, both men so tall they almost completely block my exit.
Sawyer’s friend stares at me so strangely I feel like I need to check my appearance in the mirror. Maybe there’s something stuck to my face; or maybe I’ve turned purple. I don’t know. Why else would he be looking at me like that?
“Hi,” I say, giving him a friendly smile. I may think he’s weird, but I’m also the host. I should be welcoming.
Sawyer’s friend appears alarmed, as if he wasn’t even expecting me to be able to speak.
His mouth opens, and he makes a noise that sounds like an elongated “haaa.” He seems to catch himself and clears his throat. “Hi,” he says, his lips forming a forced, reluctant smile.
I give Sawyer a look.
My brother shrugs at me as he slaps the guy lightly on the back. “Katie, this is my friend, Adam. Adam, my sister, Katie.”
“Nice to meet you, Adam.” As I smile politely at Adam, a bizarre feeling of familiarity descends upon me. I feel like I’ve met Adam before. But where?
I used to know everybody in the party scene. But those people come and go; none of them hang around anymore since I became pregnant and couldn’t go out drinking.
Now, the only person I have time to hang out with is Daisy. She used to work as a nurse at the same hospital as me, and we even used to live together, but she moved out because she met some guy.
Okay, Caine’s more than “some guy.” They’re actually married, and they’re probably the best couple I know, but he still stole my roommate and my best friend from me.
But where could I have met this Adam guy? I feel like I’d remember meeting a rich, handsome weirdo like him.
“Hey, Mommy, whatcha cooking?” Sawyer asks in a baby voice. “Is it icky, dry chicken again?”
William laughs at Sawyer’s scrunched-up face. He repeats, “Doo-why chicken.”
“No, Mommy’s using a new-and-improved recipe,” I say calmly as I pick up the plate. “Besides, if Uncle Sawyer’s so picky, he can be the one to cook.”
“So, William, that’s what we call ‘lashing out,’” Sawyer says. “It’s what people do when they feel insecure about something. I don’t know about you, but I have a bad feeling about this ‘new-and-improved’ chicken.”
My brother puts on an exaggerated sad face, which makes William laugh hysterically. It saddens me that I have a traitor as a son.
Still, I can’t help but grin as I take the plate out into the dining room and place it on the table. Vaguely, I hear the murmur of male voices from the kitchen.
“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Sawyer asks. “You’re not your usual charming self.”
Adam doesn’t respond to what I assume is a sarcastic jab. Instead, he says, “That’s her.”
Are they talking about me?
They’re silent for a few seconds until Sawyer asks, “What?”
“That’s her,” Adam says.
Sawyer hesitates before he asks again, “Are you sure?”
“I told you. I’d know her when I saw her,” Adam says in a low, hushed voice that only stokes my curiosity.
Again, Sawyer falls silent. “Look, man, it’s not that I don’t believe you, but it’s a huge coincidence, isn’t it? I tell you to give up on your search and a few days later, you claim to have found the girl.”
The conversation’s getting intense enough that their voices are growing louder, making it easier for me to listen in on their conversation. But at the same time, their words don’t make any sense.
Who’s “the girl?” Who is “she?” Why is Adam looking for her? Does he think I’m her? But what does that even mean?
From what I can piece together, Sawyer was helping Adam find a girl, until he recently gave up on it. Surprising—my brother doesn’t give up easily; that’s why he was always broke while trying to build one business after another. So, Adam must have been looking for quite a while.
“I don’t know what to say to you,” Adam says. “I’m sure it’s her.”
Sawyer sighs. “I’ll admit it. I was only joking when I told you it couldn’t be my sister. Of course, that’s possible. But it’s very, very, very—I can’t stress this enough—very unlikely.”
“But possible,” Adam says, obviously not paying attention to the rest of whatever Sawyer said.
Meanwhile, I’m practically pressing my ear against the wall, now that Sawyer’s specifically mentioned me.
“Yes,” Sawyer says. “And honestly . . . If you’re sure and it’s really her . . . Contrary to what I said in your office the other day, you have my blessing, man. I can tell how much you like her. And you’re a good guy, even if I think your obsession with her is a little creepy.”
Seriously. What are they talking about? Sawyer’s talking as if he’s about to sell me off at a slave market.
“Guys, I can hear you,” I yell out.
Suddenly, it’s so quiet I could hear a pin drop.
“Hey,” Sawyer says when he finally emerges from the kitchen. His grin reminds me of a cartoon cat that’s hiding a bird in his mouth. His arm wraps around William’s little body as he ruffles his nephew’s dark hair.
“Hey.” I give him a sweet smile.
“Hi,” Adam says, wearing the same grin.
“Hi, Adam.” I stop myself from adding something about how I’m glad he’s found his tongue and he can talk now.
I pull out a chair and take a seat. While I grab a fork, in the most casual tone I can muster, I ask, “So, what was that all about? Sounded like an interesting discussion.”
Adam and Sawyer glance at each other. They appear uneasy.
Suspicious.
“Nah,” Sawyer says, waving a hand dismissively as he rests his other hand on. “Just . . . uh, some . . . work stuff.”
Adam nods. “It’s just this investigation Sawyer’s working on for me.”
“Trying to find a girl, huh?” I ask.
“Who isn’t?” Sawyer asks before he fakes a laugh. “Right, William?”
“Right,” William says, nodding sagely. He really looks like he knows what’s going on, even though that’s impossible, seeing as he’s only two.
As curious as I am to learn more, I can’t help but stop my interrogation for a second. William’s just too freaking cute.
Sawyer grins, looking smug.
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“He says ‘right’ to everything. You know that,” I say.
“What? Nah. You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, William?” Sawyer turns to look at William as he approaches the table. He shakes his head and mouths, “No.”
“No,” William says as his tiny fingers grab onto the waist of his pants and pulls on it.
“Oh, no. Give him to me,” I say, getting up while I let out a big exhale. “You guys sit down and start eating without me.”
“Anything wrong?” Adam asks. When he’s not being weird, he actually has quite a nice voice. Deep and velvety.
“No.” I give Adam a smile while I take William from Sawyer. “Someone just has a dirty diaper.”
As I excuse myself and bring William into his nursery to change, I hear Sawyer and Adam dropping their voices to speak conspiratorially.
Whatever they’re talking about, I can’t hear it. I wish I could put a glass against the wall and eavesdrop on them, but I can’t just ignore William.
After being a single mom for two years, it’s become a habit to drop everything whenever William needs me. At this point, I don’t even think twice anymore. After all, I’m all the little guy has.
He’s getting more and more finicky about wet and dirty diapers. Maybe it’s time for potty training.
Ah, parenthood. Just when I think I’ve got the hang of everything, the rules change again.
In any case, I have too many things going on in my life to pay any attention to anybody other than William.
Sure, Sawyer’s conversation with Adam sounded intriguing, and I’m really tempted to play detective.
But who’s got time for that? Not me.
Adam
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Sawyer again. We’re left alone at the dining table as Katie takes William away.
“Yeah,” he says unconvincingly. “I mean, Katie’s a grown-up. She doesn’t need my permission to do anything. In fact, if I tried to tell her not to do something, it usually just makes her want to do whatever it is even more.”
