though. I thank him, and he gives me a nod, and I’m out the door without a backward glance as I go in search of Neil’s truck.
Chapter 18
Doc
“Hey, man,” Seth says after I answer his call, sitting in my truck while I’m waiting on Astrid to get done with work. I had gone to the club and gave him details about what I discovered—that the website I had him looking into turned out to be the place Brian had been surveilling, that it was actually a business and not someone’s home. He didn’t get very far into his search before I had to leave to get Astrid by eight. But then she texted me and said she was going to be later. I was already almost here, so I said fuck it and just parked and started listening to my audiobook.
“I finally had a chance to dig into this place. Nothing yet on the website. I have a few programs running to get in without leaving a trace instead of just creating a log-in and paying the fee. But I did search all the police databases within the state to see if anyone has ever mentioned A Secret in any report, and let me tell you—that was a fucking pain in the dick. Errbody and their freaking brother’s got a damn secret. But with a few tweaks and some keywords included, I was able to narrow it down to one report in the local department made by a girl who is an exotic dancer—'cause, ya know, they don’t like to be called strippers anymore—at Astrid’s new job.” He pauses. “B-T-Dubs. Can we talk about the fact that both our sweet and innocent Quill sisters ended up working at a sex shop and a strip club? What’s up with that?”
I swipe a hand down my beard and look to the heavens. “Seth, focus” is all I say.
“Right. Ummm… da, da, da, exotic dancer, missing friend… Oh! That’s it. Okay, so the original report was filed a week and a half ago saying that this exotic dancer’s bestie-slash-coworker just up and disappeared one night. She didn’t show up for work at A Secret, with no notice, and she realized she hadn’t talked to her all day, which wasn’t abnormal, because they sleep during the day and work all night. This girl was gone without a trace. Left all her shit at work and never even came home.” I hear papers shuffling on the other end of the line before he continues.
“But then, plot twist! She calls her bestie alive and well in another state, and the next day, all her shit from her apartment was picked up in a moving van. Some big opportunity she couldn’t pass up and was just going to come back for her belongings later, which apparently she did. Just not the stuff at work,” he finishes, and I lean my head back against the seat, looking out the front windshield as a valet hops into a golf cart to ride back to the mansion after dropping off another luxury vehicle in the lot surrounding me.
Suddenly, there’s a knock on my driver-side window, and my head whips around, startled, because I hadn’t been able to see whoever it is approach, because I have my phone up to my left ear.
I find Astrid’s grinning face peeking in at me, her hands cupped around her eyes, trying to see in through the dark tint. She must’ve at least been able to see my sharp movement, because she giggles and says, “Boo!” and I chuckle, shaking my head as I push the button to lower the window.
I put Seth on speakerphone, because I know he’ll want to tell my girl hi. “Astrid just got out, Seth. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” I tell him.
“Sounds good, bro. Bro…. Bro! O-M-G, Doc, you realize when you marry Astrid, we’ll be married to sisters, so that’ll make us like… for real brothers then? Holy shit!” I shake my head, and Astrid’s eyes widen. “Hey, sis! Congrats on your first day at your first big-girl job! Proud of you, lady,” Seth tells her, and her face softens.
“Thanks, brother-in-love. Tell my sister I love her and that we’ll make plans to get together this coming week to catch up and so I can kiss the belly. This past one kind of got away from me,” she tells him, and her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink as her eyes meet mine, telling me she’s thinking