out what happened to an old friend. My family has their opinions about my life and I have mine."
"And you don't care what they think?"
"Not particularly," Knox said with a smile. "They couldn't convince me when I was just a kid that I was a loser, so now that I'm a grown man I doubt that anything they say is going to sway me. I'm not that weak in my convictions."
"I'm not either."
"Okay, I was just making an observation."
Knox was always doing shit like this. Raising a question, getting everyone all riled up, and then stepping back like it was no big deal.
The thing was...no one was riled up but Ryan which meant that Knox had hit a nerve.
Am I weak in my convictions? Is that why I won't go back? Because I could be talked out of the decisions I've made?
Fuck no. I just don't want to go because my parents are a pain in the ass.
"Your observations suck," Ryan replied bluntly. "Keep them to yourself."
Knox shoved a fry in his smiling mouth. "Happy to."
Chris wagged a finger at Knox. "Just ignore him. He likes to act like he's so wise and all but he doesn't know shit."
That's exactly what Ryan was going to do. Knox couldn't possibly understand the pressure that he was under when he was around his family. They were never going to give up and let him live his life.
But he did want to know what happened to Brad. Could he risk a trip back home to find the answers? Did he dare delve into a past that was best left behind?
Then there was Mariah. She'd be there.
She was the one person he didn't think he could face.
4
O'Hare Airport hadn't changed since the last time Ryan had flown in - just as big and perhaps even busier. He grabbed a cab to his apartment while tapping out a text to Logan to let him know that he'd arrived.
After talking with the guys at lunch, there hadn't been much left for Ryan to mull over. He was going to take the case. He wanted to know what had happened to Brad all those years ago, and he was in the perfect position to do the investigation. He knew the players and - for the most part - he had their trust.
As for Mariah, he was sure he could avoid her. He'd see her at the party but the rest of the time he'd give her a wide berth. She'd been at the bar the night that Brad had disappeared but he probably didn't even need to talk to her. He'd been with her the entire evening so her recollection was his recollection. At least that's what he was telling himself.
Chicago traffic was heavy but eventually the cab pulled up in front of his apartment building located in Lincoln Park. He'd had a hard time explaining to his firm's administrative assistant that he didn't need a hotel booked for the trip. He already had a place to stay. His parents owned the building and they'd gifted him the apartment when he'd graduated from college. They'd said they always wanted him to have a home in Chicago no matter what happened in his life. He'd taken it as they didn't think he could make a living and pay for a place to live on a cop's salary. But it did come in handy from time to time.
When he came to visit, he didn't have to stay in his parents' home or impose on his sister and brother-in-law. He could decompress in his own place and even leave his socks on the floor if he wanted to. He couldn't do that living with Jack and Patricia. They liked their home to look like no one actually lived there.
He pushed his key into the apartment door but it didn't click, simply swinging open. He could hear the sound of music and some familiar off-key singing.
Liza, his sister. What was she doing here?
"You're lucky I don't have a gun. I might have shot you."
She had his refrigerator and kitchen cabinets wide open; brown grocery bags were spread out over the marble countertops. When she saw him, she grinned and ran straight for him, wrapping him in a big hug.
"It's so good to see you," she squealed, pressing a kiss to his cheek and hugging him again. "I was hoping to have all of this done before you got here. Your flight must have made good time. And no, I don't think