Dash, p.16
Dash, page 16
“Does Ax, I mean Ruby, know? Does he know about his biological father?” Nick asked.
“He knows. Nando said he had a right to know. We told him when he was fourteen. I brought it up when Cherie went missing, but he said he was worried it was something worse than revenge. I know he’s right.
“Part of me knows that Geo would never do something like that without getting credit for it, but it’s the only hope I have, the only lead I have. I wanted to go back to Honduras to look, but Nando said he wouldn’t let me go alone. If something happened to both of us, there would be no one left for Diego.”
She closed her eyes, and there was defeat and desperation in her posture.
“I’m not telling you that you should go to Honduras, but Ax would take care of Diego. He’d always have family.”
“If we don’t find Cherie by the time Diego is eighteen, I’ll go back. I’ll make sure she’s not there as quietly as I can. We hired a private detective and he hired someone who was supposed to look in Honduras, but the man took our money and disappeared.”
Nick had an idea, but he didn’t want to give Cella any hope.
“Do you have a picture of Cherie?”
Cella smiled and nodded. She pulled a card from stack in her purse and handed it to Nick. It was a small, business-card-size photograph. The girl in the photo was stunning, her smile happy and radiant. Along the bottom of the picture were stats on Cherie—her age, the date of her disappearance, a phone number to call and an offer of a reward for information that brought her home. Nick stuffed it into his wallet.
“This is what you do? You canvas the city with these?”
“When I have time, while Nando’s at work and Diego’s at school.”
“Do you have a digital version you can send me?”
Cella nodded and pulled out her phone. Nick started forming the email as she searched through her photos. By the time he got the picture, he attached it to the email and sent it to Max.
“Could you… Could you try to get Ax to give us another chance? To come to dinner again?”
“Cella—”
“I’m only asking you to try. I lost two children three years ago. It’s just that one of them chose to leave and one of them didn’t. I miss my son just as much as I miss my daughter.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Nick promised.
“I’ll let you get to your shopping. I just…”
“I understand,” Nick said as he stood.
He did understand. He felt the same way with Mase. He had to keep trying any way he could to get Dad and Mase to make up before anything else happened to their father. If only he could find a way to do that without risking his own relationship with Mase.
Cella stood and wrapped her arms around Nick. She gave him a tight hug before pulling back. Reaching up, she patted his cheek.
“Thank you. I know you can’t force him but thank you for trying.”
With one last pat to his cheek, she released him and turned to leave. Nick sat back down for a few moments, drinking his coffee, before his phone rang. He left the shop as he answered.
“Nickel Arcade,” Nick answered.
There was silence on the other end of the line before Max laughed. Nick smiled as he pulled open the door to the mall and entered. It was close to ten, so most of the stores would be opening soon.
“I never thought I’d hear you joke about that nickname,” Max said.
“I guess you’re rubbing off on me with your Sin City.”
“Nick, this request you sent, it could take me days.”
“I don’t care what it takes. It’s a personal request.”
“I get that, but three years? Most places don’t have security footage that old unless a crime was committed, and even then, they could take it off their servers.”
“Please, just check airports as far back as you can—more than three years if it’s available.”
Nick cleared his throat. He was embarrassed that Max had surely heard the desperation in his voice. The thought of Nick’s mom going to Honduras sent a chill down his spine.
“I’ll check what I can. I’ll try to just keep the search going and let you know what I find.”
“Thanks.” Nick almost said Max instead of Sin, but stopped himself in time. “You’re a great friend, Sin, and I’m so glad you’re the one watching our backs.”
“I… Thanks, Nick.”
“Later,” Nick said.
He quickly disconnected the call to cover his and Max’s embarrassment. Nick had always liked Max, always protected him, but mostly because Bray had. They hadn’t exactly been close.
Nick made his way through some shops, buying a few outfits for Ramona, including a couple of bras, panties and shoes. He’d never picked out women’s underwear, so he’d asked for help. The girl who helped him had been kind but had also assumed the undergarments were for him. He’d ended up buying Ramona bras that would bring out his blue eyes.
Nick chuckled as he left the mall. He knew some guys were into that. He even had a straight friend who liked to wear women’s underwear. It was just funny that the woman had assumed that, rather than him buying it for his girlfriend. As he trekked back to the apartment, Nick called his mom.
“Nick, is everything okay? How’s Ramona?”
“I haven’t seen her today. I just ran out to get her some actual clothes.”
“What does that mean? Did she not arrive…clothed?”
“She had a dress on, but basically that was it.”
“I just can’t wrap my head around this. I have a flight for this afternoon. I wanted to fly up earlier, but—”
“Mom,” Nick interrupted, “relax. I’m so grateful you’re willing to do this.”
“Like there’s any other option,” she scoffed.
“Just remember not to talk about Ramona or why you’re coming to San Francisco. These aren’t people who like you discussing their business. They’re very dangerous.”
His mother sighed in exasperation. His concern was real, though. His mother was a social butterfly. She made new friends everywhere she went. Bray was the most like her—guileless, naïve, optimistic and yet stubborn as hell when he needed to be.
“I won’t speak a word. I haven’t discussed it with anyone but Gil…and Bray…and Mase, but that’s it. I can keep a secret. Believe me.”
There was something about the way she said it that had Nick wondering if that applied to him. With a shake of his head, he let the thought go. His mother was also fiercely loyal and true—another trait she’d passed on to Bray.
“Send your itinerary to that secure email address I sent you. It will either be me or Jett who picks you up at the airport.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Love you,” she said as she disconnected the call.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ax
Ax had left his office door open to keep an ear out for Nick’s return. Wade and Sam had given him the go-ahead to tell Ramona she was safe and break the news about her mother.
Ax wondered if it would be better for Nick’s mom to break the news when she arrived. He shook his head. It might be better for Ramona, but it wasn’t fair to Nick’s mom.
When he heard Nick’s voice, Ax came out of his office. Nick was talking to Jett as he moved through the main room of the penthouse.
“What the hell did you buy?” Jett asked.
“Women need more stuff than men do. They need options. I wasn’t just going to buy her one thing.”
Jett threw up his arms and shook his head in bewilderment. Nick gave Ax a smile but continued through the condo toward Ramona’s room. Ax followed and quietly updated him as they approached Ramona’s door. Ax knocked, since Nick’s hands were full.
“Hey, Squirt,” Nick said through the door, “is that dress getting uncomfortable yet?”
Ramona answered the door much more quickly to Nick than she had to Ax, but he couldn’t blame her. She pulled open the door with a smirk on her face, but her eyes went wide when she took in all the packages Nick carried.
Ax followed Nick into her room when she opened the door all the way. Nick laid all the packages on her bed then turned to give Ax a look of commiseration.
“I need to talk to you, Ramona,” Ax said.
She hesitated before making eye contact with him, but her chin was high when she did.
“I was checking on your mother. The name you gave me.” Ax cleared his throat at the look of hope in her eyes he was about to dash.
“I’m so sorry, Squirt,” Nick said when Ax found he couldn’t tell the girl her mom was dead. “There’s a police report that your mom was killed.”
The hope was snuffed out and replaced with sheer anguish. That was what his mother’s eyes looked like when she talked about Cherie. It was why Ax couldn’t bear to watch.
The fight was totally gone from Ramona. She looked at Ax after a moment, suspicion in her gaze. He’d figured she might doubt him, but he didn’t want to have to show her the photo Max had sent.
“We have something else to explain,” Ax said. “Please, sit down.”
“I’ll stand.”
“She’s not going to believe this part, either,” Nick sighed.
“I was thinking I’d have your…Vivian tell her, but I didn’t want to put that on her.”
“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Ramona yelled. “You’re just trying to get me to trust you, but I don’t. You’re lying.”
Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks as she panted from her outburst. Nick moved away from Ramona to give her space. He backed all the way up until he stood next to Ax. When their eyes met, Ax saw the sympathy he felt reflected in Nick’s gaze. Ax gave him a smile to try to reassure him.
“You two are together, aren’t you?” Ramona asked.
Ax turned and looked at her. She was swiping her knuckles under her eyes and looking at them with surprise. Ax wrapped his arm around Nick and nodded. Nick looked up at him in shock, but Ax was going with his instincts. She’d trusted Nick because he was gay. Maybe she’d be more willing to believe what they said.
“If we’re being honest here,” Ax said, “I don’t want to have sex with children.”
“Then why buy me?” She asked.
“I didn’t. Technically you were a gift, because Campbell wants to do business with my boss.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?”
“We didn’t know if you were working with Campbell,” Nick said.
“I would never do anything for him willingly,” she said.
“We had to be sure,” Ax said. “Anything you know about how they run that ‘vineyard’ would be helpful to us.”
“Can you get the other girls out?”
“I can’t guarantee you anything like that. If we go in and take girls right now, they’d just move and they’d know it was us. We need to dismantle the whole operation,” Ax explained.
“But those girls… Some were younger than me.”
“And if we go get them, what about the hundreds or thousands of other girls they’ll take after them who we won’t be able to find out about because we’ll be made? It’s a horrible choice with no real winners, but it’s a choice we have to make every day.”
Ramona looked at the floor but nodded. “I’ll help any way I can,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her middle.
Nick was right—she needed someone to talk to, someone to comfort her. None of the guys there were the ones to do it, either. Hopefully Vivian was as maternal as his mom was. Ramona could probably use a mother hen hovering over her right now.
“We’ll give you some space,” Ax said. “Let us know if there’s anything you need.”
Ramona didn’t respond in any way except to collapse onto the mattress as he and Nick slipped out of the room.
“We’re together now?” Nick whispered as Ax closed Ramona’s door.
“I didn’t say we were engaged or anything.”
Why were Ax’s cheeks burning? And why did Nick thinking it was all some joke make him want to ask what the hell was so funny?
“Are you saying you don’t want me, Nickel?”
“I didn’t say that. You know I want you. I just didn’t know we were an item.”
Ax shrugged.
“You wanna be my boyfriend, Ruby?” Nick teased.
“When did you get so annoying?”
Nick laughed in response.
“Are you seeing anyone else?” Ax asked.
“Like who, Jett?” Nick laughed again.
“I mean, like in SoCal,” Ax said.
Nick’s smile dropped from his face as he assessed Ax. Ax felt like a bug under a microscope. He wasn’t even sure what he was asking
, but the thought of Nick with someone else made his insides burn. Why did Nick find it so amusing?
“I wouldn’t be sleeping with you if I was seeing someone,” Nick said.
“What about fuck buddies?”
“You’re my only fuck buddy.” Nick raised an eyebrow at Ax, as if willing him to disagree with the term.
“We’re not fuck buddies. My mom is practically planning our wedding,” Ax said as he headed for his office.
“Wait. Hold up. You can’t say something like that and walk away.” Nick was hot on his tail when he entered his office.
“Say what?” Ax asked as he plopped down in his office chair.
“You don’t blame me for your mom’s delusions, do you? I did that to spare her feelings.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me to have any other fuck buddies?” Nick smirked.
Ax licked his lips as he thought about his response. He sure as hell didn’t like the idea of Nick screwing anyone else while he was with him. With me? When did I start using those terms?
He looked at Nick, who had his hands on his hips as he waited for Ax to answer. If Ax gave his typical response, that he didn’t care, Nick was just stubborn enough to go find someone else to fuck. That thought didn’t sit right with Ax.
“Yes,” he finally ground out.
“So, you want to be exclusive fuck buddies?”
Ax growled and pulled at his hair.
Nick laughed. “I’m just clarifying where we stand.”
“What is it you want? Do you want to be boyfriends?”
“I wouldn’t mind going out on a date to see if we could be compatible outside the bedroom.”
Ax bit back his automatic response that he didn’t have time to date. It was what he’d told every other damn person he’d slept with over the last three years, but he couldn’t really believe Nick was admitting he actually liked him.
They were also in a unique situation where Ax probably could make time for him and still do everything he needed to do, especially if Max could give him some direction.
“I can’t exactly go parading around San Francisco with you after accepting Ramona. When we get back to Richmond, we could go out and grab something to eat,” Ax said.
“You sweep me right off my feet.” Nick smiled. “We’ll see if I still like your ass when we get back to Virginia.”
“Oh, you’ll still like my ass. It’s the rest of me you might not like.”
Nick shook his head but laughed. “I’m heading out to pick up my mom, unless you think it’d be better if Jett did.”
“That’s fine,” Ax said. “Take the second car Wade had delivered, so there’s no chance of our friend out front seeing you.”
“Ten-four. Max will also be keeping an eye out.”
“Just…be careful.”
“Aw”—Nick batted his stupidly adorable eyelashes—“are you worried about me?”
“I’m worried about your mom, asshole. You should be able to take care of yourself. Now get outta here.”
He threw a pen at Nick, who easily dodged it and hustled out of the door. Ax leaned back in his chair. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was smiling and didn’t feel quite so weighed down.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nick
“Nick.”
Nick turned to see his mom approaching the baggage claim. He greeted her with a hug. He’d had his mom fly into San Jose, as it was the farthest airport from the city and therefore the least likely that Campbell or any of his associates might use.
“How many bags are we looking for?” he asked.
“One. I didn’t know how long I’d be staying, but it’s San Francisco. Anything I didn’t bring, I can find here.”
Nick shook his head at his mother. “You can’t go out and about. If you need something, I’ll get it for you. I’m not sure how much you’ll leave the condo where we’re staying.”
“Okay.” She shrugged as they made our way out of the airport. “So,” she said when he was pulling out of the parking structure.
“So?”
“So tell me about this smile you’re sporting? I haven’t seen it in a while.”
Nick rolled his eyes but noticed when he looked in the rearview mirror that he was still smiling. Ax wanted to see where this went. It could end up going exactly nowhere, but it could also go somewhere.
“Oh-ho,” she said. “Who is he? Do I get to meet him?”
“Who said it was a guy?”
“I did, and I’m right.”
He’d eventually give in to her antics and tell her, but it was also fun to tease her for a while. And when his mom started car dancing to the song on the radio, he turned the volume of the music up rather than get embarrassed.
Ever since Mase had started responding to her emails, she’d become so happy. Mase had been gone for so long that Nick had forgotten how much fun his mom could be. She’d been loving but much more subdued when she’d lost touch with one of her children.
Nick had many memories of his carefree, charismatic mother, but they’d been lost somewhere on the edge of his consciousness until now.
Dad blamed himself for Mase’s departure. They’d fought when mom had been out of town, probably visiting family. Nick couldn’t remember. He did remember how angry he’d been at Mase, how abandoned he’d felt. He’d never stopped to think about how his mom had been affected.
In his selfish nine-year-old mind, he’d only considered things from his perspective. And a few years later, he’d been angry at his mom for further ripping their family apart by leaving his father. Now that he saw the difference in her, he realized how much it had bothered her and how hard it must have been, especially after what he’d seen of Ax’s family.
