Page 9 of Save Me

The relief doesn’t last long.

Why am I feeling so undone in this man’s presence?

“Is that so?”

“Another question,” I say.

“Answers don’t come easily.” There’s something cryptic in the tone of his voice.

I’m over this cat-and-mouse game he thinks we’re playing. I’m not here on a social call.

“Mr. Kim, I should apologize for dropping in on you like this and asking questions I’m sure you weren’t prepared for.”

He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

“But I’m here on an important matter that involves Mr. Blackmon. He’s an even more difficult man to get a hold of than you are.”

“You’ve tried to contact him?” he asks in a tone that somewhat startles me.

Something I just said set off an alarm in him. He doesn’t even bother hiding it.

I raise my chin. “Yes.”

His lips pinch.

“As his business partner—”

“Former business partner,” Mr. Kim interjects.

“As his former business partner, I would like to ask some questions about your business relationship.”

“Such as?”

“How long were you business partners?”

“Long enough.”

I grind my teeth together at his evasive answer.

“Was there a particular reason your business relationship ended?”

“Yes.”

I pause, waiting for him to elaborate. He’s smart enough not to give more than what I asked. I know better than to ask open-ended questions. I’m feeling thrown off.

“Can you elaborate on that answer?”

His lips spread again, drawing my attention to them. “No, I don’t think I will.”

Disappointment fills the pit of my stomach. This meeting is turning into another dead end.

And I’m running out of leads.

“I’m sure, more than anyone, Kennedy, that you’re familiar with non-disclosure agreements.”

A frown touches my lips. More than anyone. He says it as if he knows who I am beyond this first meeting.

Of course, he probably is familiar with every member of his exclusive nightclub. But something in his tone …

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