Page 58 of Taken By Him

He looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “No. I’m fine. Let’s just get you something to eat.” He heads toward a booth in the other corner of the restaurant at the windows.

I stand frozen staring at DeGrazio. Considering all the times I had to sneak around behind my father’s back trying to get close to my sister when I was grounded from her, you’d think I’d be better at this.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I blurt out. Tommy stops at the booth and turns to look at me. Two other people also look up from their food to see what lunatic just made such an announcement.

“Okay, then go.” Tommy gestures toward the back of the diner.

“Right,” I say and hurry away. Thanks to my utter failure at being casual, I can feel his stare on my back as I make my way to the restrooms. As I pass Mr. DeGrazio’s table, I catch his eye and jerk my head toward the restrooms. His gaze darts away from me toward Tommy, and he stays planted.

Once I get inside the two-stall restroom, I wait. Hopefully, Tommy lost interest when I was out of sight and is sitting at our booth.

The door opens and Mr. DeGrazio peeks his head in.

“What are you doing?” he asks in loud whisper.

I grab hold of his arm and tug him inside.

“That’s one of Dominik Staszek’s guys out there.” He points to the door.

“I know.” I nod. “Just be fast, and I’ll get back out there before he gets all nosey. So, what did you find?”

He frowns. “I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer my call.” He pulls out an envelope and shoves it at me. “Here’s what you need to know, do whatever you want to do with it. I’m done. Like I told him, I’m not looking into anything else. And I won’t take any more money from you. But this—” He points to the envelope. “Is worth what you’ve paid so far.”

“Is this everything you already told Dominik?” I press before he has a chance to run off.

“There’s more here than I remembered when I was talking him.” He shrugs. “Helps to talk to a man when he’s sober if you want all the information. But I’m done, Kasia. No more.” He smacks his hands together, washing himself of me.

“I got it.” I look down at the thick envelope. “Thank you.” My words are said to an empty room. He’s gone.

I straighten out the prongs of the envelope and open the top. Pictures, reports, and handwritten notes are haphazardly stuffed inside. I pull out the pictures, flipping through them quickly. Accident scene pictures — I’ve seen most of these already. I skip the ones with my sister and mother still inside. The police reports don’t have much information in them that I don’t already have memorized.

His notes though, these are what I want. I quickly read over the scribbles. His handwriting changes several times. I can tell exactly when he’d been drinking and when he’d been sober.

“Kasia!” Tommy knocks on the door. “Kasia, are you okay?”

“Just washing my hands!” I yell back and keep sweeping my eyes over the notes.

By the time I’m done reading, I’m grateful for the toilet being so close. I run inside an empty stall and vomit. Even the bitter taste left behind once my stomach is completely emptied is better than the sickness inside my soul.

The door to the room bursts open.

“Kasia.” Tommy’s behind me. “Kasia,” he lowers his voice as I sink to the floor of the bathroom, the damning papers clutched to my chest. He squats next to me. “We’re going home.”

I tighten my hold on the papers when he tries to take them away from me and he gives up.

“Can you walk or am I carrying you?” he asks, and I can tell he’d rather not touch me. Carrying the boss’s wife might not give him any positive points with Dominik.

My mind blanks, and I switch to autopilot. Standing up, I turn sideways and move around him out of the stall. The toilet flushes as I walk through the door back into the diner. A waitress stands at our table, pouring coffee into a cup.

“We’re not staying,” Tommy says to her with a hard tone. I don’t wait to hear her response; I walk out the front door, down the street to where Tommy parked the SUV.

“What happened, Kasia?” he asks as he straps me into my seat. I give a little shake of my head. I can’t make my mouth work yet.

My door slams, then he’s in the car. Once we’re on the road, he pulls out his phone and makes a call.

If everything I read is right... No, I can’t think of it. My stomach swirls again, just thinking it.

“I don’t know. Just tell him to get home.” Tommy’s yelling into his phone.

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