Page 19 of His Every Move

I knew I shouldn’t have taken those two vodka shots before I left my apartment to come here. Why did I need those? I saw the bottle on the counter, left there after the night before, and figured I could loosen up a bit, even though we hadn’t even crossed the lunch hour yet. I thought it wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like I planned on getting blackout drunk for the meeting. Just wanted something to help me relax a bit.

Fucking idiot.

I offered a smile, my brain working on overtime to push past the fog of pure vodka. I could lie to him. Dig my grave a little deeper. Maybe tell him it was a lucky guess? That he seemed like the kind of guy who’d have an artsy and cool sense of style.

“Well…”

He absent-mindedly scratched Lucky’s head. The pup was completely oblivious to the blunder I had made. What a lucky—hah—little creature. All he had to worry about was being cute, getting fed, and going on nice walks. He didn’t have an opportunity to stuff his paw directly in his mouth.

“I watched a little of your stream.” I didn’t want to lie to him. That wasn’t the kind of man I was. Yes, some of my actions crossed a few blurry moral lines, I could own that, but I always believed that the truth had to come before anything else. I wanted Eli to trust me wholeheartedly.

I was hired to help him, after all.

His face cracked with surprise. “Oh… you have? Really?”

To my surprise, his cheeks turned a rosy pink color. Like he was embarrassed by the revelation. Huh. I was expecting a different kind of reaction.

“I have.” I straightened up. Lucky lay down at my feet. “Can’t say I wasn’t tempted after I found out. But then, well, I figured I should research. Maybe keep an eye on the chat in case that Nomad character appeared.”

He gave me a flirty little smirk. Fuck. The vodka burning through my veins made me want to lean in, to taste those lips on mine. His eyes, blue as a crystal clear lake, made me want to dive in headfirst. “So you were just there for the chat?”

“Well, it was hard to ignore everything else happening on the screen.”

“Hard, huh?”

That got a genuine laugh out of me. It helped me clear away the rush of anxiety that had flooded through me only minutes before. “Nice one.”

“Sorry, I had to.”

This was nice. This immediate and easy connection we were building between us. It felt like we had already known each other before ever meeting in person.

And in some ways, I guess we had.

Eli chewed his bottom lip, turning the edges pink around his perfectly white teeth. “Actually, is it weird that I’m kind of relieved you’ve watched my stream? There’s so much bullshit that comes along with me telling people about my career. So much judgment and stupid comments. It’s nice that you, you know, aren’t an asshole about it.”

“Of course not. People that judge you aren’t worth your time or energy. Chances are they’re projecting anyway. They’re probably doing something in their life that makes them feel bad about themselves, so they want to turn that around and make someone else feel the same. It’s fucked.”

“You’re so right.” Eli leaned back, the smile on his face bright enough to light up the night sky. His golden curls caught the sunlight, making him appear like some kind of Greek god.

I had to reel myself in. This wasn’t a date. I shouldn’t have been checking out my client and thinking about how damnkissablehis lips were. This was a transactional relationship. Eli had come to me because I provided a service, full stop. I was letting my fantasies (and the vodka shots) drive my thoughts.

“Speaking of my stream, Nomad sent me a DM about an hour after that text. And, well, it wasn’t great. They sent me a message saying that I didn’t need to hire someone to find them, that it was a waste of time because we were destined to be together, no matter who’s hunting down who.”

Seeing the fear cross his expression filled me with a flash of red-hot anger, striking my protective instincts like a match against flint. “So they clearly know you’re seeking help, which is… concerning. That was fast. Did you tell anyone else you met with me?”

Eli shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I guess I told Fran—she’s my roommate—but she’s also sixty-one years old and the kindest soul walking this earth. I’m a hundred percent positive she has nothing to do with this.”

As sure as Eli sounded and as unlikely as it appeared, I still had to investigate every possibility. “Maybe she mentioned it to someone else? A neighbor? A mailman? Delivery guy?”

“I don’t know, I guess I can ask.”

“Did you write it down in a calendar somewhere? Maybe made a note on your phone?”

Eli shook his head and scoffed. “I’m not that organized with my life. Why?”

“Maybe this Nomad person has a digital tracker on you. They could have hacked into your accounts somehow. I want you to change all your passwords when you get home. Just in case.”

Eli frowned, his lips pursing slightly as he considered my suggestion. “Shit, you think?”

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