Page 43 of His Every Move

His cheeks flushed a bright strawberry pink. “I need to go through them and clean it up a bit. Honestly, it’s mostly just a lot of dick pics.”

I waved off his concern. “No judgment here. Those pictures may actually be helpful. Not that I’m in the field of collecting dick pics, but let’s say he took one of them near a window which allows me to see the building next door to help and locate him. Or maybe he caught something else in the background that could help.”

“Hmm, true. I guess I’m just always so focused on the dick I forget there’s more to the picture.”

That got a laugh out of me. “Trust me, I get it.”

He cocked his head, smiled. He was a good guy. I could see why he and Eli clicked so well. Made me glad that Eli had someone who cared about him in his corner. This world could be ruthless and bloodthirsty. Going at it alone made things so much more difficult, but having a good friend by your side was like donning an invisible layer of plot armor. Felt like nothing could touch you.

I envied that. Growing up, I had felt very isolated. I was bullied relentlessly as a kid for a lisp that I grew out of and for body hair that sprouted earlier than other boys. So not only did I have to deal with bullshit at school and around the playground, but I also had to deal with it when I got home, and my mom was finishing off a handle of vodka before dinner while my dad was gambling away all our money at the casino, only to get home later and fight loud enough that the police were called to our house.

Escaping to a friend’s house—to Michael’s house—was the only thing that had helped me keep my sanity.

Zack glanced at his watch. He sighed and stretched his arms over his head, a fresh-looking hummingbird tattoo on his forearm catching my eye. “Nice tattoo. Where’d you get it done? I’m thinking of getting one myself.”

“Thanks. It was at a place called Garden of Adam Tattoos.”

“I have to look them up. I’m thinking of getting one on my thigh. Not sure what I want yet.”

“If you go, ask for Gina Luna. She’s the artist that did mine. Fucking incredible line work.” Zack reached for his book bag. “I didn’t realize how quick time was passing. I’ve got to meet up with a study group soon.”

“Go for it,” I said. “I think you’ve given me a good amount to chew on so far.”

“I just hope I can help somehow.”

“I think what you’ve given me already has. Keep being a good friend to Eli, that’s what he needs now.”

“I will. And keep being a great detective.” Zack gave me a wink before standing up.

“Send me the messages when you get a chance,” I reminded him as I also stood.

“I will.” Zack shook my hand and took me into a hug before he left, winding around the busy tables and out into the even busier streets.

I walked over to the counter and checked out the menu. A coffee sounded good. So did a matcha. But a vodka tonic sounded even better. It’d help cure the headache and help me think a little clearer. Just one.

I left the coffee shop and looked around. There were bars galore here in Brooklyn, but I wanted to go to one closer to home. I walked Lucky before I left, so he should be good for a while, but I still wanted to be close so I could just walk home after my drink.

I went toward the subway station, heading down the steps, past the cluster of tourists trying to figure out how to pay the fare with their phones.

“You can just tap it,” I said to them. “Like this.”

The apparent matriarch of the group thanked me as if I had given her the answer to life itself. She herded her brood through the turnstiles, the dad busy with an important-sounding phone call.

I got to the platform just as my train screeched to a halt. I picked a relatively empty train car and sat down on the hard orange seat. Zack had given me some solid information about this Damon character. Now, I just needed those messages so I could figure out if there were any other leads tucked away inside the horny sexts. The train sped through the underground tunnels of the concrete jungle. I started to search for Damon’s online presence, using the screen name Zack had given me as a jumping-off point.

His adult-oriented pages ranked first. I decided not to click them since the old lady sitting next to me had wandering eyes and would likely pass out if I opened up the wrong video. I clicked on a blog link instead, the same username being used to post what appeared to be benign product recommendations.

The train stopped at a station. The momentum pushed the older woman against me. She mumbled an apology and stood to exit.

Eli lived only a couple blocks away from here. My stop wasn’t for another six or so minutes…

I followed the woman out and up the stairs, exiting the station.

The sounds of the city enveloped me—cars honking, people chatting, a baby screeching. I walked down the street, past a busy bakery, the smell of fresh baked cookies drifting out of the dark blue door.

I walked as if on autopilot mode. My feet carried me past a corner store, turning, walking down a quieter street, toward Eli’s apartment building.

I rationalized it by considering this part of the investigation. I wanted to circle the building, make sure there weren’t any areas someone could easily break in through. Eli’s apartment windows looked out to the street, so I could also possibly get a glance inside. I had already deleted the security camera app, so I wasn’t tempted to open that.

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