Page 21 of Loki
I got the feeling Brian Hamm wasn’t the typical man with money. He might straddle the line of what was considered right and wrong, just like me.
“The name’s Loki by the way. Mr. Ledet is my father, and he’s been dead and gone for a while. Exactly who are you looking for?”
“Her name is Dominique Honoré. She’s close friends with my wife.”
I pulled my feet from my desk as an urgency moved through me. I leaned forward, closing my eyes.
No, it can’t be her.
“Is she from here?” I asked, hoping he’d say no. “Or was she just chasing the lead on this story?”
Reggie’s little sister’s name was Dominique, but we called her Nikki. There’s no way it can be her. That would be too much of a coincidence.
“I think so. All she told my wife was that she had to go home. She was chasing a lead on a very dangerous story. And for them not to worry unless they hadn’t heard from her in a week. It’s been almost two.”
“I’m not sure what I can do other than ask around…”
“I think I might know what story she’s chasing,” he said, interrupting me before I could finish my statement. “From what little information I could gather from my wife, I think Nikki, we call her Nikki, may have been chasing a story concerning a certain senator. He’s involved in some pretty shady shit, has been for a long time, and law enforcement has been turning a blind eye to it for a while.”
Fuck it might be her.
Reggie Honoré was my best friend when we were younger, and Nikki was his little sister who had a crush on me. The feelings were definitely mutual even though they couldn’t go anywhere.
After 9/11 Reggie and I decided to enter the military like a lot of people during that time. We became Army Rangers a part of the same unit. And we both thrived. We thought we had really made something of ourselves. Until the reality of war ripped it all away changing our lives forever.
While deployed, Reggie made me promise if he didn’t make it home, I’d look after his little sister. He didn’t make it home. But my demons took over my life, and I didn’t live up to my promise to him. The last time I saw Nikki was at their grandmother’s funeral.
“The auction?” I asked, my heart dropping to my feet.
He was silent for a minute. “You’ve heard of it?”
“I have.”
Even though the man’s name resonated with me, and I trusted my brother explicitly, I chose to stay silent about my source of information regarding the auction. And I wouldn’t interrogate him on how he came to be aware of it.
“I don’t think the participants are willing.” He sighed. “But I don’t have any evidence to back that up. Just rumors. Anyway, it’s something Dominique would definitely try to uncover. She’s always looking for the next big story regardless of the danger it’ll put her in.”
Well, this may have gotten her caught up in some shit she can’t get out of.
“Alright, let me bring this to my guys and I’ll get back to you, today.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ledet.”
“Loki,” I called out.
He chuckled. “Right. Thank you, Loki. I’ll be waiting to hear from you,” he said before ending the call.
I placed the phone on top of the desk and blew out a heavy breath. I opened the bottom drawer of my desk and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. I could almost taste the brown liquor on my tongue. The burn as it made its way down my throat. I craved it all. Just one drink to silence the demons.
I sat the unopened bottle on my desk. I didn’t know how many times I’d pulled it out, ready to throw away everything I’d built for one more taste. Just to feel the burn one last time.
As soon as I tried to twist off the cap, a knock sounded at the door. “Shit!”
I made sure the bottle was closed before shoving it back inside the desk drawer.
“Come in!” I shouted as I closed the drawer.
The door opened and New York poked his head in. “There’s breaking news.”
