Page 93 of The Prodigy

Gray nodded. “Let’s take our seats.”

That’s when I realized somebody was missing.

“I thought you were bringing your wife.”

“So did I.” He laughed. “At the last second, she had to rush off to a PTA meeting.”

“Well, make sure you tell her I asked about her.” I looked over at Malika. She was staring at the menu, but her eyes weren’t focused. She looked like she was in a trance.

“You good?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Just trying to figure out what I want.”

I wasn’t buying it, but it wasn’t the time to get into it. Instead, me and Gray talked shop—after the wine came, of course—and Malika just stared into space or around the room. I tried to include her in the conversation a few times, but she wasn’t with it. She only woke up when dessert came.

“So, Malika. What’s it like being a brand new member of the Windermere family?”

She looked up at Gray and took a deep breath. “It’s fine. Jakari is…um…he’s a good husband to me.”

I should have been happy to hear those words, but the way she said them, and her energy—everything was off.

Gray smiled at me. “Treat this one right, Jakari. I bet could have any guy she wanted. You better stay on your toes.”

“No doubt.” I looked at Mal again and could tell she was uncomfortable.

Lowering my voice, I leaned in toward Gray. “So you’re tight with the DA, right? Golf buddies and shit?”

He snickered. “Pretty much.”

“Keep him off our back, man. It ain’t good business.”

“Trust me, I know.” He drained his wine glass. “It seems like those earlier incidents were just flukes. Things are calmer now. Let’s try to keep it that way, because this,” he gestured between the two of us, “only works if we’re both doing our part.”

“Of course.” Next to me, Malika was inhaling her piece of cheesecake. “We’re on the same page.”

“Great. Glad to hear it.”

Malika was just as quiet in the car. I was worried, now, because she hadn’t acted like this sense the night we met. She was terrified then, but she had a reason. Tonight, though? I couldn’t think of a single reason for how she was acting.

“What’s up with you?” I finally said.

“What do you mean?”

“Your vibe been weird all night.” I pulled out of the parking lot. “Is it something I need to know?”

“Something like what?”

“You know what I mean. Is there something I need to know? Yes, or no?”

“No. I’m just tired, I guess.”

I drove a few miles down the road. No radio. Just thick silence.

“Listen. I don’t like secrets. For me, it’s like lying in my face.”

“I hear you.” She seemed agitated. “I told you, nothing’s wrong.”

“Cool.”

I said that, but I wasn’t stupid.

Something was up.

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