Chapter 49
Elijah took a key off his wall and led Nate outside, climbing into the car and gesturing for Nate to follow.
The drive passed mostly in silence. Nate couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut-the alcohol was still buzzing in his blood, making him feel warm and restless. Elijah listened patiently to his rambling, nodding every now and then as they drove through the quiet streets.
They pulled into Nate’s parking lot a few minutes later, and Elijah cut the engine with a sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, looking over at him with serious eyes. “Not for bringing you here-for what happened in the bar.”
Nate swallowed, unable to meet his gaze.
“I should have gotten out of there sooner,” he muttered.
Elijah shook his head. “You were trying to be nice. I know that.”
Nate scoffed. “Trying to be professional, you mean.”
Elijah’s smile was small. “Same thing.”
The silence that followed was long and heavy. Nate finally broke it, reaching for the door handle.
“Thanks for the ride,” he said gruffly.
“Anytime.” Elijah’s smile turned mischievous. “Maybe next time, we can pick up where we left off.”
Nate glared, but there was something in the words that made his chest tighten. Something in Elijah’s eyes that made him want to lean closer.
“I doubt it,” he muttered finally, pushing out of the car.
As he slammed the door, Elijah’s laughter chased him up the sidewalk.
—
By the next morning, Nate was hungover and regretting everything.
The entire evening was a blur, a mess of booze and bad decisions. He couldn’t believe he’d let Elijah get under his skin like that, couldn’t believe he’d stayed so long, or said all those things-
He groaned at the memory, running a hand through his tangled hair.
This was a nightmare.
And yet, when he woke up again hours later, it wasn’t his own reflection he saw in his mind’s eye. It was Elijah’s, leaning in close in the crowded bar, his mouth an inch from Nate’s ear, breathing the words hot against his skin.
I think you’re scared to admit it.
Fuck.
Nate rubbed his hands over his face with a sigh.
He needed coffee.
—
Three Cups of Coffee Later
He wasn’t going to text him.
He was going to forget about this entire mess and move on with his life.
It had just been a terrible idea to take the case. A terrible decision to follow Elijah into a crowded bar. But he would be damned if he let this become more than what it was-a blip on the radar, a minor setback in an otherwise spotless career.
He wasn’t going to let Elijah Reyes get into his head.
Nate yawned, shoving himself into his chair at the office. He had hours of work ahead of him-preparing for a court case that didn’t start for weeks, but still required plenty of prep work to ensure his success.
He got to work immediately, pouring himself into the case files as he worked through the morning.
But the more he read through the contracts and agreements, the more his mind wandered. The more Elijah’s smirk appeared in his head, taunting him with memories of last night-
Damn it. He needed to focus.
He picked up his phone and dialed his assistant’s number.
“Good morning,” she answered.
Nate winced. “Good morning, Rachel. How’s it going?”
“Good,” she said. “How about you?”
He hesitated. “I need help. With something personal.”
Rachel was quiet for a moment, and Nate closed his eyes, wincing. Of course. This was too much.
“It’s fine,” he began.
“No, no,” Rachel protested. “Of course, I’ll help. What do you need?”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you have anyone who knows any local tattoo artists?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I actually know one personally. She’s great.”
“Do you think she’d be willing to come to my office sometime today?”
“Let me call and ask,” Rachel said, sounding puzzled. “Can I ask why? And are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Nate assured her. “I just-I need a favor from a local artist.”
She hummed in understanding, and then hung up to make the call.
Nate set his phone down with a frown.
He didn’t know what the hell he was doing.
—
It turned out that Rachel’s artist friend agreed to meet with him during her lunch break, and within an hour, there was a knock at his office door.
“Come in,” Nate called, shoving the case files aside.
The door opened to reveal a petite woman with a pixie cut and an easy smile. She looked younger than he had expected-maybe mid-twenties-and wore a faded denim jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans.
“You must be the artist,” Nate said.
The woman nodded, her smile widening. “And you’re the lawyer who needs a mysterious favor.”
Nate hesitated. He hadn’t thought this through entirely-not beyond asking her to come to his office-but now that she was here, he wasn’t sure how to word his request.
The artist-her name was Lila-took pity on him, pulling out a chair and sitting down in front of his desk.
“Listen,” she said, leaning forward with her forearms on the desk. “If this is about Elijah, you don’t need to worry about me saying anything.”
Nate’s eyes widened. “You know him?”
She nodded. “He’s my mentor. Sort of.”
“Sort of,” Nate repeated.
Lila shrugged. “We’re friends. But he taught me how to tattoo, so I guess that makes him my mentor too.”
Nate blinked, feeling more confused by the second.
“I have no idea what any of this has to do with Elijah,” he finally said.
Lila hummed, considering him for a moment.
“Well,” she said finally. “When Rachel told me she had a friend who needed my help with something mysterious, I just assumed it was him. He gets into a lot of strange shit.”
Nate frowned. “Strange shit?”
“You know,” Lila said, waving a hand in the air. “Crazy art projects. Public installations. And other-things.”
Nate didn’t like the sound of that. “Other things?”
Lila leaned in closer. “I think he was involved with some of the local gangs for a while,” she whispered. “But don’t tell him I told you. He’s sensitive about it.”
“Sensitive about being involved with gangs?” Nate raised an eyebrow.
“Well,” Lila shrugged. “He has a weird relationship with gangs. They were mean to him when he was younger, so now he likes to screw with them. It’s all pretty stupid.”
Nate sat back in his chair, trying to process everything Lila was telling him. He had no idea Elijah was involved in anything like that-or that he even knew any gangs.
“You know,” Lila continued, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on him. “I heard he’s got a new art project coming out soon. But I have no idea what it is.”
Nate blinked again, feeling like he was stuck in some kind of strange dream.
“I have no interest in his art projects,” he muttered, frowning.
“Okay,” Lila said. “Well, if you change your mind, I can send you photos.”
Nate wasn’t sure what to say to that.
—
Lila left half an hour later, leaving Nate feeling more confused than ever. He had no idea what to make of the things she’d told him-and half of it didn’t even seem possible.
Elijah involved with gangs?
Elijah taunting them?
Elijah with an art project?
The last one wasn’t even the strangest thing she’d said, and yet it still made something in him twist.
Elijah and art seemed like such a foreign concept. And yet, at the same time-
Nate sighed, pushing himself up from his desk chair. He needed to get out of his office. Needed to get his head cleared and start fresh.
He grabbed his wallet and phone, heading for the front door of the office. As he stepped out into the hall, he nodded at the receptionist before heading down the elevator.
The afternoon air was hot on his skin, the humidity thick against his lungs. Nate wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, checking the street signs as he walked down the sidewalk.
There was an art museum a few blocks over, and Nate’s feet seemed to turn in that direction without him even realizing it.
Maybe he’d find something there that made sense. Maybe he’d see something in the art that would help him understand this entire situation-
Or maybe he just wanted to see something about Elijah that made sense, something that didn’t make him want to run in the opposite direction.