Vik (Shot Callers 2)

She attempted a smile, but it came off dismal. As she left, I had the strangest feeling that there was more to Anika than met the eye. And I couldn’t understand how such a beautiful woman could be filled with so much self-loathing.

25

Nastasia

Much like grief, there were five stages to losing a child you were minding.

First came denial, and as I glanced up from my phone to the little guy who should have been sitting beside me to find his chair empty, I stilled in confusion. My brows lowered as I rose off my seat and muttered, “The hell?”

I swear, he was here a second ago.

Looking around Sasha’s office, like the space around me had magically moved and shifted, allowing for the little boy to hide away, I stood in the open area and, well, did nothing, because where the heck could he have gone?

“He’s not missing,” I muttered to myself as I began to look for him. “He can’t be gone. Where would he go?”

Almost immediately, my eyes snapped to the open door of the office, and my feet moved effortlessly in the heels I wore. I peeked outside the door and called, “Trey?”

No answer.

And so, I began to search. At first, I moved at a normal pace, opening doors as I went with a slight frown pulling at my mouth. A few minutes passed, and I found my anxiety growing. My irritation with it.

Second stage. Anger.

“Where are you, you little maggot?” I snapped, rounding the corner at an almost skid as my nervous gaze flew all over the open floor of the club, but he was nowhere to be seen.

And my temples pulsed.

Who thought it would be a good idea to leave me in charge of another small human?

I had one that I was entrusted to, my niece, but I’d never looked after another. And never a boy.

Why didn’t anyone warn me about little boys?

Now, normally, I loved kids. But this little hurricane on two feet had me wanting to snort a big, fat line of birth control immediately as a preemptive measure.

“Trey,” I called out in a singsong way, leaning far over the front of the bar to see behind the counter. “Where are you?”

As suspected, there was no response.

I stood there. I just stood there as dread settled itself on my shoulders.

You lost her kid.

My eyes widened in alarm.

Birdie was going to be pissed.

I glanced at my phone. We still had two hours before we opened. I had time.

Next, bargaining.

“Trey,” I called out sweetly. “If you come out of wherever you’re hiding, I’ll give you a cookie.”

But my offer fell on deaf ears.

That caused my trepidation to skyrocket.

“Oh shit,” I whispered, getting down on my hands and knees to look under each and every table. No matter which way I turned, the absence of little feet in tiny white sneakers had my breathing turn heavy. “This is not good, Nas. Not good.”

“Uh…”

The sound startled me, and when I looked up to find Vik staring down at me with an undeniable look of confusion on his face, I balked.

“I should ask you what you’re doing down there, but—” His eyes swept over my silver-sequined costume, watching the long, beaded tassels sway about. “—I find I’m easily distracted when it comes to you.”

God. That was sweet.

But I didn’t have time for flirtation. A five-year-old was on the loose in the club.

As I knelt on the hard, cold floor, I held out my hand, and his fingers curled around my own, helping me up. I bent to brush off my knees, then started walking, my eyes darting all over, searching as I went.

Achievement unlocked: Depression.

“Oh my God, I lost him. He’s gone.”

From behind me came Vik’s quietly confused, “What are you talking about?”

Oh, he was following me?

Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool.

“Um,” I began, strolling back down the hall. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen Birdie’s son, Trey? Little dude. About this high.” I held my hand up to my upper thigh. “Dressed in blue jeans and a black tee. Spiffy white sneakers. Sweetest face you ever saw.”

“No,” he drawled. “Why?”

“I—” I whimpered softly, wringing my hands together. “—may have misplaced him.”

Vik remained quiet for a little while. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not.”

I spun on him, damn near hyperventilating, and tapped my chest lightly as I whispered desperately, “Help.”

He sobered. “You’re not joking.”

I shook my head frantically, and he came forward, instantly going into adult mode. “Where did you see him last?”

“Sasha’s office. He was there one second, and the next, he wasn’t.”

“And where have you looked?”

What a question.

“Everywhere,” I ground out.

Vik put his hands to my shoulders. “He can’t have gone far. It’s okay. We’ll find him. There’s only so many places he could be.” He lifted his head in thought. “Did you check the janitor’s closet?”