“You’re good for us,” Gran says as she pats my arm. I hear Nick sigh behind me. He keeps getting worked up. I don’t blame him. The truth of the matter is if all he’s saying is true than his gran is in danger. He’s already lost his parents.
“She’s here for me, Gran,” he says in mock frustration. I smile as they fight for my attention.
“I’m here for both of you.” I kiss Nick on the cheek first and then lean over and, to Gran’s surprise, plant a kiss on her cheek as well.
“I’m not great at sharing,” Nick mumbles from behind me.
“I wiped your snotty nose and your ass for years. I think the least you could do is share.” She lifts an eyebrow at him. Their banter puts me at ease and makes me feel at home, settling something inside me.
“Any luck?” Gran asks with hope in her voice. I have a feeling she’s just as worried about Nick as he is about her. They really love each other. I can see their bond. It’s something I never had with my mom.
“Not yet, but I’ve only been at it for a little bit.” She pats my hand one more time before she gets up to leave.
“He’s a good boy, Birdie,” Gran says before she leaves the room. Nick and I remain silent for a few minutes. His hands reach up and begin rubbing my shoulders. I relax and enjoy him touching me. I’ve only known him a short time but still I feel comfortable around him. I think he might be right about this fate stuff.
“Let’s get back to it. I’d like to get through a chunk of this today.” I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want to help Nick and his gran get justice for his parents’ death and be able to live without fear.
I work for the next few hours, marking down even the slightest of discrepancies. My eyes grow heavy and I’m about to quit for the night when I notice something isn’t adding up. “There are double-check numbers,” I say. Nick looks up from the stack of papers I printed off to have him scan through. “Then they did a year-end adjustment to try and balance it.” It’s really an easy find. If you’re looking for it. The IRS would have snagged it, if they ever got audited. “It doesn’t look like you have everything here though. Is there more?”
I push the laptop over to Nick, showing him what I’m seeing. His eyes scan the documents carefully. “That’s everything I have,” he says with a look of concern on his face. “The rest is probably back in Chicago at my dad’s office. It’s too dangerous to go back.”
“But if we got what we needed, your uncle would go to jail and it’s not too dangerous anymore,” I point out. I’m more than willing to face his uncle if it means they will be safe again. I want Nick to know I’m in this too. It might be crazy fast but I don’t want to fight it. “Road trip?”
Chapter Twelve
Nick
The suite at the top of the Waldorf off Rush Street feels strangely domestic. There are two pairs of shoes resting side by side on the black marble tiled entryway. In the other room, I hear doors closed and drawers pulled open. Birdie makes small, muffled exclamations upon each discovery.
Slippers? They give you slippers? What’s this? A comb? Since when do you get combs at a hotel? I wonder if I can keep this or if I have to pay to use it? Is this fruit real? Is that a chocolate on my pillow?
It puts the first smile on my face that I’ve experienced in hours. The closer we got to the city, the heavier the memories of my parents weighed down on my shoulders. The sight of the Ferris wheel at the Navy Pier had me gripping the steering wheel so tight I almost pulled the vinyl off. I’m so fucking grateful that Birdie is with me. Her delight over these small things is providing a good distraction. If she wasn’t here, I’d probably be at my uncle’s doorstep with a gun.
“I can’t believe this is a hotel room,” Birdie exclaims as she joins me in the living room. “Since when do hotel rooms have two bathrooms and a fireplace in the living room?” She taps the stone mantel. “Why do you even need a fireplace in a hotel room?”
I shove away from the window and walk over to the entry to flick the switch of the gas fireplace. There’s a crackling sound and a small whoosh as the gas is released before flames jump up.
“Because it’s pretty?”
Birdie just shakes her head. “It’s unreal. So what am I looking at here?” She pushes one of the heavy dark blue velvet drapes aside.