Noah

I woke up early this morning, so I could go on my ten-mile run. I knew I would need something to relieve my stress after another night with Sam. I don’t know how many more of these nights I can take. I realize she doesn’t do it often, but even if it’s once a month, it’s too much. We all miss Nick, but I don’t know how to convince her that I will find him. Tonight, I am taking my parents out to dinner and I’ll have to see the pain still in their eyes. Their favorite fucking son has abandoned them and they will sit across the table from their scandalous, naughty son who is here for them.

I walk the last block back to my townhouse and see my private investigator, Ted, sitting on my steps. I hired him almost a year ago to find Nick and he hasn’t had much success. He could only confirm that Nick was last seen in Chicago. I already knew that he was constantly between Chicago and Boston. I need new information soon, or I’ll fire his ass. He looks at me as I approach, relief evident on his face. He looks almost happy to see me, which is rare because normally I am bitching about him not finding Nick.

“Do you have good news, Ted?” I ask sitting next to him on the step. My brow lifts as Ted replies in the affirmative and stands up to pass me a brown envelope. I pull out the paperwork and I glance back at a practically giddy Ted. “What exactly is this?” I ask, and Ted sits back next to me.

“This is where you can find Nick,” Ted advises, and I glance at him knowing that I should probably buy a ticket to Chicago. After I pay Ted, I take a shower and head to the office. If I am going to Chicago, I need to let Maurice know so that he can be prepared to take care of the business while I’m gone. As I walk past Pam, I tell her good morning and ask her to tell Maurice to come to my office. I know I could call him, but that’s what I pay her for.

A few minutes later, he knocks and, as always, walks right in. Why does he even bother to knock first? He never waits for permission to enter my damn office anyway. “You requested my presence?” Maurice asks in a low, composed voice. I sit back in my chair and wait for him to be seated.

“I am leaving town soon and you’ll be running things until I get back,” I tell him. There are questions in his eyes. “Going on an extended vacation?” he asks, and I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head.

“No. I wish I could tell you that I was. I am going to Chicago to look for Nick.”

“You’re kidding, right? You think Chicago is an easy place to go looking for people? Nick has been gone for a year. Chances are he’s at the bottom of the damn river,” Maurice says.

I slam both fists on my desk startling him, as I answer, “He is NOT dead! I don’t know what he’s doing, but I’ll find him and drag his ass back.”

“Okay. If you think he’s alive, I’ll keep the faith for you. Just be realistic and watch your back in Chicago. The Mob doesn’t fuck around there. If you go sticking your nose into places it shouldn’t be, they’ll make you disappear. I don’t want to have to come looking for you.”

“Why would you even bring up the Mob? We are talking about Nick. He wouldn’t be in the same area code as the fucking Mob. Do you remember Nick? The reliable, honest, kind-hearted Nick that everyone felt walked on water?”

Maurice chuckles and shakes his head at me. “You always were jealous of him, weren’t you?” I narrow my eyes at him and turn away from him.

“Get the fuck out of my office, Maurice,” I demand, and he laughs as he slowly walks out of my office.

“Give me a call if you find yourself in trouble,” Maurice tells me, and I lean my head back against my chair and hope I can bring Nick home in one piece.

The flight to Chicago felt like the longest plane ride I have ever been on in my entire life. It helped that the flight attendant was hot as hell, and seemed to pay extra attention to me. I only wish I could have I could have gotten her to join the mile-high club with me. I had to shake off the thought, realizing this wasn’t the time for getting my dick wet. My focus needs to be on how the hell to find Nick.

I grab my luggage and hail a cab. I am staying at a hotel in downtown Chicago and the traffic is a bitch. Especially when the cab driver is cutting off other cars, tailgating, and yelling at the other drivers. I think it would have been better if I walked to the damn hotel. Somehow, we manage to arrive at the hotel safely. As I tip him, I send up prayers of thankfulness that I’m still alive.

After taking a shower, I lie on the bed and read the file Ted gave me. He somehow got Nick’s credit card records. The last purchase is from over a year ago, which doesn’t sound good. Why isn’t he using it? This clearly indicates that my search for Nick will be more complicated than I thought. I wonder if he got himself into trouble and had to go underground? I’ll go to every one of these places on this damn statement and ask If they’ve seen him. Nick is constantly in Chicago and he is a creature of habit. If he went to these places once, he was likely to have been there several times.

I put the folder aside as my stomach growls, and order myself room service. I am going to need a dinner and a good night sleep before starting the hunt for my brother tomorrow.