Shadows of the Night

Fifteen

Sabrina

Tomorrow is Saturday, the day of the reunion. We have time to kill today to explore more of New York.

Nathan is sweet. He is taking me to brunch this noon, since I slept in late.

He's taking me to some fancy restaurant called The Lux-Rés. He says a lot of familiar celebrities often dine there and if we're lucky, we might spot one or two.

As the taxi drives us over, Nathan answers a call. It seems important based on the sound of his tone.

"I know, don't worry, I'm working on it." Nathan replies to the end of the line. His head is turned as he speaks. He pauses as he listens to whoever he's speaking with.

Nathan now more than ever is mysterious to me, especially after discovering those files in his closet. I've been wanting to ask him about it, but couldn't find the courage or the right time to bring about it. I wonder if this phone call is related to it.

I scroll through social media on my phone while listening, pretending as if I'm not doing so.

"You told me to stay off-" He peaks over at me, then returns his gaze to the passing steets out the window. His voice becomes softer, "You asked me not to be so close, so here I am. I don't see a problem being this far away, Wilson."

Wilson? Who's Wilson? I've never heard him bring up that name before.

He pauses again, listening to the other line, then replies, "You have my word. I appreciate it. And again, I apologize for the short notice." He sighs.

What is he talking about?

I do hope Nathan hasn't gotten himself in any trouble. He sounds so serious, mad even, withever whom this may be. It definitely sounds like business, but the only job I'm aware of is his shift with The Night Club. However, no one by the name of Wilson, works there.

"Okay, thank you. Goodbye." He ends the line.

I turn off my phone and grin at him. "Everything okay?"

He presses his lips into a fine line and places his hand on my bare thigh. "Yeah, just helping a friend out with something." He answers briefly.

I force a grin and focus my attention out the window.

He's hiding something for sure.

. . .

We sit outside on a beautiful, busy street. The weather is perfect this end of spring.

I wear a white tennis skirt with a blue top and white heels. The breeze feels cool on my skin.

I eat a fancy waffle crossiant with mixed berries and an iced coffee. It's absolutely delicious.

I consider bringing up the files I found in his closet, but decide against it. I'd hate to ruin this trip. Maybe wait until after.

Suddenly, I notice a man in a dark hoodie, resembling Keith. My heart stops the moment I spot him.

It can't be.

We were so careful. How could he have found us here?

"Everything okay?" Nathan asks before sipping his coffee, interrupting my gaze from the man.

I glance back down the street, where the man was, but now has disappeared.

I must be paranoid. There's no way he knows we're here.

I grin at him. "Yeah, everything is fine. I guess I'm just a little bit paranoid, is all." I take another bite of my food.

He places his hand on mine, causing me to freeze. Our eyes meet as he reassures gently, "Hey, we're safe here. He has no idea we're anywhere near here. Just enjoy this while we have it. It's as normal as we can get for now."

I nod slowly. "You're right. I won't let him ruin this."

. . .

After a splendid day of shopping and sight-seeing, we wind down back at the hotel.

Nathan was only here for a moment before he headed off somewhere, said he needed to speak with an old friend and he'd be right back.

More secrets, I suppose. I'm not sure why he fears not to tell me. It must be really serious, whatever it is. I keep hoping that maybe he can trust me now and share with me, but then he keeps going around about it, hiding more and more secrets from me. I'm trying not to take it personally, but it really has been upsetting. Why won't he just tell me? Is he in trouble? Or is he not the guy I think he is? Whatever it is, I do hope he'll tell me soon. I'm not sure how much longer I can take being left in the dark like this.

. . .

Nathan

"Grayson!" Bentley smiles as he approaches me.

Bentley is a good friend of mine up here with the FBI, him and I go way back. He was supposed to attend me on this mission down in Florida, but his wife went into labor, having Wilson take his place instead.

Bentley is a strong, tall man. We used to compete with each other in the gym to see who could lift the most. Of course, I always out lifted him under the table, despite his large body size.

He gives me a quick side hug with a slap on the back before pulling away. "I heard you were back in town. How's the beach life been treating ya?" He asks while running his hand through his black hair.

I chuckle in response. "Pretty good. Definitely love it better over there than here."

He folds his arms with a smile. "So, what are you doing back so soon? You finish the case already?"

I shake my head. "No, I'm actually here for my high school reunion with my girl." I respond.

He smirks at me slowly. "So you gotta girlfriend now? What changed, man? You always turned down relationships." He pauses and mutters, "Them Florida girls must be something else, eh?"

I chuckle down at the ground. "Something like that. She's . . Something else alright."

He smiles at me, his blue eyes squinting. "Well, good for you, man." He then adds, "So, how's it going with the case? Any lead yet? I heard about Lopez . ." He voice trails off as he shakes his head at the ground. "Gonna miss that guy."

"Yeah, it definitely was a shitty thing, but he went down a hero for sure." I utter softly. "And the case is just as difficult as it always has been. Everytime we get a lead, we end up off track. I just feel like we're getting so close to getting this asshole, but yet so far. Wilson and I are doing the best we can." I sigh.

"Well, good luck. Let me know if you need anything." He says.

"Actually, that's why I stopped by the station today. I wanted to see you." I reply.

His eyebrows raise. "Really? Well, what can I do for you?"

"It's actually for both Wilson and I. We may have a lead with The Shadow Killer back in florida. You're pretty tech-savy. You think you could track down this file for me?" I hand him a file from my briefcase.

He studies it for a moment. "You got it." He smiles.