Page 74 of Playing Hard to Get

Vinny shook his head and returned his eyes to his screens. “No, now we work,” he said. “Ford’s asking about security footage at the bar. I got Butterman working on cameras outside. He thinks there’s an ATM down the street, but it would be nice to get some traffic cams near the bar to see what happened when she left.”

He paused long enough to read something that popped up on one of the screens, then turned to me.

“We’ll find her, there’s no question about that.”

“It’s been four days.” The hopelessness in my voice made me cringe.

Vinny shook his head furiously. “We will find her.”

* * *

Vinny worked well into the night, his screens flashing, his phone lighting up with texts and messages and only God knew what else. I didn’t understand a thing. Didn’t understand where all of this came from. From what Vivian told me, Vinny had few interests. He fell in love often, traveled the world whenever he wanted, read book after book after book. Never once did she mention that he had mad computer skills. Never once did she say a word about whatever it was he had going on inside those screens.

Made me wonder if she knew. She was one of the most secretive people I knew. And her twin proved he was more like her than I ever could have imagined. Gone was my idea of this wilted flower who would blow away with a stiff breeze. Vinny was just as strong, just as determined, as Vivian. Where she was all about fashion, knew the ins and outs and names and cuts of everything in that world, Vinny had immersed himself in the realm of computers and the internet.

I felt powerless. I knew how to use a gun. I could protect people, keep them safe. I would put my life on the line for those I loved, those who I was hired to protect. I knew how to use a computer, but not like this. I’d seen things cross the screens in front of my eyes that made me question the legality of what Vinny was doing.

But if it got Vivian home safe? Then I didn’t care.

The only thing I was good for was being a gopher. I ran out two or three times during the night to grab coffee from down the street. Vinny had this high-end espresso machine in his kitchen, but after trying and failing to figure it out, I figured I’d take the hit to the pocketbook and buy it somewhere else.

Vinny didn't mind. Hardly looked up from the screens unless it was to take a sip of coffee or to rush to the bathroom for a quick break. The sun was coming up in the sky when Vinny finally sat back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head.

“You got something?” I asked.

“I got hope,” he told me. His eyelids were drooping and his usually straight back was hunched like he’d taken the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Ford got the bar security footage for the past two weeks. It’s a jumble of tapes, mostly old, so the image quality might not be good. He’s gotta take his kid to camp, but then he’ll be on it, scouring through the tapes to see what he can find.”

I pushed my palms into my eyes and rubbed at the grit that felt like it lived there. Felt like the sandstorms had hit and the desert made its home inside my head.

“Butterman hacked into traffic cam system, but until we know what happened in the bar, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“So we wait.”

“Now we sleep,” Vinny said. He clapped me on the shoulder, making me jump off the edge of the bed and onto my feet. “You can take my room. I’ll stay here in case any messages come through that need my attention.”

My head shook. “No. I can’t sleep.”

“Mitch.” Vinny grabbed my shoulders in his hands and looked at me with those baby blues. “You need your rest. When we find Vivian—and we will find her—she’s going to need you. You got that?”

I clenched my eyes shut, nodded and swallowed hard. “Yeah. Got it. But I’m not staying here, Vinny.”

“You going home?”

When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

“No,” I told him. “I’m going to her place. I’ll get a few winks and be back after a bit.”

A weak smile tugged at one corner of his lips. “Okay, man. Get some rest.”

* * *

The bright sun was streaming in through the windows when my phone trilled and woke me out of a restless sleep. I grabbed it off Vivian's bed beside me and held it to my face without looking at the screen.

“Viv?” My voice croaked out in pained hopefulness.

“Uncle Mitch?” a tiny voice asked on the other end.

“Samuel? Is that you?” I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and pressed the phone harder to my ear.