Page 66 of Sundowners
“God, it was awful! Creed was walking me to my car—he always does when we work together because I’m chicken.” She barked out a laugh. “Anyway, these four guys came out of the shadows and surrounded my car. Creed pushed me inside and told me to lock the doors, and then they just all swooped in on him. I called the police and started honking the horn so someone would come out, some of the other guys or something. Then they were gone, and Creed was on the ground. He got up, though, and he seemed okay, but when the cops came, he talked to them real quick and before I was even done giving my statement, he told me he was going home.”
I glanced around. “Do you know where he lives?” I asked her.
She frowned at me. “Um, no, actually. Somewhere near the lighthouse I guess? I’ve never been to his place.”
I sighed. “Look, Lexi, he and I…we kind of had a falling out earlier, and now he won’t answer my texts. I just want to be sure he’s okay.”
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Give me your number, and I’ll try to get in touch with him.”
“Thank you. That would mean a lot.” We traded addresses and phone numbers, and she got into her car and drove off.
“Let’s get you home, Junior,” Rey said.
“Wait.” I’d spent all evening researching Creed’s potential link to EVE, but I’d forgotten about one more loose end. “I think I know where we might get some more information.”
Rey raised his eyebrows, and then he trotted over to Vanessa. He got her keys and she waved us off.
“Okay, where to, Mr. San Angelo?”
I rolled my eyes at him and we took off for the Explorer.
“The Blue Lagoon. If the attackers came here, they may go there next. They knew the guys in the band, too. There’s some link between Creed, the attackers, and the guys in the band, I just know it. Creed wouldn’t tell me, or maybe hecouldn’ttell me—”
“But we can get these guys to talk, is what you’re thinking? Okay, let’s go.”
Rey drove faster than was legal but stayed off the main roads as much as possible. There were a lot of folks out even though it was after midnight. Downtown was still hopping on the block between The Catalyst, which was just letting out its big show of the night, and the dive bar. Rey made a bunch of comments about typhoid and salmonella poisoning, basically any weird diseases we could get going into a bar like this, but he shut up and was all business once we got out of the car.
Bloody Brilliant was playing, thankfully, and we stood in the doorway looking around. I didn’t see Creed, but the place was packed. He could have been anywhere. The band ended their last set of the night, and I pulled Rey through the bar. We followed them out the back door to the patio.
“Excuse me,” Rey said, pulling out his badge. “I’m Officer Cabral, and this is—”
“Roman San Angelo. Pleasure to see you again.”
Rey and I both frowned. The guy with the big beard gave us a smirk and the bass player stood at his side, ready to assist, although we weren’t throwing off any aggro vibes so I had no idea what that was about.
“We’re looking for Creed Lowell. Have you seen him?”
The bearded guy gave Rey an appraising look, and then he turned his attention on me.“Whatever you think you know about him, know that Creed would doanythingto protect you—even disappear. If he doesn’t want to be found, you’re not going to find him.”
Rey looked at me. “Look, he’s not in any trouble—”
“Oh, but he is. He’s trying to get out of it, and take care of this problem once and for all.”
Rey stepped closer to the guy, not giving two shits that he was about six inches shorter.“And that’s not for him to take care of, so if you would be so kind as to tell us where we can find him, you’d be doing Creed a big favor. If he takes matters into his own hands, he’s going to make it worse for himself.”
The sidekick stepped forward but Bearded Guy put a hand out. “It’s okay. Officer Cabral is right to be concerned.”
“Please,” I said, not wanting to deal with this posturing bullshit anymore. “I care about him, okay?”
Bearded Guy cocked his head to the side. “Do you, now? And how far does that go for you?” He stepped toward me, and part of me wanted to flee, or at least step back, but I held my ground.
“I want him safe. I—”
“Do you care enough to accept all that he is?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but I froze. The guy was…I felt something, something pulling at my chest, like taking the steam out of my anger, taking the indignation out of my stance.
“I do,” I whispered, then I shuddered, trying to clear my head from the euphoric feeling coming over me. “I need to find him. I need to make things right.”
