Friends Like These(38)

Which meant that here we were, a month later, and Keith wasn’t representing Finch anymore, and he didn’t even know. I still hadn’t said a damn thing to Keith myself because I was worried about his fragile state— yes, losing Finch was going to kill him. But I also felt guilty about how I knew. Sleeping with Keith’s most important artist could easily cause problems for him— and I was embarrassed, too. So I’d decided to do the only logical thing— make my one bad decision worse by leaving Keith in the dark.

To think of all those times in college that I’d acted like I had all the answers. To think that I’d actually believed I did.

“It’s like a thing I can’t stop,” I remember Alice saying one night junior year. She was sitting cross-legged on my bed, face tearstained as she talked on and on about Keith and how she loved him, but how he was also breaking her heart. By then the two had been on and off for more than two years. She hadn’t told me the details of what had happened this time. And I hadn’t asked. Their relationship was a spectator sport no one wanted to watch.

“You need to pull yourself together, Alice,” I’d said. “You may be telling yourself you can’t stop things with Keith or whatever. But you actually can. You’re just choosing not to.”

I thought now of all those times Alice had called me the night she died. All those calls I’d ignored. Because I didn’t want to hear her still obsessing about what had happened on the roof. I never was good with being in the wrong.

Finch looked up at me finally. “Personally, I don’t think what happened was a mistake.” His voice had an edge, but a restrained one. “But I can respect that you do. Also, I was beginning to get that sense after the fifteenth unreturned message.” He smiled a little, luckily. I could live with him being angry at me— I just didn’t want him taking it out on Keith.

“We should get out of here,” I said, getting to my feet. Seemed best to end this conversation while I was ahead. “Before that contractor comes looking for Jonathan.”

“Okay. Not sure that Keith needs an excuse to drink more, anyway.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Weren’t you the one delivering the shots earlier?”

“Never said I was perfect. But you already knew that, didn’t you?” He peered up at me for a second. “Anyway, we’ll need to pry Keith out of the bathroom first. Because we all know what he’s doing in there.”

That certainly sounded like Finch knew about the drugs already. Was that why he’d fired Keith? Because that would actually be fair. I wouldn’t want Keith in his current state representing me either.

Finch’s phone rang. It had been in his hand ever since we arrived. He was probably waiting for a call from his new art dealer. “Sorry, I need to take this,” he said. “Will you be okay if I step out?”

“Sure, sure.”

Finch pressed his lips together, then nodded before heading for the door. I could already see Jonathan coming our way.

“Jesus, there you are,” Jonathan said when he finally reached me. “Keith has disappeared. He went into the bathroom and then vanished. Maeve and Derrick are still back there looking.”

“By the way, the contractor is here, with some friends,” I said. “I ran into them outside. It wasn’t pleasant.”

“Perfect,” Jonathan said, then seemed to register the potential gravity. “Wait, are you okay?”

I nodded as my throat started to burn. “Yeah.”

“And of course now we can’t leave until we find Keith.” Jonathan shook his head, put a hand to his mouth. “This is— I mean, are we about to get into a bar brawl because Keith’s somewhere getting high?”

“Also, I think Finch already knows about the drugs.”

Jonathan raised his eyebrows and sighed. “Well, I suppose that at least takes some of the pressure off.”

Maeve appeared then, smiling a little maniacally. “We found Keith,” she breathed. “Derrick’s just grabbing him now.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Luke. He was watching us. “Let’s go wait in the car,” I said. “Like right now.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Derrick and Keith?” Maeve asked.

Jonathan glanced Luke’s way, too. “No,” he said. “Stephanie’s right: we should go.”

Maeve darted ahead obediently, making her way through the crowd with surprising speed. She was a couple steps ahead when Luke’s weaselly friend appeared out of nowhere, heading her off. Maeve nearly bumped into him.

“Oh, excuse me,” I heard her say.

She tried to move around him to the door, but he blocked her way.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?”

She went to step around him again, but he suddenly cocked his head and clamped a hand around her forearm.

“I know you,” he leered drunkenly. “You gave me, you know— ” He mouthed a blow-job motion. “You look hot as fu— ”

Maeve pulled her free arm back and gave him a whack to his sternum. The guy stumbled back and released her, and Maeve rushed ahead and out the door.

“Asshole,” I spat at him as we headed past.

None of us looked back until we were across the street at the car. Maeve was pale and clearly shaken. I grasped her hand and squeezed it.