The Heart System

Chapter 641

We walked over to one of the empty tables near the edge of the room and sat down. From here, I could still see most of the bar and the crowd without making it obvious that I was scanning the place. The lights were low enough to make everyone look a little blurry, which was helpful.

I leaned back in my chair and pretended to relax while my eyes kept drifting around the room. This was supposed to be the easy part. Find Dakota. Figure out who he was meeting. Get evidence if I could. Then maybe use that to close the loop on Brok.

The only issue was that hanging around a gay bar with Melvin as my fake boyfriend was already one of the dumbest things I had done all week.

Melvin leaned in slightly, looking around with interest. "So, are we actually looking for someone or are we just pretending?"

I sighed. "We are looking for someone."

He nodded. "Cool."

I took a slow breath and folded my arms on the table. "Just stay with me and act normal."

"Buddy," he said, grinning. "Nothing about this is normal."

He was not wrong.

A waiter came over a few minutes later, threading his way through the tables with an easy sway that made it obvious he knew exactly how much attention he was pulling. He was wearing one of those skimpy, deliberately revealing outfits the bar probably made all its staff wear, something tight at the waist and short enough to leave very little to the imagination. It fit the place, I guessed. Everyone in here seemed to be trying a little too hard to look confident, or sexy, or dangerous, and sometimes all three at once.

He stopped beside our table with a practiced smile. "What can I get you two?"

"Two beers," I said before Melvin could start overthinking it.

The waiter gave a quick nod and his eyes flicked to Melvin for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. Then he winked at him and moved off toward the bar.

Melvin turned toward me immediately, his expression lighting up like he had just won something. "Jeez, did you see that? He winked at me."

"Good for you," I replied dryly. "Now open your eyes for the guy I showed you, okay? If you see him, let me know."

I pulled out my phone and showed him Dakota’s photo again.

Melvin leaned in and studied it properly this time, nodding once before I tucked the phone back into my pocket.

I really did not want to drag Melvin into my business, especially not in a place like this, but I had no choice. If I wanted any chance at figuring out what Dakota was doing here, I needed an extra pair of eyes. The alternative was burning Time Stop just to snoop around, and that would mean wasting credits I honestly could not afford to keep throwing away. Calling him in was free. It just cost me my dignity.

"So, tell me," Melvin said, leaning back in his chair. "Who is this guy? Is he the man who punched Sophia?"

I nodded once. "Yeah, that’s him. Just keep watch and let me know if you spot him."

Melvin straightened a little and gave me a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

Then he stood up and tilted his head toward the hallway.

"I’m gonna take a leak. Coming?"

"You can piss by yourself, ’honey.’" I said, not even bothering to look up.

He grinned and headed off toward the restrooms.

I leaned back in my chair and lit a cigarette while letting my eyes scan the room again. Dakota was supposed to be here. Cora had confirmed that much. But ten minutes had already passed since she first told me he entered, and I still had not seen him anywhere. That meant he was either moving around carefully or I had somehow missed him the first time. Neither option made me feel better.

The place was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. The men around us kept glancing over in that lingering way that made the back of my neck itch. It was not just curiosity either. Some of them looked at me like they wanted to test whether I belonged here, while others were just plain bold about it. This bar was definitely not the kind of place where you could relax and let your guard down.

A few minutes later, Melvin returned to the table and sat down across from me.

"Um... I saw that guy," he said.

I sat up straighter immediately. "What?"

"The guy you showed me," he said. "He was talking to somebody."

"Dakota?" I asked. "Who was he with?"

Melvin shrugged. "I don’t know. Maybe a waiter?"

"Where did you see him?"

"Near the restroom. There’s another room a few meters down that way. I saw him going in there before he started talking to someone."

That got my full attention.

"Alright," I said, getting up. "You stay here."

He nodded, and I started walking toward the restroom corridor.

The hallway leading back there was narrow and dimmer than the main room. On one side was the women’s restroom. On the other was the men’s. At the very end of the corridor, there was another door with bold black letters across it that read DON’T ENTER. That was probably where Dakota had disappeared to.

"Huh," I muttered under my breath. "What the hell is he doing in there?"

I slowed down as I got closer and pressed my ear against the door.

At first, all I could hear was muffled talking from the other side. Two male voices. Low and tense. Not what I had been expecting at all. I had honestly assumed they would be doing something a lot more embarrassing in a gay bar, but instead they sounded like they were arguing over a deal.

I listened more carefully.

"When’s it coming?" Dakota asked.

"In a minute, man. Chill," the other guy replied. "You got the money?"

"Yes," Dakota said. "After I get the thing, you’ll get it."

"Come on, Dak. You know I won’t screw you over."

"Well, I don’t trust anybody, friend." Dakota’s voice was flat, careful. "If I don’t see the white, you are not getting anything."

"Fine, fine."

I froze for a second.

White?

The hell were they talking about?