There was a taxi stand at the end of the block. I slung the strap of my duffel over my shoulder, picked up my laptop case, and walked toward it.
A buzzer sounded as I opened the door, and the dispatcher looked up. “Help you?”
“I need a cab, please.”
“Sure thing. Hey, Alec, get your ass out here. You have a fare.”
I heard the sound of a toilet flushing, and then Alec Stuart came out of the bathroom, casually zipping his jeans. He didn’t notice me at first.
We’d gone to Martin High together. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize me.
“Who is it?”
The dispatcher nodded toward me. Stuart narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.
For a second it was as if he was stripping off my clothes with his eyes. He’d never looked at me that way in high school, and while I didn’t like it, I wasn’t going to let him see it bothered me. I made my expression politely inquiring.
He shrugged and nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”