6. A Ship in the Late Morning
6
A Ship in the Late Morning
Lilith
Of all the overpriced lunch spots in LA, he had to walk into this one.
As soon as I saw the look of panic on Camilla’s face through the cameras, I knew something fucked up was about to happen. And then, once Agatha turned in the direction Cami was looking and ended up with a matching expression, I knew the likelihood things were gonna go to shit was high.
Sure enough, as soon as I saw that familiar head and that familiar stupid fucking suit, my stomach dropped. Because only Darius Hughes would be running some kind of super-secret undercover operation while still dressing like a fucking accountant.
I switch my voice COM over to the channel the guys are on and whisper-shout, “Are you fucking seeing this shit?”
I’m met with a chorus of cursing, so obviously, they’re seeing it. And then, Tony answers, “Kaian is on it.”
I sit there helplessly and watch the screen as Agatha manages to shake her shock enough to get to her feet and intercept him before he can reach the table. But to my surprise, he doesn’t attempt to get around or plow through her. Instead, he stops in front of her, greeting her warmly. Also, surprisingly, she reciprocates in kind, a testament to how much his appearance has thrown her off her game.
Maybe if I didn’t know Darius as well as I do, he would have me fooled with his nonchalant demeanor, but even through the camera, I see the wildness simmering beneath the surface. He’s doing a superb job keeping it tethered, and I hope he can maintain this even keel long enough not to completely fuck up the plan.
“He seems to be okay—” Matt says somewhat hesitantly.
“For now,” Tony interrupts. “Maybe we should all go down there in case we have to lasso that fucker.”
I sit back in the chair, inhaling deeply as my pulse begins to steady, and then I respond, “No, I think he’s gonna be okay. But definitely keep Kaian inside the doors just in case.”
“You think so?” Tony asks hurriedly.
“Yes. Darius won’t risk possibly losing her again.”
“But how would he lose her if he just snatched her now?”
“He knows if he did that, we would also lose any leads on where she’s been,” Matt answers. “Regardless of what that fucker has been up to over the last few months, he’s gonna know one of the main objectives is eliminating the enemy.”
“Any leads on this Dmitri?” I ask, my eyes still glued to the screen. Darius is speaking calmly to Antoinette, the smile on his face genuine and tinged with longing. My heart cracks in my chest for them, my need to know what the fuck went wrong and where everyone has been increasing exponentially.
He turns back to Agatha and Camilla, and I can’t quite make out what he’s saying as he’s speaking quietly, likely because he knows there’s a recorder there.
“Should Kaian follow him?” Matt asks.
“No,” Tony answers. “Lils, get out there and see if you can grab him. Or, if nothing else, have a three-second conversation with the fucker.”
I toss my headset on the table, making a beeline for the back of the van, where I quickly exit, closing the doors behind me. Not knowing which direction he’ll go once he exits the restaurant, I don’t bother attempting to hide around a corner. I stand outside the door, my back pressed against the wall, attempting to act as nonchalantly as possible under the circumstances.
Which is basically suspicious as fuck.
The door opens, and then there he is, a beast of a man moonlighting as a lamb.
He turns in my direction, takes two steps, and then immediately stops in front of me. He turns his gaze to me and asks, “You gonna follow me, Lils?”
“Should I?”
I’m torn between wanting to pummel the ever-loving shit out of him and hugging him for dear life, but I do neither. Instead, I remain leaning casually against the side of the building, staring up at him with a completely neutral expression.
He tilts his head and sighs before responding, “There wouldn’t be much point. I’m not the one we need to worry about.”
I nod, pushing off the building and standing up straight. I take a step toward him, coming to a stop when I’m maybe a foot from him. I look up at his face and ask, “Does this mean you’re back?”
He raises his brows at me, his lips twisting, but then he looks away, glancing around the streets before turning his eyes back to me. He nods shortly, then leans in and whispers, “Just keep chattering. I’m listening.”
I frown, confused at first, and before I can find any words, he takes off in the opposite direction. I take a step to follow him and then stop, knowing it’s entirely pointless. Because he’s right: Antoinette is our main focus right now, and we don’t have time to be fucking around with his bullshit.
Kaian exits the restaurant, stopping beside me. “Should we follow him?”
I shake my head, annoyed as I reply, “No point in wasting our time on a guy who’s obviously not in trouble.”
Kaian stares off in the direction in which Darius left, then sighs and turns back to me. “Do you think he knew where she was?”
“Not a fucking chance in hell,” I reply without hesitation. “But this confirms Matt’s theory that somehow he’s keeping tabs on us.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not.”
I laugh humorlessly as we both walk toward the van I abandoned. I remain quiet until we’re both situated in the van and then say, “I think even on his worst day, having Darius Hughes waiting in the wings is a good thing.”
I put my headset back on, immediately having to turn the volume down as the voices of Matt and Tony blare through. They’re still cursing, obviously arguing about something, and so I wait until there’s a lull in their pissing and moaning to break in. “Calm the fuck down.”
“What did that motherfucker say to you?” Tony asks angrily.
“Not much,” I reply calmly. “But he confirmed that he’s definitely listening to us, so as he said, keep chattering, and he’ll be back.”
“That dirty motherfucker,” Matt snarls. “I don’t know how you kept your cool out there, Lils.”
I don’t bother replying to the outburst because we all know that Darius is a dirty, no-good motherfucker. But he’s our dirty, no-good motherfucker. I turn my attention back to the screen, switching the voice COM over to Camilla’s channel just in time to hear some comment about a party. I groan, not at all excited about any type of party I may have to attend, regardless of the reasons.
And then Camilla says excitedly, “I don’t know if we RSVP’d to that one or not. But either way, I’m sure it’s never too late to change that to a yes.”
Agatha shifts uncomfortably in her chair, and I laugh, knowing she feels like I do about parties. But even still, she finally says, “Oh, do you think I’d be able to tag along?”
Antoinette reaches her hand out and rests it on Agatha’s forearm as she gushes, “Oh, I’m sure. The more the merrier.”
I laugh again, this time more loudly at how completely out of character it would be for Antoinette to get excited about a fucking party. And especially a party where she would likely be surrounded by a bunch of fucking douchebags.
Their conversation shifts to the more mundane and generic, and then, after a while, they’re saying their goodbyes. Antoinette gives Agatha and Camilla a tight hug, and I smile sadly as Agatha releases her reluctantly then watches after her as she disappears onto the street.
Camilla and Agatha grab their things, speaking softly to each other. I remove the COM, turning to the van door just as it opens, revealing Antonio, who asks, “What’s the verdict?”
I roll my eyes, sprawling back in my chair, the most defeated position I can come up with, as I reply, “Looks like we’re going to a fucking party.”