18. Bradley
brADLEY
[Peter] We have to meet.
[Zira] What’s going on?
[Peter] It’s urgent. Where the hell are you?
[Zira] I can’t explain right now. Things are difficult.
[Peter] Then simplify them for fuck’s sake.
[Zira] I will. As soon as I’m free, I’ll call you.
Raven tears her gaze away from the screen detailing all of Zira’s text messages and squints at me while toying with the end of her hair. “Are you sure about this?”
“No,” I sigh softly. “But she doesn’t trust me and from everything she told Ivy about her brother, I fully believe she will do everything and anything to protect him. Even from me.”
“But she asked for your help,” Raven points out, slowly spinning in her chair until she faces me. “That’s got to count for something.”
“It does. But in the same breath, if her brother asked her to run, then she would and I would lose both of them.”
“So we’re spying?” Ivy’s voice drifts from the half-open doorway where she stands with a steaming mug of tea in hand.
Meeting her gaze over my shoulder, I shake my head. “Not spying. I had Valentina clone her phone for security reasons.”
“Security,” Ivy repeats, narrowing her eyes. “Did you guys clone my phone last year?”
“Didn’t have to,” Raven replies immediately. “Ruslan was all over you from the get-go. Bradley’s more of a pussycat, toying with someone from a distance.”
“Excuse me,” I cut in as Ivy laughs. “I’m not toying with her, I’m pro—”
“Protecting her?” Ivy cuts in, and she smirks over the edge of her cup. “I understand. But just make sure you tell her you did this because if she finds out later, then you’ll be in trouble.” With a wink at Raven, Ivy vanishes and closes the door behind her.
I’m left with the distinct feeling that Ivy and Raven had a secret discussion I couldn’t hear and from the knowing look Raven gives me, it must have been about Zira.
“I did this for her,” I repeat. “Peter keeps his phone off when he’s not using it, anyway.”
“You don’t have to justify this stuff to me,” Raven says as she swivels back to her computer.
“There’s a lot worse things going on than cloning a phone.
The bigger question is whether or not she’s going to tell you about this.
” Raven reaches for the screen and taps at it, shrinking down the clone of Zira’s phone and enlarging the running trace on Peter’s number.
“She might tell me. Or she might not. I understand her need to feel safe and how she’s been thrown into this disaster, but things get fuzzy around her brother.”
“She’s loyal. Only family, right?”
“Yup.”
“I found an old article about the house fire that killed her parents. You might remember it. That whole tower block that went up in flames about fifteen years ago? There were so many people killed that the names would cycle at the bottom of news stories for hours. No wonder she and her brother slipped through the cracks.”
“A fire,” I repeat, casting my mind back. This city has so many scars but there’s something faintly familiar about the story. “Being alone in the world at fourteen sounds impossible.”
“Not impossible,” Raven replies quickly. “I did it.”
“And you became the biggest thorn in everyone’s side as a result.” Reaching for the top of her head, I ruffle her curls until she bats my hand away.
“People always think their bank accounts and shit are safe. It’s not my fault some of the biggest criminals in the world use the dumbest passwords.”
“What was mine again?”
Raven swivels back to face me. “Pineapple. What a dumb password.”
“Being rich and powerful makes you complacent.”
“Clearly.” Raven playfully rolls her eyes and returns to her computer. “I didn’t get a lock on this guy. He’s pretty damn paranoid.”
“What do we do now?”
“Well, if Zira tells you about the messages, then I can be open about tracing them. Maybe get her to call him and see if he answers. If she keeps it a secret, then…” Her lips purse and she sighs. “We’ll be waiting for the next message. Either way, as soon as his phone is active, I’ll be tracing.”
“Thanks, Raven. You’re going to be at Ruslan’s party, right?”
Her lips pull into a wide grin as she stands. “Couldn’t drag me away.”
Leaving Raven’s office, I walk down the long hallway and head toward the kitchen.
If Zira trusts me with the messages, then I’ll tell her immediately that I cloned her phone.
The last thing I want to do is sow more distrust, but keeping her safe remains my priority outside of fixing Damian’s problem.
Somewhere along the line, her importance crept in front of his and I can’t place why.
Is it because she poured herself into my lap like liquid honey and made me harder than I’ve been in years?
Or because she bites at me a little every time she talks and it’s a little thrilling?
I can’t figure it out and she consumes my thoughts so intensely that I nearly crash into Ivy in the kitchen.
Luckily, she reacts faster and scoots out of my way.
“Oh!”
“Ivy, sorry. I was miles away.” I catch her flailing arm as she presses against the counter and her soft laugh assures me she’s alright.
“Don’t worry. I’m fast enough that I never want to experience being bowled over by you. That would be like a truck running over a mini cab.”
“Still, sorry.”
“Are you okay?” Her humor melts away and concern flashes in her eyes. “You look… tired.”
“A lot on my mind.”
“About Zira?”
“Mostly.”
“What’s…” She hesitates suddenly and quickly sets her empty mug in the sink. “I’m almost too worried to ask, but what’s going to happen to her?”
“I will take care of her.”
“She’s not in any trouble?”
“The Irish blame her, but… everything I’ve seen tells me that she was swept up in this just trying to protect her brother. I can’t fault her for that.”
“But the Irish can.” Ivy’s brows knit together. “That’s so fucked up.”
“There’s a lot riding on those diamonds. The deal they were a part of is huge, and if that falls through…”
Ivy nods slowly. “Everything’s connected, isn’t it? Even the little things.”
“Even the little things. But I’m doing everything I can to keep her as safe as I can.”
“You like her, don’t you?” The sudden honesty of the question catches me off guard and I turn back to Ivy.
“What?”
“You like her. I don’t blame you. She seems like a lovely person, but I can tell. Do you remember last year when we first met and you barely spoke ten words to me?”
I nod slowly.
“Look at you now. You’ve had longer conversations with everyone about her than I’ve ever heard you speak. And I know you’re a man who always gets straight to the point, so it’s like you haven’t realized she’s your point.”
I want to deny it but Ivy smiles and heads for the door, leaving me struggling to unpack how she can come to such a conclusion when I don’t know how I feel.
“Oh, and remember. Ruslan’s birthday party starts at eight, so don’t be late.”
“I won’t be,” I reply, though my voice sounds slightly alien to my own ears.
Zira.
She’s beautiful.
Feisty too.
Strong enough to survive losing her parents at fourteen and raising herself and her brother, yet she blames herself for all of his shortcomings as if they’re a direct result of her actions. She’s loyal to a fault, and yet she threw herself at me as if sex were payment.
I want to know more.
Every detail of her life.
How she survived, what she had to do in order to become who she is, more about her brother and her life and her passions and her dreams. It’s like a craving that nestled under my ribs, and now that I’ve acknowledged it, it surges forward with the power of raw hunger.
I do like her.
It crept up like a whisper and now it’s a siren in my brain. So I follow it and walk straight to Zira’s room, knocking twice before entering.
Zira’s pacing up and down in the middle of the room, but she freezes the moment she sees me, and both her hands clutch together at her abdomen. “Bradley.”
“I came to check on you and see how you’re settling in. I didn’t… consider how overwhelming this might be for you, and for that I apologize.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Oh. Thanks. Yeah, this has been kind of…” Her mouth twists briefly to the side. “I feel I’ve been thrown into how the other half live.”
“The other half?”
“Yeah, I mean…” She starts toward me and then thinks better of it.
“The sheer number of rooms you have here overflowing with luxury? You could fit my apartment in this place five times over and then some. The library, the gym, and I overheard someone talking about a medical center? It’s uhm…
” She laughs softly but it lacks warmth. “It’s kind of surreal.”
“Does it make you uncomfortable?”
“No!” Her eyes widen and she hastily tucks her hair behind her ear. “It’s not that. It’s just a lot. I mean, even this bed looks and feels like it cost about six months’ worth of my rent. It’s cool and all but it’s like… just another thing that makes me feel out of place, y’know?”
I step forward and she flashes me a nervous smile. “Is that all that’s worrying you?”
“Mmhmm.” Her smile brightens but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, as if she’s forcing it. “It makes me want to go home. Is that weird?”
“No. You’re craving stability and comfort. I can’t fault you for that. I also can’t send you home so if it helps, I need you to know that you are safe here. No one gets in without permission and no one here will harm you in any way. You can rest and recover.”
“Hardly.” She lets out a soft snort. “All I can think about is my brother.”
“You miss him, don’t you?” I say gently, easing into giving her an opening to tell me about the messages.
“I do.” Suddenly, the emotions on her face become genuine and sadness melts across her face. “I always feel responsible for him. Always. And he’s out there somewhere and I’m scared for him. If someone else finds him first, then I—”
Approaching her, I place my hands on her shoulders and grip gently as her words catch in her throat. “Not to brag,” I say with a gentle smile. “But the people I have here, the ones I work with? They’re the best. The second Peter makes himself known, we’ll be there.”
Zira stares up at me and her glistening eyes dart back and forth between my own. There’s a second where her lips part and her chest rises as if she’s taking a breath to speak, but whatever exists behind her eyes doesn’t make it past her lips.
“Thank you,” she says instead. “For believing me. And letting me stay here.”
“You’re welcome.” I squeeze her shoulders once more and step away, but as I walk toward the door, it strikes me that Zira might need something far more normal in her life to ease her stress by even a fraction. Reaching the door, I turn back toward her as she retreats to the bed and sits.
“Want to go to a party?”
Zira’s brows dart up to her hairline and she stares at me wide-eyed. “What?”
“A party. Ruslan’s having a birthday party tonight. Do you want to go?”
Her jaw works back and forth as if multiple decisions flood her mouth at once, then she nods quickly. “I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’ll sort that.”