27. Elijah
Elijah
R oma shows up around lunchtime and doesn’t go away. I’m not opposed to spending quality time with my brother, but he’ll need to learn to keep his thoughts to himself.
He reads over my shoulder and makes a face. “Really? Sexting at work?”
I elbow him and wait for my Leonora to respond.
“You are so whipped,” Roma whispers under his breath.
“Says the man pussy whipped by a woman he can’t even think about without releasing a shaky breath.”
“You’re a dick,” Roma says at the end of a shaky breath.
“No risk, no reward.” I type out another text, smiling. If Roma wants to get his girl, he’s going to have to make a move at some point.
“Let’s go get lunch,” he grumbles.
We’re halfway down the block to Roma’s favorite sub shop when my phone lights up with multiple notifications. I swipe away from Adeline’s call, read a text from my father, and then answer when a number I recently programmed in my phone calls.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Hi, this is Janis Matthews from Mental Matters. I have you down as Leonora Akatov’s emergency contact.”
Roma peers over curiously.
“Yes,” I say, glancing at my watch. I hacked into Leonora’s patient portal and updated her contacts. Her appointment should nearly be over by now.
“Lennie didn’t make her appointment and I haven’t been able to get a hold of her. Do you know if she’s all right?”
I stop walking, Roma frowning as he leans closer to hear the call.
“She didn’t make it to her appointment?” I repeat. There’s a text on my phone telling me she was on her way.
“If you hear from her will you please let me know,” Janis Matthews requests.
“Yes, of course. Thank you for calling.” I can’t believe I remain polite with the way my heart hammers. I bring up Ivan’s number, calling. No answer.
Roma’s phone lights up and he brings it up to his ear. “Hey, Ads.”
I pull up Ivan’s location. It’s a block away from Janis’s office.
“No, Lennie’s not with us,” Roma says before I pull the phone away from him.
“What’s going on Adeline?” I ask.
“Why is my sister’s phone floating in the harbor?” she asks.
“What?” The phone is too hot against my ear, digging into the flesh.
“Why,” Adeline enunciates each of her words, “is the last location for my sister’s phone in the harbor?”
“Adeline, please do explain.” Because things start to spin around me.
“I know something happened to Lennie. Now tell me what the fuck is going on with this Leopold guy because I’m fairly certain he just kidnapped my sister!”
Roma grabs my phone from my hand, pulling up security details.
“What the fuck is happening?” Adeline snaps over the phone. “Where the fuck is my sister?”
“Adeline, I’ll have to call you back.”
“Don’t you fucking?—”
I end the call.
“We need Dima,” Roma says, taking back his phone and handing me mine.
I begin walking down the street. I expect a black SUV at the curb in five, four, three, two. . .
It’s here.
I get in, Roma following.
“Elijah.” Roma touches my shoulder.
I shrug away from him when I get a new alert on my phone. It’s an unknown number but I know who sent it the moment I open it up.
Leopold sent me a photo of Ivan’s lifeless body. Slumped over, a trail of blood soaking his shirt.
Roma sucks in a breath when he catches sight of it.
I trusted only Ivan to look after Leonora. I told him if it came down to it I’d require him to take a bullet for her.
He kept his promise.
“Elijah.” Roma tries again, touching my shoulder lightly. He’s well aware of my friendship with the man. “What do we know?”
“Leopold.”
“The card fight guy?” He looks on in disbelief. The car travels as quickly as it can through daytime traffic, toward Ivan. It’s too late, though. They’ll be gone.
Ivan’s dead body means only one thing. “He took Leonora.”
“We’ve got to call Dad and we have to tell Boris,” Roma says.
“We need to find Leopold.”
When Ivan didn’t watch Leonora he began to compile as much information about Leopold Stuart as possible.
His daily activities, the phone calls he makes, and the people he speaks to.
He uncovered the strained father-son relationship that makes any tiffs with Lev look like child’s play.
Leopold’s not so much of a daddy’s boy these days.
Which means he’s off the leash, but with little room to play, due to the fact his finances are shit and he has few friends.
He’s got a list of assets throughout the city, but he’s not wise with his money. He’s cash-strapped.
Adeline calls again. I send her to voicemail.
I list out an address to the driver.
Roma pulls out his phone. “Adeline’s calling me now.”
He puts it on speaker.
“There’s a warehouse,” she says.
“Owned by the only uncle who’s currently talking to him. Well done, Adeline.”
“Don’t be an ass you fucking prick.”
I meant it as a genuine compliment but okay. Looks like Leonora’s younger sister has much more of an ear to the ground than most know.
Leopold’s smart, but not clever. He won’t take Leonora to one of his own spots, but there’s no one else who’d provide him with access to an empty building.
“I’ll meet you there,” I promise.
“Already on the way,” she says.
“What the fuck do you think we’re going to do?” Roma asks, like he’s not checking a gun the guard in the front passenger's seat handed him.
“You remember how Russet tore Marissa’s bar up?” I check the chamber of the gun I’m handed.
“I’m calling Dima.”
That sounds like a fantastic idea, but I swear if this car doesn’t go faster I will take out every single driver in this godforsaken city.
“Approaching,” the driver says after what’s far too long.
“Stop here,” I order. Since it’s his uncle’s building, we didn’t do as much intel on the site. I’m not sure of the security or what cameras are set up where. If he took Leonora he knows I’m coming, but there’s no need to give him advanced notice.
“Don’t risk your life on my account,” I warn Roma. I’ll end up in hell before I allow anyone to take Leonora from me, but it’s also my job to protect my little brother.
“Fuck off you fake British fuck.” He kicks open his door.
It’s an industrial area but they’ve paused construction on the warehouse. It turns out the Stuarts aren’t doing that well after all. Carefully, Roma and I slip through the work site. Numbers must be limited because we don’t see many guards.
Not that the place is completely empty.
We come up to an ugly motherfucker who raises his gun directly at Roma.
Blood splatters all over my brother’s shirt and the sound of a gunshot rings in my ears. The motherfucker slumps to the ground.
Roma looks to me, surprised not at the blood on his face, but how I managed to make the shot.
I didn’t.
We turn toward Ren Callahan. She holds up a handgun, her eyes hard as she studies the dead guy on the ground.
Shiny brown hair is pulled into a high ponytail, but for the first time in years, she’s wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie.
No wonder she gets along with Leonora so well.
She’s wearing a pair of canvas sneakers.
This is the Ren I first met, all those years ago. The girl before the creation she honed over the years.
At her side is Isolde, her mouth firm and her gun at the ready.
Adeline is next to them. She must have called in backup and I’m not complaining.
“Shall we?” Ren asks, stepping forward.
Roma’s gaze follows her, his face patterned with blood. But he’s right on her heels, her neck turning slightly, her expression unreadable, as the pair exist in each other’s orbits for the first time in almost five years.
“He’s only got two more on the payroll,” Isolde says, taking the lead. We enter a stairwell and her assured movements make me think someone looked up the warehouse blueprints.
“They’re on his uncle’s payroll that is.” Adeline creeps behind. When this is done we’ll be discussing what the hell is up with her. Until then. . .
“I get the shot,” she says quietly.
Looks like we’ll end up fighting for it.