Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Riley
A woman walks into the office, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of what smells like coffee and cookies.
She appears to be in her early fifties, and everything about her is neat and in place.
As she approaches the sofa I’ve been sitting on overthinking the last conversation I’ve had with Mia, the cloud of clean, powdery perfume surrounds me.
“I’m Nora,” she says with a practice smile on her face. “Mr. Kavanagh’s secretary.”
“Hi,” I manage to say. For some reason she doesn’t look anything like I pictured Zeke’s secretary. Nothing about her screams I-work-for-a-mafia-boss, but then again, that probably makes sense. It’s not like the mob goes around advertising what they do.
“Mr. Kavanagh asked me to make sure you’re comfortable while you wait,” she continues placing the tray on the glass coffee table in front of me.
Everything in this office is in white tones with glass furniture, the complete opposite of Zeke’s office at the Eden.
“I thought you might enjoy a cup of coffee and some cookies. It’s caramel macchiato. ”
“That’s actually my favorite, thank you.” Even in the middle of all this chaos, I can’t stop a smile from forming on my lips as I hear the words caramel macchiato. “And I love everything with sugar, thank you.”
“I’m glad I guessed correctly,” she smiles and nods, picking up the empty tray and turning around on her heel to leave. “Enjoy. If you need anything, I’m just outside.”
“Wait,” I call out after her and she stops.
“Yes?”
“Do you know if Zeke will take long?”
“I wouldn’t know that,” she replies. “If that’s all, I’ll be on my way. If you need anything, I’ll be right outside, at my desk.”
“Thank you,” I nod, locking the door behind her.
As I reach for one of the cookies on the small plate in front of me, I realize that I’m starving. I skipped breakfast and the lunch with Mia never happened.
Mia…
Before I can even take a bite, my phone buzzes and my heart skips a beat when I read Mia’s name on the screen. I open the message immediately, almost dropping the phone from my hand.
Hello Riley! I’m really sorry, there was an emergency at work and I never managed to meet my new boss, or answer your calls.
Hello Riley? Why does this sound so weird, it’s like we’re strangers texting. My mind is still processing the information when another message arrives not even a minute later.
I’ll call you as soon as I can.
Followed by an attachment.
I click on the attachment and download a selfie from Mia. I should be relieved, shouldn’t I? My friend just got back to me and she says she’s fine. Her explanation makes perfect sense, I know how easily things can get messy at work.
Then why do I still feel uneasy? The messages don’t even sound like her and I can’t help but wonder how convenient their timing was. What are the odds of me receiving that photo not even an hour after Zeke’s brothers go out to look for her?
I try forcing myself to chew on one of the cookies, but my mind is still on that photo. On her explanation. I can’t even bring myself to reply to her yet.
“Fuck it,” I unlock my phone and open the selfie again, hoping that maybe if I stare at it long enough, I’ll notice something, anything that could give me some sort of answer.
A part of me wishes more than anything that I’m overreacting and she is indeed fine. That it is actually Mia writing me. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.
“How are you?” I don’t even notice when Zeke walks back into the office until he sits next to me on the sofa, his body hovering over mine as he leans on the backrest of the sofa with one hand.
“She messaged me,” I sigh, showing him the messages from Mia. “And sent a selfie.”
“That is good.” He looks relieved, but after meeting my eyes, his eyes get dark again. “You don’t think she’s the one who sent you this.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “It should all make sense, right? But I can’t shake this feeling. I can’t really explain it either.”
Zeke’s hand cups the side of my face, holding me still as he studies my face. I can see the wheels behind his eyes turn while he’s thinking.
“I believe you,” he says in a low voice.
“You do?” I’m relieved that he doesn’t think I’m crazy or paranoid. Or both.
Zeke nods. “I will tell Elijah to continue the search, and if it turns out we were wrong, it’ll be a win. If we’re right…”
He doesn’t have to finish that thought. A part of me is doing internal backflips at the way he so casually used the word “we”. But even with him so close to me, smelling like the most irresistible temptation, I can’t fully relax and stop worrying.
“Let’s do something,” he raises my hand to his lips and kisses my fingers gently. “We’ll go to my apartment now and you’ll try to get some rest.”
“But I think we should help Elijah with the search,” I protest. “I think we should go to her place and the her work…”
“Riley,” Zeke gives me a small smile. “You’re exhausted. You haven’t eaten anything and you look like you’re going to pass out any minute now.”
“But…”
“No,” he shakes his head with determination. “Elijah is the best person to be in charge of this. No one can hide from him and Cain, trust me.”
“I do,” I sigh, weakly.
“Good.” He gets up on his feet, reaching out his arm for me to take. “Then let’s get you some food.”