21. Chapter 18
Eli
Dusk is falling as I head toward the pier. I have no idea why Ryker decided to meet there, instead of at a club or his own place. Maybe he needed a change of scenery, or he was just bored. Who knows?
When I arrive at the old harbor, I park my Escalade next to Ryker’s Range Rover. On the other side, Theo has parked his Mercedes.
It seems they’re already waiting for me. Picking up my phone, I follow the directions Ryker sent me.
From a distance, I can see two figures standing on the breakwater. They stick out like a sore thumb here. Their expensive suits are way too conspicuous. If Ryker was hoping for a private meeting, tough luck.
My hands land in the pockets of my pants as I approach my brothers. Wrapped in silence, they stare straight ahead. If they notice me, they don’t show it.
And yet I do exactly the same thing they do. I turn my head and gaze at the horizon.
Although I’m farther from being a romantic jerk than I am from New York, I have to admit that the sunset is exceptionally beautiful today. Red and navy blue paint the sky. It’s an unusual, intense sight. Breathtaking. On the horizon, it merges with the calm surface of the water.
Zoe would be delighted.
My fingers tighten around the pack in my pocket. Keeping my eyes fixed, I pull it out and a few seconds later, take a drag on the cigarette. I hold the smoke in my lungs and release it.
“I didn’t know you had a new hobby,” Theo jokes. I simply shrug, and he adds, “You know that shit’s gonna kill you?”
“You talk like we don’t live with targets on our backs every day.”
“True, but the birds chirp. You have a lot more to lose now.”
I glance out of the corner of my eye at the impassive Ryker and then at Theo. “What exactly have you heard?”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Just that you’re very protective and not so immune to the charms of a certain young Miss Monroe.”
I snort. “I swear, the two worst gossips in this town are child’s play compared to you guys.”
“At least you’re not denying it,” Ryker interjects.
“You don’t know shit. I want nothing to happen to her. We’ve involved her in this. That’s all.” Even to my ears, every word sounds like a defense that only drags me deeper into the mud.
But Ryker isn’t giving up that easily. “That makes sense. That’s why you’re almost grinding your teeth when you listen to Damien and Zoe’s dates. Your clenched fists prove nothing at all. Not to mention how you almost passed out when the gunshots rang out over the phone the first time.”
“Don’t remind me,” I growl, baring my teeth. He’s luring me in and, unfortunately, it’s working. “Why are we here?”
Relief washes over me when my friends drop the subject.
“I met with Ismael today.”
“Ismael’s in the country? What’s he doing here?” Theo’s suspicion surfaces.
“Hell knows, really. He said he had a minor problem to kill. While he was at it, he wanted to make sure that despite the change in captain, the ship was still heading in the same direction. Nico Ruiz paid him a visit.”
Ryker’s words stun me. The cigarette I’d forgotten about starts burning my fingers, so I toss the butt and crush it with a boot. Now I turn fully toward my brother because he has my undivided attention.
“Are you fucking kidding me? What does Veirix want from Loco Muerte?” I ask.
Ryker still isn’t meeting my gaze, which is pissing me off. “He knows we’re coming for him. Wanted Ismael to get us off his back.”
“Good luck,” I snort and smile maliciously.
Theo speaks up. “Wait a minute. First, how did he learn about this? He must have someone among us, and we keep that kind of information tightly under wraps anyway. And second, why did he go to his enemy with this? He knows we’re working together.”
Ryker rubs his face with both hands and sighs.
“That’s exactly why we’re meeting here. Currently, people are checking my apartment and Feather for any bugs or cameras.
Nico could have guessed, but he had no way of knowing for sure.
That means either one of us betrayed us, or someone’s eavesdropping.
I rule out the first possibility. Nico contacted Ismael because he knew I wouldn’t want to hear what he has to say.
After all, he has Aisling. I won’t believe any of his assurances. ”
“What assurances?” I can’t hold back. “For God’s sake, he’s holding your sister captive.”
“That’s exactly the point, Eli. Nico claims she isn’t being held captive at all. She’s there of her own free will.”
“What the fuck?” Theo turns to us, disbelief written all over his face.
“I don’t believe it. There’s no way,” I say.
Ryker swallows and is silent for a moment.
He’s thinking. When he speaks, his voice is even quieter.
“I’m not so sure, guys. The first rumors that came out were that she’d gone into hiding under Veirix’s wing out of fear of the Pact.
She never tried to contact me. Not once.
But she had the chance to talk to Ash about how she should be careful around me.
Regardless of her being under surveillance, I’m sure she could have slipped in a word unnoticed that she needed help.
Then all those events muddled my mind, and I believed she was being held by force, that she was under surveillance, and that the whole infiltration machine set in motion by Zoe. But what if—”
“If we saw what someone wanted us to see,” Theo finishes for him.
“Exactly. Maybe I wanted to see that she’s there against her will, or that someone manipulated her.
Because then it would mean that my little sister is still inside that woman.
What if I let that cloud my vision because that version of the truth won’t destroy me?
Believing she’s a victim hurts less than the alternative.
If she’s in Veirix voluntarily—that means she consciously chose to act against me. ”
I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze it.
What Ry is going through right now, these dilemmas, are fucking hard. I’m afraid the truth might be equally hard. And my heart aches at seeing him in this state. The person he cherishes most, the one he has sought for years, could be an enemy now.
Admitting out loud that he might be right about what he said changes nothing.
“What stance has Ismael taken?” Theo asks, lowering his gaze.
“All he cares about is that the operations run smoothly and without complications. As long as the money in his pocket adds up, he doesn’t give a damn if we slaughter each other to the ground, though he offers support.”
“Sure. And that’s why he got rid of Charles Baker,” I scoff.
Ryker won’t deliver the justice his wife deserves with his own hands. I’m sure of it. “His time will come too,” he adds.
“So what’s next?” Theo asks.
“For now, we wait—” The ding from a phone interrupts Ryker. He reaches into his pocket and reads the message. His brow furrows, then he quickly taps the screen and tucks it back into his pocket. “Fuck. I’ve got my answer. No cameras, Feather’s clean. There were two bugs in the apartment.”
A growl escapes me before I can stop it.
“Now your father’s obsession with bugs doesn’t seem so paranoid,” Theo says in a grave voice. “How did this happen?”
“I have a hunch it’s the internet guy. We had some minor issues a while back, and Ash called in a technician. I wasn’t there, but that’s really the only time a stranger has been in our house. I need to talk to her about where she got the number and check the security footage.”
“They jammed your signal,” I say, referring to a trick as old as the hills.
Ryker nods and finishes his previous thought. “As I said, let’s wait a little longer—two or maybe three weeks—and get Zoe out of this mess. And then I’ll write my will before I tell my wife what we’ve done.”
“Can I take over your shares in Feather?” I joke.
Theo sizes me up. “Do you even remember what to do with a woman. I haven’t seen you with any since Zoe joined our ranks. I wonder why?”
I fall silent, though I know he’s right and they know it too. Over the past few weeks, Zoe has become the only constant in my life. All roads lead straight to her.
“I decided to take a break and have chosen celibacy. Nothing strange in that.”
I shrug, and both brothers’ eyes are glued to me. I don’t give them the satisfaction of admitting anything, though, and stare motionless at the fading sky on the horizon. And then Theo bursts into such thunderous laughter that the corner of my mouth rises a little.
Theo, a man so gruff that you wouldn’t find his like in books, laughs as though he has just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Fuck you. I have to go,” I say and turn on my heel.
His laughter follows me almost all the way to the car. Aside from the fact that I was the reason for his amusement, it’s good to see him in a different light than the one he has accustomed us to over the last decade. Or longer.
It was true that I had to go. Something inside me is pulling me to Raven’s apartment, but that’s nothing unusual these days. This happens almost every day when she’s out of my sight for more than a few hours. And I don’t try to analyze it anymore.
It’s just sex. Nothing more.
Basically, mind-blowing, world-shattering sex. Zoe turned out to be a quick study, and I’m glad I agreed to her offer. There’s something about her I can’t quite wrap my head around. All it takes is feeling her hand on my skin, and I’m ready for whatever she demands of me.
And that’s not all. She seems to have crawled under my skin, into my muscles and bones. Nestled somewhere deep inside me without asking for my permission.
Our evening web marathons, where we race to see who can pull the best prank on some poor soul first… Or watching some silly romantic comedy with her, or reading together in bed… Lately, it’s enough for me to stare at her half the night while she sleeps peacefully, oblivious to everything.
A car horn cuts into my thoughts, and I snap back to the present. Confused, I glance at the mirrors. How did I end up on the street? Never mind.
I shake my head, raise a hand, and flip off the jerk behind me. Screw him.