Chapter 9
Bugged
LEV
Iknow that something’s wrong from the look on Ares’s face the second he comes back into the dining room.
Chance isn’t with him, but most importantly, I don’t see Zara anywhere.
Heather, of course, said she left Zara to use the bathroom, and that nothing looked out of the ordinary. In her defense, she offered to go check the women’s bathroom, but I told her not to worry.
If Chance or Ares found her, there might be a reason why they’re taking so long.
I swear to God, I’m not jealous of Zara’s relationship with Chance and Ares. They’re more than brothers to me, and if Zara makes them happy one tenth of how happy she makes me, I can’t be anything but supportive of them being together.
But we were all worried when Zara was taking so long in the bathroom, so if either of them decided to have a quickie with her before letting me know that everything was fine, I’m gonna be pissed.
To be honest, Ares doesn’t look like someone who just got laid. And where the fuck are Chance and Zara?
“Lev, a word?” His hand lands on my shoulder, and I’m out of my chair faster than I skate away with the puck glued to my stick after winning a face-off.
I came back to my seat after speaking to Heather, and I’ve been itching to go check the bathroom myself, but I stayed in case the guys and Zara somehow didn’t cross paths.
“Everything ok?” Dave asks, stuffing a whole brownie into his mouth. He’s on his third plate of food.
“Peachy.” Ares’s stony expression is harder than usual, and that causes my worry to skyrocket. “Come on, Lev, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
Dave Fox’s eyes remain intent on us as we walk away from the table, as if he were debating whether to follow us.
“What’s up? Is Zara ok?” I ask Ares once we’re standing next to one of the full-length paned patio doors that lead out to the dining room’s veranda and out of earshot from anyone attending the charity event.
“She’s with Chance.” He says. “I need you to go tell Kelly that Zara came down with food poisoning and you’re taking her to your house. Then meet me outside by the valet.”
I frown, concerned about my girlfriend. “Food poisoning? It can’t be something she ate here. I hope the eggs you cooked this morning weren’t bad. They shouldn’t be; the house keepers stock the fridge every Wednesday and gets rid of anything that’s past its best before date.”
“She doesn’t have food poisoning, Lev. I’ll explain everything in a second. Just tell Kelly that you’re gonna take care of Zara and that she’s going to text her later.”
The urgency in his tone convinces me to do as I’m told and to wait for an explanation.
I find Kelly engrossed in a conversation with the deputy mayor and the charity chairman.
“Oh no, poor baby.” Kelly immediately gasps. “If she isn’t feeling well, I can delegate the rest of my duties and come home to take care of her.”
I know Kelly likes me, and the sentiment is mutual.
Despite the fact that her relationship with Zara has had its rocky moments, I have no doubt that she loves her daughter, and she’s concerned about her wellbeing.
I’m not saying that my parents don’t care about me, but they would never leave a work function unless I was on death’s door.
They would just send one of the paid house staff to take care of me and report to them.
“She’s going to be fine, Kelly, I promise.” I feel guilty that I’m lying to her, but I trust Ares must have a good reason for asking me to do this. “She just wants to go home with me, and I’ll take care of her. If she feels worse, I promise we’ll call you. Is that ok?”
Zara’s mom squeezes my forearm. “Thank you, Lev. I’m so glad my daughter fell for a dependable, wonderful young man like you.”
“Ok.” I urge Ares once I join him outside the Country Club, waiting for the valet to bring back my car. “What’s going on?”
Shock is the feeling that hits me once I hear what Ares has to say.
“That motherfucker.” I seethe. “If you and Chance hadn’t gotten there in time, I can’t think what would have happened.”
“I know.” Ares’s dark expression mirrors the feelings of anger and worry that are expanding in my chest. “Fuck, Ares, I’m sorry.
When Dave presented me and Chance with that initiation task, we could have never imagined it would turn into this fucking mess.
I hope you know that if we had known that Zara would get tangled into this in any way, we would have never—”
He sighs, clasping my shoulder in a soothing way. “I know, Lev. But feeling guilty doesn’t help our situation now. We need you guys out of this mess, and this is more urgent than ever if we want to keep Zara safe from Morelli and from whoever tried to hit her bike a second time.”
I can’t help but agree with him. “Yeah, but how? How are we going to get out from under Morelli without putting Zara in even more danger? I can’t believe they were fucking listening to us.
” A shudder works its way through me at the thought that Mason and his men were listening not only to our plans but also to our most intimate moments.
Just the idea of that makes me feel a strange mix of emotions. I’m furious, but I feel violated, too.
“I’m still trying to work it out.” Ares says.
“But whatever we do, we need to act carefully. I don’t know if Morelli thinks that his threats are going to keep us in line or if he’s expecting some kind of retaliation from us.
Either way, he’s probably watching us. So whenever we make our move, it has to be decisive because we aren’t going to get a second chance. ”
Ares is right.
Ares
“We should go to my house and search for those bugs.” Lev says as he accepts his car keys from the valet.
I shake my head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Morelli told Zara that a good businessman keeps his assets under constant control. If we remove whatever he has installed to listen, he’ll know that we know what he’s up to.”
“But didn’t he just tell Zara that he’s listening to us?” Lev argues.
“He was vague about it. I think he just implied that he had had us followed after the race. But he knew our plans in too much detail. He had to have listened to what we were saying this morning and last night. Until we’re sure about what’s going on, we can’t use your house anymore, or if we do, we need to be aware that we’re being spied on. ”
Lev runs a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “Fuck. You’re right. So if not to my house, where do you want to go? I wouldn’t mind checking on Zara.”
“Don’t do anything out of the ordinary. Zara is safe with Chance at my place.
Let’s not draw attention to them for now.
I think we need to pretend that we’re none the wiser about what Zara told us, so you should go home tonight.
After we go see your parents. I want to know everything they can tell us about Morelli and his family. ”
Lev nods, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “Fine. I guess we should warn them too.”
“Your car might be under surveillance, too.” I warn him as I walk around his SUV to ride shotgun.
“So we should turn the radio on during our ride to your parents’ office.
Once we get there, if you don’t mind, let me do the initial talking.
We don’t know if their offices are under surveillance, too. ”
The ride to Lev’s family’s law firm is a short one.
As we leave the new marina where the Country and Yachts Club is located, we drive past the pier and the new port, headed toward the heart of downtown Star Cove.
This is one of the oldest areas of town; most of the buildings have been standing since the turn of the last century or even before then.
We drive past Main Street with the Grand Hotel and an array of cafes and restaurants, and upmarket boutiques. These shops serve the tourists during the summer; but, unlike the pier where most establishments are seasonal, the core of these businesses remain open year round.
Past the most commercial part of Main Street, we come into view of the Town Hall, the courthouse and the sheriff’s station.
Lev’s family firm, Larson and Reilly, is located right across the courthouse.
The imposing building is covered in white stucco, with columns decorating the front.
A mahogany reception desk is the first point of contact for whoever comes in.
Despite it being past six p.m., the receptionist is still at her desk.
“Good evening, can I help you? Oh, Levin, sweetheart. How nice to see you. Ares, you too. I don’t think I’ve seen you since…” her voice fades away.
She hasn’t seen me since she attended Atlas’s funeral with half the town. Donna has been with Lev’s parents probably since way before we were born and has known all of us forever.
I offer her a nod, and our gazes meet. Her brown eyes are full of understanding and compassion, and no words are necessary.
Dad’s sports agency is right next door, and Donna had to put up with me, Lev, and my brothers running around this very reception every time school was let out early.
That was before Chance and Lev began playing hockey more seriously and Atlas and I became old enough to be trusted at home without adult supervision.
“Good evening, Donna. Are my parents in?”
The middle-aged woman’s eyes go from us to the flat screen of her computer. “They are. I’m sorry to ask you this, but do you have an appointment? They’re both working on big cases right now, and you know how busy they get.”
“I know.” Lev nods, his tone still kind. “But Ares and I need to talk to both of them. We won’t be long, but it’s important.”
After a moment of hesitation, Donna nods. “Of course. I’m going to let them know. The boardroom should be empty right now; if you want to head there, they’ll be with you as soon as they can.”
We walk past the reception desk and up a grand staircase that leads to the executive offices on the top floor.
The ground floor is occupied by the junior associates and the paralegals who work for the firm.