Chapter Thirty–Nine
Stefano
TAZI’S IN MY FACE the second I walk through the front door of the Pink House. “Uh, hey, boss. Do you...need help with something?”
“If I needed your help, I’d have called you, wouldn’t I?”
“Yes. Yes, of course.” She falls in step behind me as I head for the stairs. “It’s just that you, um, never really come here?”
“I’ve been here enough to know my way around. Get back to whatever you were doing.”
“Ah. Sure. Of course, boss.”
Halfway up the staircase, I stop and look down at her. “Wait. Did Louisa receive any packages while I was away?”
Tazi thinks for a second, then shakes her head. “No, nothing. I would have updated you right away, like you asked, boss.”
I nod and continue to the second floor, down the hallway that leads to Raya’s room.
Two girls walking up the hall stop the second they see me. One lets out a squeak, turns, and scurries off.
“Louisa. Stop.”
She halts, shoulders tight as she slowly turns. “I have not heard from her. She has not contacted me, I swear it, senor.”
“Then why are you running?”
“Because you are s-s-scary. And you hate me b-because of Raya.”
No, I resent her because Raya trusted her.
Because she gave her loyalty to Raya instead of me.
As if I’m not the one giving her protection, housing her, feeding her.
She was on no one’s radar, and somehow Raya knew she could leave something that sensitive with her and it wouldn’t see the light of day before its time.
Truth is, that kind of loyalty is rare. It’s why she’s still here. Someone this trustworthy, who’d keep a secret even to their own detriment, is worth having around. But she’s not getting any medals for it. I’m still bitter. Still resentful of whatever connection she formed with Raya.
“Get the fuck out of my sight.”
As Louisa hurries off, I continue down the hall to Raya’s room and fish the key from my pocket.
During her confinement, I ordered that this room be kept locked and untouched. Off-limits. After her disappearance, I’d sneak in some nights and sleep in her bed because the pillows still smelled like her. This room will always be hers.
I unlock the door and head straight to the nightstand.
There it is, a small frame with a black-and-white photo of the clock tower. It’s always been there, hiding in plain sight. Posing as a generic store-bought decor.
I pick it up, flip it over, and slide the backing off. Written on the back of the photo: 444.
Where have I seen this before?
Louisa…
I jog out into the hall, and head down to the room on the right at the end. When the first knock goes unanswered, I pound harder.
Louisa cracks the door open, eyes wide, face pale.
There. A delicate golden necklace around her neck with a 444 pendant resting at her collarbone.
“What d-did I d-do?” she stammers.
She flinches when I reach for the pendant, watching as my fingers graze it. “Did Raya give you this?”
“Oh. Sí. I mean, yes.”
“When?”
“On the same night she gave me the flash drives,” she replies, voice small. “She said it is an angel number, and that it would, um...guide me and…” She ducks her head, avoiding my eyes. “Protect me...from, um, harm.”
Protection from me.
I almost laugh.
For the first time in months, the tightness in my chest loosens. A lightness breaks through, and a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.
Message received, Raya. I won’t touch your precious messenger.
Both messages received.
Turns out my little liar do want me to find her, after all.
~
GIO BARGES INTO my penthouse suite at Black Gold and clocks the half-packed travel bag on the bed. I’ve been living here ever since Raya vanished, because it’s the only place besides my office where people know better than to bother me.
Lorenzo and Gio never fails to test my patience, though.
“Heard you were back,” Gio says, dropping his jacket on a chair. “So I went ahead and confirmed a lunch meeting with the Koreans for tomorrow.”
“Cancel it.”
“Stefano, you worked your ass off on that deal. Sure, there was that car bombing shit, but in good faith, they’ve since acquiesced to every single demand you made without pushback. And now you won’t even make the time to get this goddamn thing off the ground—”
“I said cancel it.”
“All because of some fucking—”
“Think real carefully before you finish that sentence,” I warn.
He stiffens. “Stefano, don’t do this.”
I fold a pair of gloves and toss them in the bag. “I’m flying out in a few hours. I won’t be at that meeting.”
“Where? To chase another bullshit lead?”
“It’s not bullsh—”
“She’s GONE, Stefano!” he shouts, voice echoing through the suite. “She left us. She left you. If she wanted to be here, she’d be here. Hang it the fuck up already!”
“There has to be more—”
“What are you gonna do if you find her, huh?” he steamrolls.
“Drag her back? Chain her up? Force her to be with you? You don’t even know her!
She lied. About everything. She’s a fucking liar.
Fooled all of us. Snuck in, reeled us in, then fucked off.
How do you even know she’s not the one feeding you these so-called ‘leads’?
Wake the hell up, man. This isn’t you. You’re smarter than this. ”
We stare each other down for a hard minute, fists clenched at my sides to stop myself from decking him in the mouth.
“Like I said,” I grit out, “I won’t be at that meeting tomorrow.”
Lorenzo barges in next, laptop in hand. “Not even if Raya herself says you should?”
We both turn to him. “What?”
“I was going through the daily briefing when the screen suddenly went blue and these words popped up…”
He strides over and flips the laptop around.
Tell him to take care of the deal with the Koreans...
First.
A dry, humorless laugh falls out of me. “Am I supposed to believe that’s Raya? Nice try, you two.”
Gio throws up his hands. “Don’t look at me. I’m not in on this.”
“Stefano—” Lorenzo starts, but a grating whine cuts him off.
“What the—?”
“Wait, look,” Gio says, leaning in. “There’s typing.”
I snap my attention back to the screen just as new words appear:
Ask me a question neither of them would know the answer to...
Unconvinced, I flick my gaze to Lorenzo. “You’re not fucking with me? That’s her?”
He shakes his head no.
“Then how can she hear us?”
He frowns, studying the laptop. “She probably tapped into the mic. The webcam’s blocked.”
Nah, this is too convenient. Nothing but a ploy to trick me into making that meeting. Still…
Lorenzo and Gio are the two closest people to me, so what’s something they wouldn’t know, but she would?
Well, maybe… “What’s the number you left for me to find?”
The screen blinks…
444
Something jolts in my chest. Holy shit, it’s her.
And now I have a million questions. “Why do you—”
The screen flashes as new words appear…
Don’t blow up that deal for me.
That’s a major project. Handle it first.
First.
She used that word twice. “First” is a confirmation. Somehow, she knows I cracked her clue, that I’m coming for her. She’s not telling me not to come, but to handle my business first.
“Okay, I will,” I say out loud. “But you’re in so much trouble when I find you, hear me?”
New words appear on the screen:
Can’t wait :)
And then it flickers to black and the computer begins to reboot.
Just like that, she’s gone again.
“Fucking hell,” Gio mutters, rubbing his jaw. “How the hell does she know what’s going on here? Someone’s got to be reporting shit to her.”
I laugh, light and loose for the first time in months. “Better question is how she knew we were under threat and needed help in the first place.”
Lorenzo frowns. “You think she’s with THE O?”
“I’ve thought it.” I turn to the suitcase on the bed and start unpacking. “But it doesn’t make sense. Maybe she used to be with them? An ex-member or a rogue?”
“Or maybe she’s got them as hacked as she has us,” Gio grumbles, visibly irritated. “Oh hey, what’s that about a number she left for you?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be at the meeting tomorrow.” I flick my wrist to shoo them out. “Now, get the fuck out. Both of you.”
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Lorenzo mutters as he heads for the door. “Not like it’s my laptop she hijacked or anything. Pussy-whipped motherfucker.”
“Whatever, stalker.”
“At least I know where to find mine to stalk her,” he throws over his shoulder.
“At least I got to fuck mine, creeper.”
“At least I—”
“For Pete’s sake, you’re both pathetic,” Gio cuts in.
“Fuck off, Gio,” we say in unison.