“You can’t tell anyone what you saw tonight,” he ordered. “That’s non-negotiable.”
“Sounded like she’s part of the problem Baikal’s people are looking into,” Pavel said, not sounding all that interested. “Are you planning on keeping it from him as well?”
“I’m going to ask Madden to figure out a way to deal with it.” Madden was better with the others. He’d be able to cover Aodhan’s tracks and still get the right information to the Brumal.
“You trust him, but not me?”
“The night Kazimir snuck Lyra into my apartment on campus, Aodhan was visiting. He’s usually in control of his urges, but that night…I don’t know. Something happened and he slipped up. It was messy. He’s not as skilled as he is now.” Zane had never told anyone this story before, and even though he’d started it without any prompting, he hesitated.
“He called you?” Pavel frowned. “His younger brother? He called you to come clean up his mess?”
“Not exactly.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It was at a bar. A guy wouldn’t take no for an answer and Aodhan lost his cool. They were in the back area, so it wasn’t super noticeable, but Madden happened to be there drinking with some racer friends. He sent them away and had them cordon off the area. He was the one who called me.”
Only, Lyra had been the one to pick up the phone, because Zane had been seeing Kazimir out. He’d wasted time trying to explain to Kaz that it wasn’t okay for him to bring other people into the bedroom like that without discussing it first. It’d been a waste of breath, the same way most words spoken with the Brumal member were.
Kazimir had spouted some nonsense about how Zane and Lyra were already fucking anyway—which they had not been—so it shouldn’t have been a big deal. At that point, he may have been living at the Little Palace, but he wasn’t spending any sort of time in Lyra’s bed.
That had all changed after that night largely thanks to Kaz and his misunderstanding. If only he’d asked about it beforehand, Zane could have set him straight and the whole thing could have been avoided. But no. Kazimir only ever put himself first and rarely thought things through.
“Aodhan had smashed a guy’s skull in, and it turned out he was a Royal. It was too big of a mess for Madden to handle onhis own at the time. We were young, stupid and reckless, but no one had really killed anyone yet.”
“Can’t believe that was only four years ago,” Pavel let out a whistle. “How times have changed.”
“Yes, well.” He turned onto the street and headed toward the underground parking garage to the club. “Lyra got involved. She fixed the problem. I’d rather her have nothing to do with it this time, so Madden will have to do.”
Pavel waited until they’d parked and Zane had turned the car off before reaching over to lightly grasp his nape. “What’s this about an organ trafficking ring, Doctor? Lyra’s behind that as well, right? Is this also where that all began?”
He licked his lips. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’ve already said too much.”
“This is how we get to know one another. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? You wanted us to talk more.” Pavel pulled away and opened his door. “Come on. Let’s finish this inside.”
With no other choice but to follow, Zane rolled his eyes and exited the vehicle.
Chapter 24:
“Are we alone?” Zane asked as soon as they stepped off the elevator and into the penthouse suite.
“I sent Ledger and Nikita back to his place,” Pavel answered, heading straight for the kitchen.
“Why were they here at all?”
Ledger’s apartment was pretty close by, and as far as Zane knew, just as nice. Their parents had bought it for him as a high school graduation gift. Originally it’d been meant for the two of them, but when Pavel had opened up Concealed three years ago, he’d moved in, leaving the old place to his brother.
“The added security gave Nikitia peace of mind,” he explained, starting up the espresso machine and moving about the kitchen to collect items with a clear purpose. “He’s having family troubles, from what I’ve gathered.”
“He should get in line.” Zane took the bar stool that Pavel had been sitting on the last time they were there.
The other Retinue member paused. “I’m not having family problems. Well, not unless you count my struggles with you.”
“I don’t.” Because they weren’t family.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Pavel didn’t turn around, busy setting up something on the counter, “but you’re wrong.”
“Oh? What was I thinking then?”
“That we’re not family.” He turned back and set a drink down on the island, sliding it over to him.
Zane stared at the familiar drink, the same one he frequently ordered at the Velvet Brew. “Knowing my coffee order makes you my stalker, not my family.” He took it, but fiddled with the straw, torn. “If I drink this now, I won’t be able to sleep.”
