Ollie nodded. “I know what you mean. Lithuania was Christianised in the thirteen hundreds, so traditional music became heavily influenced by Gregorian chants. There was a lot of opera around the royal court too, but that may have been what Anna ran away from.”
Shay couldn’t tell if Ollie was joking, but the theory resonated with him. “I quit my classical music degree to play the banjo in workingmen’s clubs.”
“It’s in the blood, then.”’
“But how? Anna’s connection to me is through marriage.”
“Yes, but she had a child when she was married to your sixth great-grandfather. She left the baby in the capital—your fifth great-grandmother, also called Anna—so her blood remained in your family even though they never saw her again.”
“When did she die?”
“I don’t know. Her trail went cold, and I’ve tried everything to pick it up over the last few days because I figured you’d want to know more, but all I could find was a folk band in Vilnius who still play music from the region where Anna was most well known.”
The idea that Ollie had spent the last few days still searching for Anna nearly finished Shay off. He rubbed his chest, trying to ease the knot there. Discovering Anna had left him breathless—awed in a way he couldn’t describe. Was it wrong to wish it had come from someone else? To resent Ollie for having the keys to his past when he had zero interest in Shay’s present?
He sighed again, avoiding Ollie’s gaze. “Do you have a recording of the folk band?”
“No, but I have a YouTube link I can send you.”
“That works.”
Ollie handed Shay his phone. Shay lifted the link and sent it to himself on WhatsApp without much conscious thought, but a flutter tickled his chest when his own phone buzzed.It’s professional, you goon. But to Shay it meant something, even if it meant nothing.
Chapter Nine
“This wasRudolph’s shop?” Shay stood in front of the Italian cafe, staring up at the grand old building. “Where he sold hardware?”
“That’s right. It was in business until the sixties, when this family took it over.”
“What happened to Rudolph after that?”
Ollie panned the camera around Shay in a sweeping shot, grateful these streets weren’t as busy as the ones around the library. “Not much. He died not long after his son took over the shop, and his daughter moved to England. I don’t think he ever got over what happened in the war, though. Lots of Danish people didn’t.”
Shay was silent, like he had been for long periods since they’d left the library. Ollie’s presence seemed to irritate him, but he’d jumped at the opportunity to take a detour on the way back to the bus, his curiosity about his past apparently too strong to ignore.
Ollie was trying not to notice how gorgeous he was standing stock-still on the pavement, framed by the afternoon sun. And trying not to admit how awkward their encounter had been so far. He’d left the tour to clear the air—among other reasons—but his vibe with Shay was heavier than ever. Suffocating, and yet too thrilling to push aside.Man, this dude fucks me up.
And viewing him on the tiny camera screen was pure torture. Ollie shut the camera off. Shay didn’t seem to notice, even when Ollie closed the distance between them, resisting the urge to nudge him like he might’ve done a week ago. “That’s it for the day, unless there’s anything else you want to know?”
“Know about what?”
Shay still wasn’t looking at him. Frustration rippled through Ollie, and though he knew he deserved Shay’s indifference, he wanted to shake him all the same. “About… Rudolph, Anna, what we’re gonna do next.”
“I thought it was a big mystery.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t tell you anything.”
“No?” Shay finally turned. The sun was still behind him, its shadow obscuring his face. “Then why won’t you tell me what’s bothering you so much?”
“Bothering me?”
Shay rolled his eyes. “Don’t deflect. Just tell me to fuck off. It’s easier… and quicker.”
“I don’t want you to fuck off.”
“Then whatdoyou want?” Shay stepped forwards, breaking free of the sun as he invaded Ollie’s personal space—all milky skin, long limbs, and a gaze so fierce it pinned Ollie in place. “Because this shit between us is fucking weird.”
Ollie swallowed. He couldn’t deny it. He’d messed around with people on the job before and had always been able to push it aside when it mattered. To put his desire in a box and leave it there. But that had been before…that, and before Shay.Fuck this.“Are you hungry?”
