Embry grimaced. “Can you take me to Cam’s place? I don’t feel like being alone with this today.”
Knew that feeling. I drove him to the beach cottage the president of the Rebel Kings shared with his lovers. But I didn’t go inside. My breakfast meeting with Rubi was the last thing on my mind, and I had no interest in bringing it forward.
The car was Mateo’s. I left it at his house and walked back to the compound, my phone vibrating over and over in my pocket. I let it be for as long as I could handle, only pulling it out when I’d showered and finally found my way to Locke’s room.
I dug some clean shorts out of the bag I’d brought upstairs and lay down on the bed, phone in hand, exhaustion already driving my eyes to half-lids.
The screen was crowded with messages and a missed call from Jekka.
I called her back, putting her on speaker as I scrolled through the messages.
Alexei:Our objective remains. We should meet before the trucks come home.
Before Decoy came home and I had more to worry about than stalking mafia boats. I replied with a thumbs up as the call home connected.
“Folk?”
“I’m here. Sorry, I was driving. Everything okay?”
“Of course.” Jekka’s voice was as light and cheery as I imagined Ivy’s would be if she survived her childhood without a bucket of trauma she didn’t deserve. “I just wanted to tell you that the court approved our early adoption application. I expected it to take longer, but paperwork came back this morning.”
She was still getting used to that. How the authorities she’d dealt with for decades had suddenly become well-oiled machines.
My dad knew what was up.
Jekka was good at pretending she didn’t.
“That’s great.” I fought a yawn. Lost. “You all set for the next part?”
“More forms? I leave all that for your dad. You know how he is. What about you? Are you all right?”
Yes and no. I gave Jekka the answers she wanted and let her talk my ear off before she told me she loved me and hung up.
I felt hollow when she was gone. I didn’t know many people with parents like mine, and I was living my life three hundred miles away.
It’s safer that way.
I sent a text to my brother anyway, checking in, bossing him around. I got what I deserved in return, but it made me feel better about shutting it all down and devoting my attention to the last unread message on my phone.
Decoy:might need to happen before then. won’t be home till late on thursday
Which begged the question, how would we meet? But I saw the logic. We needed to talk before anything in Ivy’s life changed, and we couldn’t do that if we left it until she was home and I was already guarding the house.
Folk:I’m off all day if you want to call.
Three dots appeared as Decoy typed back.
Decoy:ngl, don’t really want to have this conversation with Mateo sitting next to me. can we text?
I sent him a thumbs-up emoji and massaged the joints in my hands—the part of my body that gave me the most pain when I was knackered. Texting wasn’t my favourite thing, but for Decoy—for Seth—I could make it work.
Another message buzzed through.
Decoy:this is a weird fucking thing to ask u
I waited. A second message buzzed through a moment later.
Decoy:nash wants you to stay with us when ivy’s home
