My heart constricts. The question could be as innocent as asking me how I am.
But it's not. Is it…
He slipped the question in so casually that I might easily have answered without thinking. But Iamthinking.
I'm sharp and focused.And now he's revealed the real reason he's calling.
"Here and there," I answer, no longer smiling. A trickle of sadness creeps into my chest.
Simon laughs. "Here and there. You're so vague. Let's say I wanted to grab a beer with you this week… Where would here and there be?"
Now he's pushing. A little too curious. A little too obvious.
My heart aches, but I guess I should have expected this exact call. Not from Marlen. Simon was the best candidate. He was never confrontational with me. He never publicly outed melike Marlen did. They thought I might've fallen for his sneaky attempt to find my location.
But clearly they're fishing.
They know Nikita is missing, and I'm suspect numero uno. I'm not offended about being the prime suspect. I am offended because, after all this time, the only reason my brother called me was to manipulate me. Not because he missed me. Not because he cared about how I'm doing.
I swallow away my pain and my pride and clear my throat, forcing a laugh.
"You'd have to get on a plane and fly over half the day if you wanted to meet me for a beer," I laugh again. "I'm out of the county. I figured after everything that happened, an overseas holiday would clear my head and give me a chance to find myself again," I lie.
"Oh, wow, yeah, that makes sense. So you're… You're getting over things? Uh, I mean, you're working past it?" he asks, surprised.
This is good. I've made it sound like I have no grudges. And like any grudges I did have, I'm trying to let it go. I'm trying to be a better person. It's better than him knowing I'm wallowing in anger and vengeance.
"Yeah, man. Life is too short. People make mistakes. You can't focus on it and let it consume you. But listen, when I get back, I'd love to get that beer with you. I'll give you a call. It will be great to see you," I say.
"You too, Bardil. Have a good evening."
I end the call.
For a long time, I stare at my phone lying face up on the kitchen counter.
Shit. That conversation brought up an expected surge of emotions. I honestly thought he was calling to say hi. How stupid of me.
Sighing heavily, I push the phone away.
I wish I hadn't answered the call. It completely killed my mood. My brother… A spy for the Abashins. Trying to coax information out of me.
That same old anger spikes inside me. Festering, growing.
No, answering the call was a good thing. I managed to steer them off me. Now they need to go back to the drawing board and find a whole new suspect. I've prolonged their misery. I've drawn out their worry. This is what I wanted. I want them to suffer.
"That looks good," her voice jumps me from my thoughts.
"Welcome to the party," I smile, grateful for her distracting me.
"A pizza party? I can roll with that." She steps up to the counter and looks down at the raw circle of pizza dough I've rolled out and coated with base. "Did you already put garlic on here?" she asks.
Nikita grabs a handful of pepperoni and starts placing pieces on the pizza I was building.
"I did. But not too much in case you didn't like garlic," I reply, my eyes on her.
My heart slips with surprise warmth as I watch her. She hums quietly, completely oblivious to the effect she has on me. It's better she doesn't know. She would use it against me.
"Mushrooms?" I ask, pushing the bowl toward her while I start working on the second pizza.
