I intentionally sat with my back to the prison and sipped my wine. “Not bad at all.” Aside from the sofa and the fire feature, the patio held a small barbecue, a café table and pair of chairs, a covered drink cart, and a breathtaking view of sky, water, and hills twinkling with lights.
Bray sat adjacent to me, on the long leg of the L-shape. The setting felt like a date. Though, if we were on a date, I’d have been halfway in his lap by this point. Maybe even inside his sweater for extra warmth.
“Are you warm enough?” Bray asked.
With the fire two feet away and his enormous sweater wrapping me like a blanket, I couldn’t have been more content. Minus the part where we were within spitting distance of my father, and the whole reason we were even on the posh patio of a luxury condo in the first place being because a madwoman wanted to kill me.
“I’m good,” I said.
We sat in silence, and both stared at the fire. The flickering flames cast the mesmerizing elemental spell that always called to something primitive in my brain. I felt myself melt into a pleasant haze, despite the circumstances.
“Erin,” Bray eventually said. “We need to talk about what’s next.”
“You mean I can’t just stay hiding out in your parents’ luxury condo drinking expensive wine and staring at the bay forever?”
He quietly chuckled. “For now, yes. But not forever. My dad will eventually notice if all his wine is gone.”
“This is really excellent,” I said and smacked my lips after another sip.
Bray swirled his glass turned ruby red by the firelight. “I think it’s from his last trip to New Zealand.”
“How did your parents meet?” I asked. I rarely got the chance to ask someone personal questions without an ulterior motive; I was usually gathering intel to report back to my handler. Sitting out here in the twilight air sipping wine with Bray, I was genuinely curious to know more about him. “A secret government agent and an architect seem like an odd pair. And on that note, does your dad know what your mom does? Does he know whatyoudo?” My interest continued to be piqued as the questions spilled from my mouth.
He smiled at my enthusiasm. “Yes, to both—in general terms, at least. And they met in college. They’ve been married for over thirty years.”
I couldn’t imagine such a thing. I’d never had a long-term relationship in my life. I silently wondered if my parents would still be married if my mother hadn’t died. How would my life have turned out?
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked to avoid falling into a pit of what-ifs.
“I do. An older brother.”
“Is he in the family biz too?”
“Yes, but not this one.” He gestured at himself. “He actually works for my dad’s firm. I think it kind of broke my mom’s heart when her firstborn didn’t want to join the DSA.” He looked into his wineglass and took another sip. The potent juice seemed to be loosening his lips.
I thought about what Ramesh had said about Bray not wanting his career. “So, you followed in her footsteps to make up for it? Are you a mama’s boy?”
He smirked at me, but it was halfhearted. “No. But it did set me up for a lot to live up to. I do the best I can, and she still treats me like a child, as you saw.”
“She cares about you. Is that such a bad thing?”
“No, but it’s hard to be good at this with training wheels on.”
I felt the note of annoyance in his voice because I’d been there too. Being bossed around and not allowed to be independent. “But you’ve kicked those wheels off by going rogue, right?” I said with a sly grin.
He grinned back. “To taking matters into our own hands.” He lifted his glass, and I clinked mine against it.
“Do you even like your job?” I asked after a healthy sip.
He paused for a telling beat and then shrugged one shoulder. “It has its moments.”
“That was convincing. Would you rather work for your dad’s firm?”
At this, he laughed. “No. Johnny was always the one sketching and building things, not the one getting suspended for fighting in school, so our respective parent-pleasing roles make sense.”
I gasped in shock. “You, Agent Calvin Bray, gotsuspendedfor fighting in school?”
He held up a hand and half smiled. “It was in defense of a friend who was being bullied, but yes.”
