Everything was complicated.
I blew out a breath, digging my hand into my pocket, pulling out my phone, and dialing Vitale’s number. I pressed the phone to my ear, my eyes taking in the vast expanse of Elio’s compound from the roof where we’d kissed for the first time, where this whole thing started.
Vitale picked up on the fourth ring. “Wow, pigs reallycanfly. Zahra Faizan initiating a call to me willingly?” he said in greeting.
“Hey, Vit.”
“Hey.” There was silence… then, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. How are you?”
Another silence, longer than the first time. He soon broke it. “I’m… good. How are you?”
“Good too.”
He scoffed. “Okay, what’s going on? You can’t be calling me for no reason.”
“I’m tired of lying,” I blurted, and he went silent again. I swallowed, closing my eyes and letting out a long breath before opening my eyes again. “I’m tired of lying to them, Vitale.”
“Faizan—”
“I have to tell them why I’m here. I have to tell Elio about the flash drives. I know he’ll understand and help because he wants to help, he told me he’d help me find them and—and imagine all the progress we can make if I tell Elio everything I know about that organization. We could—”
“Zahra.” His voice was sharp. “Stop for a second, and think, please.”
I closed my eyes. “I can’t keep lying to them.”
“You’re almost at the finish line. Everything is going according to plan. You have the map, and soon you’ll find the flash drives—”
“It’s getting harder; the map took us to Brazil, and it was a bust. A dead end.”
“Of course there would be dead ends. I’m positive Street will get it right. You specifically brought in the best of the best. We’ve tested them out from petty crimes to the big leagues.”
“Vitale, I can’t—”
“Rememberwhyyou’re there, remember how long you’ve put everything on hold to find those fucking flash drives. Remember where you truly belong. I can only hold the fort for so long, Faizan.”
“Fuck.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “Fine, I won’t tell Street… but Elio, he already knows about the organization; I just need to tell him about the flash drives.”
“Faizan—”
“I won’t betray him, Vit. We’re changing the plan.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“When we find the flash drives, I’ll hand them over to him and ask him to give us the one we need.”
“And you think he’ll just hand it over to you?”
I could almost see his frown. I sighed. “I trust him. I know he’ll understand.”
He was quiet for a while before he spoke. “You’re making a mistake, Faizan.”
“Call off the operation. Let me handle this on my own.”
“I can’t just—”
“I’m not asking, Vitale. That’s an order.”
