“No,” I sigh softly. “But she doesn’t trust me and from everything she told Ivy about her brother, I fully believe she will do everything and anything to protect him. Even from me.”
“But she asked for your help,” Raven points out, slowly spinning in her chair until she faces me. “That’s got to count for something.”
“It does. But in the same breath, if her brother asked her to run, then she would and I would lose both of them.”
“So we’re spying?” Ivy’s voice drifts from the half-open doorway where she stands with a steaming mug of tea in hand.
Meeting her gaze over my shoulder, I shake my head. “Not spying. I had Valentina clone her phone for security reasons.”
“Security,” Ivy repeats, narrowing her eyes. “Did you guys clone my phone last year?”
“Didn’t have to,” Raven replies immediately. “Ruslan was all over you from the get-go. Bradley’s more of a pussycat, toying with someone from a distance.”
“Excuse me,” I cut in as Ivy laughs. “I’m not toying with her, I’m pro?—”
“Protecting her?” Ivy cuts in, and she smirks over the edge of her cup. “I understand. But just make sure you tell her you did this because if she finds out later, then you’ll be in trouble.” With a wink at Raven, Ivy vanishes and closes the door behind her.
I’m left with the distinct feeling that Ivy and Raven had a secret discussion I couldn’t hear and from the knowing look Raven gives me, it must have been about Zira.
“I did this for her,” I repeat. “Peter keeps his phone off when he’s not using it, anyway.”
“You don’t have to justify this stuff to me,” Raven says as she swivels back to her computer. “There’s a lot worse things going on than cloning a phone. The bigger question is whether or not she’s going to tell you about this.” Raven reaches for the screen and taps at it, shrinking down the clone of Zira’s phone and enlarging the running trace on Peter’s number.
“She might tell me. Or she might not. I understand her need to feel safe and how she’s been thrown into this disaster, but things get fuzzy around her brother.”
“She’s loyal. Only family, right?”
“Yup.”
“I found an old article about the house fire that killed her parents. You might remember it. That whole tower block that went up in flames about fifteen years ago? There were so many people killed that the names would cycle at the bottom of news stories for hours. No wonder she and her brother slipped through the cracks.”
“A fire,” I repeat, casting my mind back. This city has so many scars but there’s something faintly familiar about the story. “Being alone in the world at fourteen sounds impossible.”
“Not impossible,” Raven replies quickly. “I did it.”
“And you became the biggest thorn in everyone’s side as a result.” Reaching for the top of her head, I ruffle her curls until she bats my hand away.
“People always think their bank accounts and shit are safe. It’s not my fault some of the biggest criminals in the world use the dumbest passwords.”
“What was mine again?”
Raven swivels back to face me. “Pineapple. What a dumb password.”
“Being rich and powerful makes you complacent.”
“Clearly.” Raven playfully rolls her eyes and returns to her computer. “I didn’t get a lock on this guy. He’s pretty damn paranoid.”
“What do we do now?”
“Well, if Zira tells you about the messages, then I can be open about tracing them. Maybe get her to call him and see if he answers. If she keeps it a secret, then…” Her lips purse and she sighs. “We’ll be waiting for the next message. Either way, as soon as his phone is active, I’ll be tracing.”
“Thanks, Raven. You’re going to be at Ruslan’s party, right?”
Her lips pull into a wide grin as she stands. “Couldn’t drag me away.”
Leaving Raven’s office, I walk down the long hallway and head toward the kitchen. If Zira trusts me with the messages, then I’ll tell her immediately that I cloned her phone. The last thing I want to do is sow more distrust, but keeping her safe remains my priority outside of fixing Damian’s problem. Somewhere along the line, her importance crept in front of his and I can’t place why.
Is it because she poured herself into my lap like liquid honey and made me harder than I’ve been in years? Or because she bites at me a little every time she talks and it’s a little thrilling? I can’t figure it out and she consumes my thoughts so intensely that I nearly crash into Ivy in the kitchen. Luckily, she reacts faster and scoots out of my way.
