Page 70 of Abundance of Obsession

“Good luck,” I snort and smile maliciously.

Theo speaks up. “Wait a minute. First, how did he learn about this? He must have someone among us, and we keep that kind of information tightly under wraps anyway. And second, why did he go to his enemy with this? He knows we’re working together.”

Ryker rubs his face with both hands and sighs. “That’s exactly why we’re meeting here. Currently, people are checking my apartment and Feather for any bugs or cameras. Nico could have guessed, but he had no way of knowing for sure. That means either one of us betrayed us, or someone’s eavesdropping. I rule out the first possibility. Nico contacted Ismael because he knew I wouldn’t want to hear what he has to say. After all, he has Aisling. I won’t believe any of his assurances.”

“What assurances?” I can’t hold back. “For God’s sake, he’s holding your sister captive.”

“That’s exactly the point, Eli. Nico claims she isn’t being held captive at all. She’s there of her own free will.”

“What the fuck?” Theo turns to us, disbelief written all over his face.

“I don’t believe it. There’s no way,” I say.

Ryker swallows and is silent for a moment. He’s thinking. When he speaks, his voice is even quieter. “I’m not so sure, guys. The first rumors that came out were that she’d gone into hiding under Veirix’s wing out of fear of the Pact. She never tried to contact me. Not once. But she had the chance to talk to Ash about how she should be careful around me. Regardless of her being under surveillance, I’m sure she could have slipped in a word unnoticed that she needed help. Then all those events muddled my mind, and I believed she was being held by force, that she was under surveillance, and that the whole infiltration machine set in motion by Zoe. But what if—”

“If we saw what someone wanted us to see,” Theo finishes for him.

“Exactly. Maybe I wanted to see that she’s there against her will, or that someone manipulated her. Because then it would mean that my little sister is still inside that woman. What if I let that cloud my vision because that version of the truth won’t destroy me? Believing she’s a victim hurts less than the alternative. If she’s in Veirix voluntarily—that means she consciously chose to act against me.”

I place my hand on his shoulder and squeeze it.

What Ry is going through right now, these dilemmas, are fucking hard. I’m afraid the truth might be equally hard. And my heart aches at seeing him in this state. The person he cherishes most, the one he has sought for years, could be an enemy now.

Admitting out loud that he might be right about what he said changes nothing.

“What stance has Ismael taken?” Theo asks, lowering his gaze.

“All he cares about is that the operations run smoothly and without complications. As long as the money in his pocket adds up, he doesn’t give a damn if we slaughter each other to the ground, though he offers support.”

“Sure. And that’s why he got rid of Charles Baker,” I scoff.

Ryker won’t deliver the justice his wife deserves with his own hands. I’m sure of it. “His time will come too,” he adds.

“So what’s next?” Theo asks.

“For now, we wait—” The ding from a phone interrupts Ryker. He reaches into his pocket and reads the message. His brow furrows, then he quickly taps the screen and tucks it back into his pocket. “Fuck. I’ve got my answer. No cameras, Feather’s clean. There were two bugs in the apartment.”

A growl escapes me before I can stop it.

“Now your father’s obsession with bugs doesn’t seem so paranoid,” Theo says in a grave voice. “How did this happen?”

“I have a hunch it’s the internet guy. We had some minor issues a while back, and Ash called in a technician. I wasn’t there, but that’s really the only time a stranger has been in our house. I need to talk to her about where she got the number and check the security footage.”

“They jammed your signal,” I say, referring to a trick as old as the hills.

Ryker nods and finishes his previous thought. “As I said, let’s wait a little longer—two or maybe three weeks—and get Zoe out of this mess. And then I’ll write my will before I tell my wife what we’ve done.”

“Can I take over your shares in Feather?” I joke.

Theo sizes me up. “Do you even remember what to do with a woman. I haven’t seen you with any since Zoe joined our ranks. I wonder why?”

I fall silent, though I know he’s right and they know it too. Over the past few weeks, Zoe has become the only constant in my life. All roads lead straight to her.

“I decided to take a break and have chosen celibacy. Nothing strange in that.”

I shrug, and both brothers’ eyes are glued to me. I don’t give them the satisfaction of admitting anything, though, and stare motionless at the fading sky on the horizon. And then Theo bursts into such thunderous laughter that the corner of my mouth rises a little.

Theo, a man so gruff that you wouldn’t find his like in books, laughs as though he has just heard the funniest joke in the world.