“Here.” She breathed.
This felt like a game. Every twist and turn filled Ray with a new rush of adrenaline, making her almost breathless.
“What’s his name?” she asked, and Angel blinked in her direction, his smile stretching,
“Are you going to help me fish him out?”
There it was, she thought, her own lips curving, he wanted her as a witness. A back-up.
Her eyes were sparkling when she leaned forward and placed her gun against his heart. Angel’s brows shot up, but he didn’t move as she grinned.
“If all you wanted was some help, then you could’ve just asked.” She started, tilting her head innocently as his eyes widened and he threw his head back to laugh, “I knew you wanted to prove your loyalty to us, but I didn’t know you were this desperate.”
His eyes flashed but she didn’t let him respond. Just pressed her gun against his chest, right on his pounding heart,
“I swear on the bullet that will someday enter your chest, that I’ll help you fish our rat out.”
He grinned.
“You understand if you break your promise, I might never die.”
“Of course.”
He nodded, “I can bank on that.” He said. Ray saw him lean forward, reaching out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear as he said,
“I assume we have a deal.” He said a bit faintly and Ray felt her heart pound in her chest.Thump, thump, thump.
“Tell me his name, Angel.” She said instead and his eyes looked into hers. Through her as she leaned back and sat on her legs.So close,a small voice in her head whispered,why didn’t you lean further?
“Sorin.” Angel breathed, his voice a bit low,
“Sorin Ardelean.”
10
Maya had never looked like this. Even as surprise rendered Ray frozen for a second, she didn’t dare stop moving until she was seated at the dining table. Maya had her chin resting on her fist, her hair slipping over her shoulder as she gazed into nowhere. She hadn’t said a word, which was an unwelcome change of scenery. Every morning it had been Maya who’d wished her, Maya who had managed to bring forth a sense of friendliness in the atmosphere.
Now it was as though Maya’s soft edge had sharpened into a dangerous sword.
It made this entire event far more uncomfortable than it already was. Ray had sat down next down to Kyle, who was seated next to his mother. Verana was on Ray’s other side while the Ravens occupied the opposite end of the table. No one said a word, not even Alessandro. Their breakfast was getting cold by the second, but it seemed as though no one was really hungry.
Ray didn’t know if this was a good sign or not.
She angled her head sideways, looking at Kyle as he laced a hand through his mother’s and sat there, his eyes trained ahead. Ray’s gaze strayed to the opposite end of the table, sharpening when she caught Martin’s hand adjusting the napkin in his lap. Those amber eyes that somehow looked different on his son, rose.
Ray’s chin tipped upwards, and Martin stopped fiddling.
Her eyes narrowed.How could a man like this lead the Ravens for so long?
She blinked and turned to face Angel. Those familiar amber eyes were trained on Maya’s face, lost in thought. Ray breathed out silently, remembering the touch of his hand, the way his words had brought her back from her daze. She didn’t know what was worse, the fact that Angel had taken her into his room or the way she’dlethim.
“Raylene.”
Maya’s voice was soft, but it snapped everyone out of their daze. Ray looked back at Maya, keeping her expression schooled to nonchalance when Maya’s brown eyes bored into her own. Ray’s spine erupted with shivers, but she only placed her hand down on the table and tipped her chin upwards,
“You have two tasks today.” Maya said and Ray’s head dipped as a sign of agreement, “First, you take the following people around.” Her eyes cut to a piece of beige paper in her hands. Ray blinked. She hadn’t even seen that appear. Immediately her thoughts snapped back to the message from yesterday, one she’d torn up and burnt to ashes.
“Take with you, Cameron and his interpreter, Akash Smith, Irene Sinaga, Myra Jelani, and lastly Noah Hassan.”
