Soraya

 

Flipping back and forth through the book I was trying to read, I finally slapped it closed and stood up. I was alone in Professor Torres’s office for the third time in a row. Dez had been nowhere near it during the past Wednesday and Monday. He was avoiding me like it was his job. Even during class, he was distant and overly polite.

I may have to let this one go, I thought.

If I looked at the situation from his perspective, I’d think Anubis was spying on me, too. In spite of multiple temptations, I hadn’t yet asked Piper and Balt if they’d orchestrated this. One, because if they hadn’t, that would open up a lot of awkward questions. And two, if they had, they’d probably deny it and skirt around the truth.

Either way, Dez had a point. Of all the colleges in Boston and classes I could have been enrolled in, why did I end up in his? Why had I simply accepted it instead of investigating it?

And why hadn’t I come clean sooner about who I was? I should have known this charade couldn’t last. He was in too deep with the Weslarks and Lafis.

No wonder why he had no interest in trusting or getting to know me.

Something pinched in my heart at that thought. Losing Dez to a lie sucked. I missed him.

And I knew I hadn’t exactly been friendly during that week after he found me wandering the streets of Cambridge, but I’d never thought we wouldn’t go back to being friends. He was right, I had been embarrassed and needed to time to recover from losing face like that. I’d liked having him around and now he would never get to know the real me.

At that moment, the office door opened and Dez came in. My heart leaped and I straightened up, smiling. “Hello,” he muttered, giving me a quick, tight smile as he closed the door behind him.

“Hi, there,” I said casually. “How ya been?”

“Sorry, I’m kind of in a rush,” he said, breezing by me.

My lips pulled into a flat line. Enough of this. “Desmond Devoy, I’d like to talk to you, please,” I said, my hands on my hips. “And you’re going to listen.”

“I don’t have the time or desire to talk to you, Ms. Lafi,” he replied, rifling through his desk.

“Dez,” I said softly.

I blinked and drew my hands to my heart. There was a pleading note in my voice.

I did not plead.

He’d heard it, I could tell by the way he went still and a muscle worked in his jaw. Dez was nothing if not scrupulously chivalrous. It must have been killing him to be so distant.

“I’m sorry,” I said in an even softer voice. “I am so sorry. It was wrong of me to deceive you when you’ve been nothing but a hero and good friend to my family. Especially to Balt and Kesari.”

Shoulders relaxing, he glanced over at me and said, “Kesari’s wormed her way into your good graces?”

“No worming required,” I said with a smile. “I adore that girl.”

Rubbing his face, Dez fell into his chair and sighed. It was a mixture of defeat and amusement. “Fine, fine you’re forgiven. As you can tell, I’m no good with grudges. However, I do still think it’s a bad idea for us to be any more than this.” He waved a hand. “Professional. I hope you don’t take that personally. Nor would I want to compromise your assignment or anything.”

Walking over, I couldn’t help but grin a little as I leaned against the edge of his desk. “Wait. Why the need for rules? Were we in danger of being more?” He set his jaw and looked away. I laughed in spite of myself. “I meant in a chummy way, Prof. You’re a good guy, I’d love to be your friend. I promise I’ll never try to deceive you or spy on you ever.”

Dez shot me a grin, then wilted a little as he realized I’d got him. “Dammit, you’re good.”

“No, you’re a sweetheart,” I said. “I haven’t forgotten what you did for me.”

Giving me a perplexed look, Dez cast around and then asked, “What did I do?”

“Dez!” I said and he let out a small laugh. “The warm drinks. The café. The cold Sunday.”

“Oh,” Dez said, tapping his fingers on the desk. “That.” He gave me searching look. “Faye?”

Hearing her name out loud, I stood up without realizing it and moved away. “Yes.”

He was quiet for several moments. “I didn’t know her long, but I liked her.”

“That’s too bad,” I murmured. “Nice guy like you would have been good for Faye.”

Dez let out a choked laugh and I turned around. He adjusted his glasses and shook his head. “Uh, Soraya, you’re very kind, but I don’t think I was in Faye’s league.” I raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed. “Geez, you look like Piper when you do that. How could I not see it before?”

I raised my hands up to the ceiling in a stretch. “You’re seeing the real girl, not the fake-ass Mya Eames.” I shook my head. “But, yeah I’m giving you side-eye for that erroneous statement. You, Desmond Devoy, have got nothing to worry about when it comes to leagues.”

“I’m sorry?” he asked, standing up and collecting his papers. “Not sure what you mean.”

“Only that you’re perfectly yummy, Prof.” Dez went red and made that choking sound again. I had to hide a smile as I sauntered over. “You’re tall and strong-jawed – one hunky brother.”

All of the papers slid out of Dez’s hands and across the floor. “Shit,” he muttered, squatting down to get them. “Uh, you’re being too kind.”

I was torturing him a little and I couldn’t resist myself as I squatted down too. “You know I’m right. You’re just a humble, big-hearted guy and don’t abuse it like Kai and Enele do.”

He laughed awkwardly. “I’ve never been interested in being a lady-killer.”

“Neither was Kai, but he was an outrageous flirt for a while. Never mind my brother,” I said and Dez made a face. “Yeah, I worry about him sometimes – he got that combination of Ne-Yo and Idris Elba swagger going on. And I know you spent time with him last summer so you know.”

“Maybe. So, not Balt?” Dez asked, chuckling a little.

“Balty’s only ever had eyes for Piper,” I said with a sigh.

He sat back and smiled at me. “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing.”

“Oh, gosh no,” I said, shaking my head and sitting down too. “No, it’s just an old habit. I used to worry about those two. Both of them went through so much tragedy and loss. And they latched onto each other, completely attached at the hip and best friends through and through. I’d worry what would happen if anything happened to one of them.” I closed my eyes, remembering the anger and grief of Balt while Piper was missing, then the shadow of fear in Piper when Balt’s close brush with death in Greece was brought up. “But now they’re as they should be. Together. And the happy parents of glorious twins.” I sighed again, then laughed. “I guess I’ll always worry.”

“What about you?” Dez asked as I handed him a stack of papers.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Just the way you talk about everyone else, you worry about them, but I don’t know – no one else talks about you like that. They always mentioned Soraya in hushed, awe-filled tones. You’re the one they all depend on, huh?” He gave me a strange look. “But it’s a one-way street.”

“Just the way I’m built, hon,” I said with a shrug and stood up in one fluid motion. Something about that statement made me uncomfortable and I didn’t want to look at it too closely.

“Or you’ve built up walls,” Dez said, standing up and adjusting his glasses.

“No,” I said, a little too quickly? “Me? I’m the most unwalled person you’ve ever met.”

“There are all kinds of walls,” Dez said patiently and maddeningly. “Yours might be more of a vertical than a horizontal thing.”

“You’ve lost me, Prof,” I said, hugging my elbows.

“You’re there, but people have to climb to get to you,” he said simply. I stared at him, my breath a little short and he gave me a crooked smile. “But what do I know? Anyhow, listen, I really do have to be somewhere. And yes, we can start over.” I clapped my hands and gave him a quick hug. Dez shook his head as I stepped back. “Damn Lafi charm,” he muttered.

“Museum this Friday?” I asked brightly.

“Uh, maybe,” Dez said weakly, avoiding my eyes as he tucked the papers in his bag.

“Come on, Dez! I’ll point out all the ladies checking your fine ass out,” I wheedled.

“Please stop,” Dez said with a wince.

“Ugh, no more compliments after this – got it. But I will say this, you are ripped! You’ve got like the best pecs of any guy I’ve ever seen.” I was about to add and I should know, pecs are my biggest weakness. Piper’s always loved big biceps, I mean just look at Balt, but I’m a hard chest girl.

But a small smirk was creeping across Dez’s face and I suddenly wondered if I went too far. Which wasn’t unusual when you were as outgoing and heedless as I could be, but this was Dez. He was still my professor. Suddenly, a bit too late, I could see his point about keeping it professional.

Into the awkward silence, all he said in a nonchalant tone was, “You have to be able to take care of the bullies when you’re a nerd.”

My fists clenched. “Who the hell was bullying you?” I demanded.

“Nobody, Soraya,” Dez said with a chuckle. “Easy, it was like a thousand years ago.”

“Still,” I muttered. “You let me know if anyone is messing with you and I’ll rough ‘em up.”

“Not necessary,” he said, gathering up his bag. “Have a good night.”

I watched him go with a sense of weight lifting from my chest. It was nice to have peace again. Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and did a double-take. Color was high in my cheeks and my eyes were dancing.

What on earth? I wondered. What the hell, is the heat on in here?

But even as I bustled off to go check it, I couldn’t quite ignore the small thrill in my stomach every time I recalled the way Dez had smirked at me.

Oh please, that was nothing, I tried to tell myself.

Yet, why couldn’t I stop thinking about it?

 

“You’re late,” came the growl of King.

“Sorry,” I said in a breathless voice. “Lost track of time.”

“Why are you in such a good mood?” he asked dourly and I rolled my eyes. King had been a royal pain in the ass the last week or so.

Often, too, he had us splitting up and combing the city for clues. But so far, we’d turned up zilch. If it wasn’t for the shipping manifest we’d stolen from the Port, I’d have thought TLO cleared out. But they were just laying low.

“Made up with a friend,” I said blithely.

“Boyfriend?” he asked tersely.

“Why, jealous?” I asked him. “Let me see what’s under that mask and maybe we can talk.”

“You’re impossible,” he muttered. “I miss the old, quiet days,”

“Not this again,” I muttered. “I’m sorry about what happened at the lab. Geesh.”

“Nah, they’re here somewhere,” he said. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

We were in Charlestown tonight, creeping along the waterfront area. It was easy to see it had been modernized in the last five years or so, all shiny plate glass and ultra-hip apartments. Then we found ourselves inside of a medical campus, converted from old giant shipping warehouses.

I sniffed the air as a pungent, skunk-like smell filled the air. “Evie.”

Darting up the side of a building, King followed as we moved across it silently and glanced down in an alley. Sure enough, Evie was standing there with her two brothers and another man. My hands clenched the side of the roof and I bit back a gasp.

Crane.

He was instructing the three of them with some nervousness, twisting his hands and glancing around. It was hard to hear what they were saying, but then all three moved inside.

“We’ll have to come back another time,” King murmured. “Let’s go before they realize.”

As we rushed off, coming to land on a wide, lonely street next to a raised highway, I looked up at the occasional speeding car. My blood was boiling. That was the man who’d tortured Kai and Piper. Who’d caused my family so much pain. And he was walking free.

“Do you know who the traitors are?” I asked, digging my nails into my palms. This has to stop. How many more prisoners had gone free or were going to be freed? Who else had to be put in danger?

“No,” he growled. “Good night, Shadow.”

“Wait, can you at least tell me who told you?” I begged.

“Help me stop the money flow and I’ll consider it,” he said.

“We’re running out of time,” I started to say, but King had shifted and vanished into the night. Even as I strained to hear where he’d gone, I knew I’d never catch him.

“Dammit,” I muttered, kicking at the ground and trying not to cry.