Dez

 

At 10 p.m. there was a sharp knock on my apartment door. Frowning, I walked over and opened it to find Andrei Zima, filling up the entire doorway. For a moment, his resemblance to Roy was uncanny. The serious, distant gaze and the sense of the weight of the world on his shoulders.

What was it with the Zimas? I wondered. Is being a team player really that hard?

“Change of plans.” Then his face cleared as he stepped inside and glanced around. “This is nice. I like the furnishings.”

Glancing around at the vintage décor, I rolled my eyes. “My grandmother and father live here, I’m just squatting for now.”

“Sure, Devoy,” Andrei said in a tone that made me wonder if Soraya did have a point about the guy. He’d been here a minute and I kind of wanted to punch him. “Nah, I actually do like it because it reminds me a little of my baba. Although you have to admit, there is something kind of hilarious about a vigilante using his baba’s place as a base of operations.”

“Batman used his family manor, who am I to buck tradition?” I retorted, suddenly remembering with a guilty start that I hadn’t called my family in Florida in over a week.

“You’ve got his brains, I don’t know if you have his game and you definitely don’t have his demeanor,” Andrei replied. “Anyways, tell me about your plans.”

I launched into the idea I’d been sketching together for months. First, it involved getting the shifters and the likes of Evie out of the way. Then, an “anonymous tipster” could alert the police about the illegal supplies of drugs in their warehouse. After that was raided, the police would stumble across several well-placed clues, which would indicate the bigger operation. Hopefully, that would bring in the Feds and they would seize the TLO’s holdings.

And the TLO would be finished. No more Foundry Pharmaceuticals making a pretty penny.

“Not bad,” Andrei commented. “Use the inanis police against them – delightfully ironic, no?”

“It will only work if there are no shifters, though. Any shifters and the Order gets involved, traitors get tipped off and get them out,” I said. “That’s where I get stuck.”

“You’d need a clean team of Anubis shifters for that,” Andrei mused and I shook my head. “No, trust me. Anything else wouldn’t work. Let me see what I can do.”

I shrugged. “There’s also the concern that they manage to spin it so that they get away scot-free. And I have no idea how many of their accounts are off-shore…”

“Let’s start state-side, first,” Andrei said and then he pulled out a folder, slapping it down on the table. “I spoke with Merv, who hasn’t left the city yet.”

“I thought he was running for the hills,” I commented dryly.

“Not yet,” Andrei said, with a twist to his lips that made me glad I was ignorant of whatever he’d said or however he’d said it to convince Merv to stay in the city. “We might need him. Especially since he told me this guy just showed up in town.”

Flipping open the folder at Andrei’s nod, I saw a heavy-set man walking down the street with another man. Both of them had boorish, cruel faces and meaty hands.

“Who’s this?” I asked.

“An inanis drug-runner. Orlando Brissett. One of the guys who moves product for a kingpin. He’s on a lot of most wanted lists and I think he’s our ticket to ensuring the Feds seize the TLO holdings in the States. If we can manage to get him to be there or at least leave evidence he’s involved – boom. Game over.”

“When was this taken?” I asked.

“Yesterday,” Andrei replied. “By me. I’ve been tailing him for a while now. It was a coincidence – or maybe fate – that I wound up here just as Merv got you that footage.”

“So, you’re going to be here for a while?” I asked, dismayed.

Andrei sat back on my grandmother’s floral couch, his tight jaw and hard eyes in stark contrast to the serenity of the room. “I had to make a hard call, Dez. And right now, I have to stay here. This is the most important thing going on right now. You’re gonna need my help.”

I couldn’t help but tense up at that. I’d been working on this alone for months and now this guy wanted to come in and take over? Andrei must have seen it on my face because he winced.

“I apologize, my friend, I did not mean it like that. I only meant, one man, no matter how fast, needs help. Take it from someone who often works alone – in this instance, it requires a team. There are too many moving pieces…” He paused. “But this is your plan and you still call the shots.” Andrei shrugged his big shoulders. “In fact, if you think it best, I can be on a plane to LA tonight.”

I sat back and rubbed my jaw. Without Andrei’s information, I wasn’t sure my plan could have worked. He was offering assistance and Anubis shifter support. Even though I was still leery about trusting them, I did trust Andrei.

Besides, I couldn’t let my ego get the better of me. All that mattered was ending the TLO’s business in Boston. I hadn’t done this for the glory.

“No, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking this through,” I said, hoping Soraya wouldn’t strangle me for teaming up with Andrei. “You can put together a team to help make this happen?”

“It will take a few days, but yes. I have to make sure they are clean, you know?” he asked, standing up. “As for your stalking of the TLO  – be careful, my friend.”

I stood up as well and asked, “What about Soraya?”

“What about her?” Andrei asked, smirking a little. “Honestly, I wish you could convince her to leave Boston, but she will not leave you, I know this.” I went to protest and he shook his head at me. “Perhaps we could loop her in, but that is your call. You don’t want your heart getting involved when this all goes down.”

“She’s been helping me, but she doesn’t know she’s been helping me if you catch my drift.”

Andrei’s eyes went wide and he whistled. “I take back what I said about your game, Desmond – you are playing the most dangerous of games. I am telling you it is only a matter of time before she realizes. And you better be ready for the fallout.”

“Do you think we should involve her?” I asked, trying not to wince.

“No, I do not,” he replied. “You’re not thinking straight when it comes to her. And they will take advantage of that.” His jaw clenched. “They always do, the bastards.”

Even though I didn’t agree with Andrei, I nodded and didn’t make a comment.

In my mind, I was seeing a sultry summer night in Greece, when Piper had held onto a dying Balt. It was replaced by the haunted look in Kai’s eyes as he recounted the night Isla had become a shifter.

“It’s better not to have a heart in these matters,” Andrei said lightly. “I see that you do not agree with me, Dez, but trust me. Soraya is a distraction. Try to get her to leave.”

I muttered, “Thanks,” and watched him go.

Maybe Andrei did have a point.

I had been playing too dangerous a game and now I was in over my head.

 

A game that was still going on after two more days, as I sunk deeper and deeper. Over those two days, I'd realized the idea of getting Soraya to leave was akin to severing off one of my limbs. Not only did I not want to do it, I knew it would cripple me. I was coming to rely on her. I looked forward to seeing her. And I wanted her around.

Andrei was having trouble putting together a team without anyone noticing and my nerves were stretched thin. I’d been trying to avoid both Soraya and “Shadow” but I'd only managed to avoid Shadow. Soraya was impossible.

Late last night I'd been relieved when she hadn't shown up to stake out the rest of the warehouses. Now, it was Wednesday afternoon and I was ready to fall asleep at my desk. In fact, I had nodded off and jerked upright when I felt a light touch on my shoulder.

“What time is it?” I muttered, taking off my glasses and blinking around.

“Almost six,” Soraya said.

“Dammit, I’m late. There’s a charity event tonight…” I rubbed my face.

“That’s tomorrow night, sweetheart,” Soraya said, her hand still on my shoulder and I looked up at her. “I can see it on your calendar.”

Looking down, I saw that she was right and I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, phew.”

“You’re tense, Prof,” Soraya said in a light voice. Her fingers were kneading a spot on my shoulder and I swallowed. Hard. “Too much hunching over a desk, hm?”

“Or that set of deadlifts I did last night,” I muttered absently.

“Take off your jacket,” she said and I turned to stare at her. “Oh, come on, not like that. Trust me, you’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t loosen up these shoulders.”

The air in the room changed. Before it had been light and friendly, but now it was electric. Unfamiliar and enticing. Soraya had a look in her clear gray eyes I couldn’t say no to.

This is a bad idea, I thought, as I peeled off my jacket.

“Thanks,” I said awkwardly as she stood behind me. Her hands began to work circles on my deltoids and I bit back a groan. My hands gripped my thighs as I tried to breathe. “Damn.”

“Relax, Devoy, I won’t hurt you. Think about the beach. You ever been to Maui?” she asked and I shook my head. “Uncle Eli, well really Kai, has a house there. It’s gorgeous and remote, nothing but blue skies, sand and clear, Pacific green water. Almost the color of Isla’s eyes.”

She continued on, her voice and expert hands lulled me into a relaxed state. All of the worries that had been knotting up inside of me the last two days were vanishing under her touch.

A deep sigh escaped me and Soraya let out a triumphant sound. To my surprise, she suddenly slid her hands forward, brushing my chest as she hugged me from behind.

“You gotta watch out for letting your muscles get that tight, Dezzy,” she said in my ear. Before I could accept what was happening, she was gone and twirling away. “Feel better?”

I looked up at her and nodded, “Yeah, thank you. Um, hey,” I said as she began to walk away. “The gala tomorrow night isn’t school-related. And I have an extra ticket.”

For a date. Be my date?

What are you doing? screamed a voice in my head.

Soraya’s eyes were wide and her lips parted. “Oh.”

Trying to spend as much time with her as possible, I answered. “Don’t worry about it, it’s last minute,” I said out loud, giving her an easy out. “Just thought I’d ask.”

“Desmond,” Soraya said, fluttering her eyelashes and a hand going to her heart. “Stop, it’s not that. You took me by surprise is all. I thought we were supposed to be incognito.”

I shrugged. “You’re my friend and all too soon you’ll be gone.”

She’d undone her braids the day before and now her dark hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Tucking a piece behind her ear, a strange and soft look came into her eyes.

Walking over, she placed her hands on my shoulders and smiled down at me. I struggled to draw a breath and she said, “Dez, thank you. I’d love to go. I haven’t dressed up in far too long.”

“It is fancy,” I breathed as she let me go and stood back.

Her lips pulled up into a gleeful grin. “Music to my ears.”