Puzzled, I took the letter from her. Of course, it wouldn’t be simple. The letter was written in code. There were numbers and random words scattered throughout, some even in Russian Cyrillic. Without the cipher, it was impossible to decode. And the bizarre thing was that the letter was written from top to bottom, not left to right.
“Ugh, why do I feel like I’m living in aJames Bondmovie?” Liza banged her head against the seat, clearly frustrated. “We have to figure out riddles just to catch the bad guy, and now we have to decipher a code to understand my parents’ message from beyond the grave. Fuck.”
I laughed and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. “Don’t worry. I know a guy who might be able to help.”
“As far as I’m concerned, those could just be random squiggles on a piece of paper. You’re sure he’ll be able to work it out? Can we take the letter to him now?” Liza glanced at herwatch, and her eyes filled with hope. “Think he’d see you on such short notice?”
“Oh, yeah. Zephyr is used to my sporadic visits. Let’s go.”
I drove straight to Zephyr’s computer repair shop. As we stepped out of the car, Liza raised an eyebrow and pointed to the strip mall. “This is where your genius works? I expected something a little more ominous, like a hollowed-out cave in the side of a rocky cliff.”
I chuckled and took her hand. “Zephyr doesn’t want people to know about his superpowers.”
“And what, exactly, are his powers?” Liza giggled. “According to the sign, all he does is repair computers.”
“Oh, my dear, he does so much more than that. Zephyr is a fucking genius. He can break through firewalls, hack any electronic communication you can think of, and I’m fairly certain he can decipher this letter.”
Said genius was at the front desk, talking to a mom and her pre-teen son, who was having issues with his gaming console.
“Mom, I swear I didn’t do anything,” the boy pleaded, looking desperate. “One minute it was working fine, and the next... it just froze.”
“Did you try turning it off and on again?” Zephyr asked, trying to keep a straight face.
“Of course,” the boy said, rolling his eyes with all the attitude of childhood. “I’m not an amateur.”
Zephyr glanced up and caught sight of us, his eyes widening in surprise. He quickly turned back to his customers, stopped teasing the kid, and assured them he’d diagnose the problem and call them by the end of business the next day. Once they’d left, Zephyr approached us, curiosity radiating off him.
“Ty, what’s wrong now?” he asked, clearly concerned. He turned to Liza. “I’m assuming this is the Mrs.?”
I nodded. “Zephyr, this is Liza. Liza, Zephyr.”
“Nice to meet you.” Zephyr extended his hand to Liza. “So, what can I do for you two?”
Liza handed Zephyr the coded letter. “This is a letter my parents left for me in a security deposit box. I don’t know what it says, but Ty seems to think you can figure it out.”
Zephyr whistled as he scanned the letter, his eyes darting between us and the mysterious note.
“Wow, this is definitely an interesting code.” He ran his fingers over the strange characters. “I’ll do my best to decipher it.”
“Please, make it your top priority.” I pulled my phone from my back pocket and sent him a hefty advance to his bank account to motivate him. It was crucial we got this figured out swiftly.
Zephyr’s own device made a notification sound. When he checked it, he gave me a crooked smile and saluted me. “Thanks, boss. It’s officially number one on my to-do list. I’ll call you as soon as I break the code.”
When we left the shop, Liza seemed troubled. “Do you really think Zephyr can figure it out?”
“Trust me.” I squeezed her hand. “If Zephyr can’t crack this code, no one can.”
80
LIZA
Rosalie and I, with our aprons tied around our waists, chopped vegetables, the rhythmic smack of the knives against the cutting the only sound in the kitchen. Miscellaneous utensils were strewn across every surface of the kitchen. Her petite frame moved with ease and precision at her station, slicing through red bell peppers so quickly and perfectly that I stopped to admire her handiwork. The fragrant aroma of caramelizing onions wafted through the air, mingling with the heady scent of garlic and rosemary. I was in my happy place, and it seemed Rosalie was as well.
“Did you hear about that new restaurant opening up downtown?” Her demeanor was light and airy, and I appreciated a conversation that didn’t involve omegas or fucking psychopaths.
“Only about a million times.” I rolled my eyes. “I swear, everyone I’ve spoken to has been talking about it non-stop. It’s not like Presley Acres is short on restaurants.”
“True.” Rosalie moved to the sink, rinsing a colander of mushrooms in cold water. “Maybe they’re just desperate for something new and different.”
