BRADLEY
“I’m sorry.”
Zira’s apology cuts through me like a blade, so I take my hand off the steering wheel and cover her hands clasped in her lap. “This is not your fault.”
“If I’d remembered sooner?—”
“Zira, it’s not your fault, okay? Don’t you dare take the blame for this. I need you to trust me right now, okay?”
She nods quickly, but from how she chews on her lower lip, she’s not convinced.
Taking Zira out of the city and into nature was a good idea at the time, but now we’re racing back because no one is answering their phones. There might be a hundred reasons as to why, but until I hear from any of my team, getting back to New York is a priority. I’ve tried Raven countless times but her phone simply rings out without hindrance. As we drive, my phone on the dash connects to Valentina.
Her phone also rings out.
The chances of both of them being unable to reach their phones are slim. I fight to keep my thoughts measured and contained, trying to reason that Valentina could be training, Raven could be in the shower, or they could be both with one another at yoga or something else.
But each ring of the phone that echoes through the silence in the car grates on me a little more with each passing second. My stomach flips and my heart begins to race as the New York skyline comes into view and still, no one picks up their damn phone.
After caressing Zira’s knuckles, I end my attempts to call Valentina and switch to Cassian instead. The call connects with a beep and starts ringing with the same tone that stokes the knot of concern forming right in my gut.
Answer the phone. Someone answer their damn phone?—
“Hello?” Cassian’s breathless tones fill the car and my heart lifts.
“Fucking hell,” I snap. “Is everyone away from their phone right now?”
“I was in the shower,” Cassian pants. “You good? Everything okay with Zira?”
“Hi, Cassian,” Zira says softly.
“Oh, hey. Group call. Cool. What’s up?”
“Cassian, did anyone find a GPS when they were taking that car apart?”
“The diamond car?” Something clatters behind Cassian followed by a gurgle of water.
“Yes.”
“Uh… not that I can think. No one mentioned it to me, but if anyone found one, Raven would know.”
“Where is Raven?”
“Let me check.” The sharp tack of nails on screen follows Cassian’s voice as he scrolls through his phone. “She came here to shower a couple of hours ago, but she’s back at the garage with Valentina.”
“She’s not answering her phone.”
Cassian snorts softly. “You know how she gets. Put her on a project and she’s obsessive. A freaking hurricane could tear through that place and she wouldn’t notice.”
My grip on the wheel tightens as we race through a red light and Zira covers her mouth to swallow her squeal of alarm.
“Cassian, no one’s answering their phone.”
The silence that comes from my friend is deafening. When he speaks, the casual softness has vanished from his voice and it’s as strained as each beat of my heart. “I’ll meet you at the garage.”
“I’m still some time out, Cassian.Be careful.”
“Always.”
