Page 85 of Strange Lights

“Gemma, this is⁠—” I say, intending to get introductions out of the way.

“Boss?” Gemma interrupts, staring at Zara, sounding a mixture of astounded and extremely concerned.

“What?” Calvin is the one to ask. I’m simply too stunned to speak. By now, I’ve figured Zara was a double agent, but I didn’t take her to be the double agent.

The door slams open again, and Wolff strides in, his stream of complaints cutting short abruptly as he bumps into Gemma, and then he, too, stares at Zara in as much amazement as Gemma had. A wide, self-satisfied smirk is spreading across Zara’s face.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Zara directs at Wolff.

“Summer? What are you doing here?” He sounds completely nonplussed.

It takes me a moment to realize he means the name Summer, not the season. It takes me even longer to realize that he’s addressing Zara by this name. Summer. Summer Raine. His mystery girlfriend.

Gemma is quicker on the uptake and whirls to address Wolff while I’m still gaping like a goldfish and slotting puzzle pieces into place. “You slept with our boss?” Gemma hisses, her eyes going as wide as dinner plates.

“You slept with my sister?” I blurt out before Wolff can answer. He splutters and blanches white before immediately flushing crimson.

“Your sister?” Gemma yelps, turning to me.

“Our boss?” Wolff asks. I can see the sweat beading on his forehead.

Zara crosses her arms casually, surveys us muddling through her carefully executed chaos with the air of someone watching a particularly amusing television show.

Calvin laughs.

“Oh, the tangled webs we weave,” Meredith says dramatically, peeking around Calvin from where she’s so far escaped notice. She’s holding Eldi carefully in her arms.

Wolff and Gemma speak over each other so that it’s impossible to make out their exact words, but the sentiment is clear. The realizations hit Wolff back-to-back: He slept with his boss; his boss is my sister. I’d find his panic more satisfying if it didn’t involve realizing my sister hooked up with Wolff. And she did it using the laziest code name I’ve ever heard, aside from “Wolff.” Gemma didn’t expect any curveballs aside from the reappearance of her boss, and now she’s juggling several. They both startle at Meredith’s presence⁠—obviously they weren’t warned that we were bringing a notorious Kingsley sister. Let alone all three. I grimace and slide protectively in front of Meredith and Eldi.

“What the hell are you thinking, bringing one of the Kingsley sisters here?” Gemma says to Zara. “Meredith Kingsley, are you serious?”

“You might want to check your math on that one. I count three sisters,” Meredith says snidely, pointing at first Zara and then me, mouthing the numbers. I cringe inwardly, and I know it shows on my face. This isn’t exactly how I wanted everyone to find out. Even Zara shows apprehension, her smile fading.

“I dated one of the Kingsley sisters?” Wolff says, sounding half-impressed and half-horrified with himself.

“Hey, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. We haven’t had that talk yet,” Zara says, but she winks at Wolff. “Sorry, didn’t actually mean to disappear on you. Family crisis, you know. Got a little tied up.”

“You slept with my sister,” I say through gritted teeth, glaring at Wolff.

“And you are a fucking Kingsley sister,” Wolff says, jabbing a finger at me. Calvin lets out a low growl, and I see the shadow ripple across him. I throw an arm between him and Wolff.

“And you fucked a Kingsley sister,” Meredith says to Wolff.

“Meredith!” Zara and I say in unison.

“Oh, all of you, calm down,” Gemma groans, squeezing the bridge of her nose like she’s getting a migraine.

“Fun fact,” Meredith says to Gemma. “Aside from Eldi, it looks like you’re the only one here who isn’t or hasn’t⁠—”

I clamp a hand over Meredith’s mouth.

“I suggest we all sit down for some food and a chitchat,” Zara says decisively, and strides off toward our table without a backward glance.

“You’re the boss, apparently,” I snap, and follow her.

I’m more understanding of Calvin’s annoyance at my tendency toward secrecy after a headache-inducing unraveling of alliances and facts over waffles (and sushi for Eldi).

The rumble of engines in the distance draws my attention to the window. Two dark figures come flying into the parking lot on a pair of motorcycles. My heart lodges in my throat. Luca. I’m out of my chair before I realize it. I hear the boy at the front saying something and a harsh voice growling something back.