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And when Teo wrapped his arms around me, the way his salt skin smelled was all I could think about.
Chapter Ten: Sofia
Post-orgasm, my senses were heightened, making the shift from Teo’s touch to the stark chill of the room more pronounced. He sat me up and leaned into my ear. “I’m going to get us both some water. I’ll make that call, too,” Teo said, his voice low, pulling me back from the brink of my inner turmoil.
“Jace?” I asked, shifting to sit beside Teo instead of on him, still feeling the weight of his arousal against my backside.
“Exactly.” His phone was already in hand, the screen’s blue glow casting angular shadows across his face. He scrolled through to get to Jace’s contact card in one second, then the phone rang a couple of times before Jace picked up.
“Teo? What’s up?” Jace’s voice crackled through the speakerphone, a hint of weariness in his tone.
“I was hoping you would tell me,” Teo said. “Did you get any further looking into Brady’s files?”
“I wanted to wait until I had more on this, but I think I do have something. Brady’s translation work—I’m pretty sure it was a cover.” Jace didn’t waste time on pleasantries, and I leaned closer, not wanting to miss a word. “I have a lot of information about his contacts here and he almost always used code, but I think there’s a pattern. I just haven’t been able to figure out what it is yet.”
“Send it to us,” Teo said.
“You got it, boss,” Jace replied. “Anything I need to be on the lookout for in particular?”
“I won’t know until I see it,” Teo said. “But this is all hands-on-deck. Be here tomorrow morning. I’ll let Grayson and Victor know.”
“Okay,” Jace replied. “See you tomorrow, boss.”
“Good night, Jace,” I said into the phone.
I could hear Jace’s smile on his face when he answered. “ Good night, Sof,” he said. “See you tomorrow. I promise you, whatever this guy’s deal is, we’re going to find out.”
He ended the phone call and I looked up at Teo.
“We will, sunshine. You don’t have to worry.”
I nodded, my head suddenly pounding. I really, really hoped he was right.
Chapter Eleven: Sofia
The air in Teo’s house was thick with the scent of aged leather and mahogany, a stark contrast to the sterile, utilitarian spaces I’d grown accustomed to. I perched on the edge of a plush, crimson velvet chair, its opulence as foreign to me as the life I’d been thrust into. Teo sat close enough that his knee brushed mine and smiled at me when I looked up and into his face.
We had been having this meeting for what felt like forever–really, it was maybe an hour–and I didn’t think we were coming closer to any conclusions.
“Brady was meticulous,” Grayson murmured, his eyes scanning the labyrinth of numbers and letters strewn across the files spread out on the ornate antique desk before us. “He left breadcrumbs, but only if you know where to look.”
Even after all the time I had spent with them had passed, I couldn’t help but feel displaced amid the grandeur of Teo’shouse. Sure, it was understated, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t exist.
The crystal chandelier cast prisms across the walls, on the art that was probably worth more than my entire apartment building. It was all just a backdrop to the dangerous game we were playing. The dangerous game Teo had always been playing.
“Here.” Grayson’s finger jabbed at a series of numbers masked amidst the mundane inventory lists. “I’ve been turning this over in my head, and I figured something out. These aren’t quantities or prices. They’re coordinates.”
“Coordinates?” Jace asked.
“Yeah,” Grayson said. “Latitude and longitude. See here?”
Jace nodded and pointed to a particular line of numbers on the screen. “This was in the same code Brady used to encrypt his files.”
“So maybe like a message?” I offered.
“But to who?” Victor asked. “It’s not like he could be sending secrets or anything to the Viper, right?”
“Yeah, I think it might have been for us,” Grayson said after a minute. “Jace, can you look at where this coordinates point?”
