Page 131 of Bishop

I fixate on Bishop, not realizing I’m looking to him for guidance until he nods in agreement. “Do it.”

Shit.

“Okay.” I pull my cell from my pocket, my pulse thudding. “But you all need to be quiet. I don’t want to risk my mother listening in and hearing any of you in the background.”

“Not a fucking word,” Bishop reiterates, his eyes steady on mine as if he knows I need his support.

I drag in a deep breath, find Geppet’s number saved in my device, then press connect.

My pulse booms louder than the ringtone on speaker, the thud, thud, thud punishingly heavy along my throat.

I continue to stare at Bishop through the trill sound, his hardened expression sickening in how it strengthens me.

Then the ringing stops, a whir of background noise takes over, and any chance of me confidently faking my way through the negotiation of my daughter’s safety flies out the window with my sudden descent into fear.

“Hey, baby girl,” Geppet croons. “What did I do to deserve your attention today?”

“Hey.” I swallow over the desert drying my mouth. “I’m hoping you can help me find my mom. I’m worried she’s in trouble.”

“There sure seems to be a lot of that going around. Especially with what happened to your dad.”

“You heard?” I add emotion to my tone, wishing I’d had more time to role-play this conversation.

“Yeah. I’m not sure if condolences are in order though with how things went down.”

“Of course they are. I can’t believe what’s happened. That’s why I’m so worried about Mom. I’ve been calling for days. I don’t know if she’s hurt or alone or—”

“Your mom is fine.”

I pause for effect. “She is? You’ve seen her?”

He huffs a smug laugh. “I sure have. I’m the only one she’s trusted with her safety.”

“Oh, God.” I give a dramatic exhale. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I’ve been beside myself. I don’t even know what the hell happened. None of it makes sense. And it’s not like I can trust my brothers anymore.” I ramble on purpose, painting the perfect picture of concern. “I can’t figure out why everyone was in Virginia Beach. What does this have to do with my Uncle Lorenzo? And why was I kept in the dark?”

“It’s definitely complicated,” Geppet says. “It was a shock to me, too.”

I focus on my cell, the ticking seconds of the call’s duration matching the thudding beat of my pulse. “Do you know where my mother is now? I went to the house after the gala on the weekend but nobody was there. Not even the guards. I’ve been hiding out ever since.”

He falls quiet, the rumble of car noise carrying from his surroundings.

“Geppet? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, Abri, I’m still here. I’m actually right beside Adena. She’s safe and sound. There’s no need to worry.”

My mouth works over silent words.

I’m not sure what to say. What to think.

He’s not hiding the fact he’s speaking to me. Or disclosing that my mother is with him. So she has to be listening in on the call. She had to have given him the green light to fill me in during the lull in conversation.

“Really?” I ask with hesitation, hoping it sounds like tightly leashed optimism. “And she’s okay? Can you put her on the phone?”

“I wish I could, but there’s a reason she’s dodging your calls. She’s not happy with you at the moment.”

“She thinks I was involved?” The heavy weight of pessimism bears down on me. The hard press of everyone’s attention, too. “Why? How? What could I have possibly gained—”

“It’s got nothing to do with me.”

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