Page 29 of Claiming Veronica

The incoming pings showed me that the girls were calling in and opening their video chats, soI put on my headset. I was a proper nerd sometimes.

I hadn’t told them about Eli or what I’d been digging into. They didn’t know about the fights or about the name Luther. But I needed to bounce things off them now more than ever. They were the only people who knew how deep I could go when pulling at threads like this.

“Hey. How’s everyone doing?” I tried to organize my thoughts on how to broach what I’d found and what had gone on today. It was A LOT.

“Good, good.” Reed was munching on potato chips, which annoyed all of us, but she was a snacker. “Need a vacay.”

“Don’t we all,” Calia answered. “I had a test. Aced it.” Of course, she did. Calia was whip-smart. The chemistry tests she was taking were no joke. I’m sure I’d never have been able to pass them.

“What about you?” Arabella asked. “Your doctor’s visit was good, right? You weren’t lying?”

“No, I wasn’t lying. It was fine. I’m supposed to go to the follow-up and all that jazz.” Regaling them with the same information I gave Natasha took thirty seconds. I heard grumblings of bothapproval and associated mutterings about my need to improve my diet.

“Well, we all know you don’t eat very well,” Arabella grumbled. “You should take better care of yourself.” My hackles went up.

“I’ll have you know that I had vegetables with my Chinese food 30 minutes ago and … and meat. Not just chow mein,” I said defensively.

Calia scoffed. “I’m not sure I believe you. You complain incessantly about how they mix food in takeout.”

“Well,” I hedged, picking at a fingernail. “I have something to tell you guys, but don’t freak out right away.” Immediately, they started talking over each other until they settled down.

“So, I checked out Victor’s office after my appointment.” The questions started immediately, so I carried on. “I found a couple of interesting things. First, a guy renting next door said he was into underground fight clubs. That tracks with the boxing club membership when he was young.”

“Oh great, she’s back in detective mode. Ronnie, you are going to get murdered.” Reed was exasperated. Her sarcasm felt like a slap, but Reed had always been that way. Even though she could be a little harsh at times, she was one ofthose friends who always came through for me. It was Reed who was double-checking on me 24/7, and it was Reed who worried about it.

“I also found a name. Luther Booth. He was on the lease of the building with Victor.”

“Well, it sounds like you have a couple of other things to search for to find your connection to Eli. You weren’t wrong about it being an important lead.” Arabella sounded concerned but wanted to be supportive. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.”

“I found more than that. Eli was there.” The chat erupted. “I scraped my hand, and he bandaged it for me. We talked and everything.” I edited the experience, knowing that the girls would disapprove of what had happened and would be even more concerned than ever.

“Really?” Calia asked with suspicion. “How did he know you were there?”

“Ooh, is he hot?” Reed asked.

“Smoking hot.” Ignoring Calia’s question, I answered Reed’s. I could give them this information with no problem. “He is way taller than I thought but handsome.”

I leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling while waiting for their responses. Mymind flickered back to Eli, the way he had bandaged my hand, the way his words had slithered under my skin, telling me he wanted me. It was inevitable as if I had no choice but to get pulled into his orbit.

“So, if Victor was involved in MMA, is Eli?” Reed was moving around her bedroom. I leaned in on the camera, frowning as she came closer to the computer screen.

“I don’t think MMA is the same thing, but I will do some research.” Honestly, I had no idea what sort of fighting went on in these sorts of things, but when I didn’t know something, I did what I always did — researched it.

“Reed, you look exhausted.” There was no getting around it. Reed looked like she’d been run over by a bus. Her red hair was limp around her face, and dark circles could be seen under her eyes.

“I’ve been working doubles for the last few weeks. I’ll be fine. I’m more interested in the mystery you have going on and this new hottie. Your life is much more glamorous than mine.”

I wrote down ‘Reed’ and a question mark on the scratch pad beside me. She lived in California, but she’d been moving apartments recently. I wasn’t sure where she was staying now, but Iwould find out. If possible, I’d send Luca over to figure out if she was okay and where she was working. Reed was on her own after her parents kicked her out at sixteen. I’d offered her money more than once, and she’d turned me down. Reed was a lot of things, but she was very proud and private. Most of the time, I tried to respect those things, but maybe it was time to let that slide a little.

“I don’t know how glamorous it is, but it is at least less boring now that I’ve moved to Arizona. My mother was driving me up the wall, trying to keep me locked up all the time. God knows I love her, but I was going crazy.” They laughed with me, knowing that I had been going bonkers with my mom smothering me, trying to keep me germ-free.I knew she meant well, but I needed to get out into the world.

“Victor and Eli grew up together, right? So, if one was involved, then they should both be involved. That’s your hypothesis.” Calia’s video feed popped open. She lounged in bed like I was, her laptop beside a stack of chem books.

“Yeah, that’s the theory,” I said.

That was what I was working with. I should be working on the name my cousin had given me. Now that I had a legitimate assignment for theBratva, that should be my focus, but I couldn’t let this go for some reason.

“So you had vegetables,” Arabella said, pivoting. “That’s a big step for you.”

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