Page 52 of The Matchmaker

“I meant the woman.”

“Her name is Zayna. She’s Azar’s girlfriend.”

“Ah. So do we hate her?”

“It’s more that I love him.” I draw a sharp intake of breath. The sleep deprivation is getting to me, isn’t it? Why am I even looking at her social media account at a time like this? “I didn’t mean that—It’s just…”

“Nura. Of course you love him.” Her green eyes are filled with sympathy. “Doesn’t require a PI to figure that out.”

“He’s happy,” I say quickly. “Clearly, he’s happy. So I’m happy for him. But…”

“You’re only human?”

“Something like that.”

“Been there,” she says. “You know what might make you feel better? Food. We just placed a huge order from Zyka. Should be here in a few. I made sure to get two orders of their chili chicken.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Not an option.” She leans in. “How long can you stay holed up in this stuffy office? Come out and join us. You need to stretch. Drink some water. You’ve barely moved from this spot all day.”

Grudgingly, I follow her into the main office. Borzu’s on his computer. Darcy is sifting through file folders. The moon is round and bright through the window next to the wall clock. I can’t remember the last time we’ve stayed here this late, but it looks like we’re all settling in for a long night. My phone buzzes. A new email.

Hi, Nura,

I had a chance to speak with Avani, and between her wedding fiasco and the Lena situation, there is a lot to unpack. Let me know when you can discuss.

Best,

Logan

“Well, now we knowsomeoneis drawing a connection.” I sigh. “Logan wants to talk. He’s putting the pieces together. And he managed to convince Avani to cooperate.”

“Why hasn’t he written anything yet?” Genevieve frowns. “It’s been a while at this point. It’s weird he hasn’t.”

“Logan Wilson is not a salacious journalist,” Borzu says. “He’s respected for a reason. The D’Angelo piece? He worked on that for a full year.” He turns to me. “I know you didn’t ask my opinion here, but I really think you should talk to him.”

“You want to reward him for his harassment?” Darcy retorts.

“He’s just trying to get the story!” Borzu exclaims. “Maybe we join forces and get to the bottom of it? He’s good at what he does. I bet he can offer us a lot.”

“What are you? His number-one fanboy?” Genevieve retorts.

“I don’t think—”

They continue bickering, but my attention shifts to my phone. Nina is calling me. She never calls me.

“Is everything okay?” I ask once I answer.

“You need to come over. Now.”

Her voice is tense. As though she’s speaking through clenched teeth.

“Are you all right?”

“We’ll talk when you get here.”

“Is Khala—”

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