Page 40 of Ruling Scar
Lennie: Goodnight.
The phone drops beside me. Part of me wants exhaustion to take over, to sweep me under so I can close my eyes and block it all out.
My stupid brain doesn’t work like that.
I type out the message before I think better of it.
Lennie: Why are you helping? What do you get out of this?
Nothing in life is free. My father the business man taught me that. Elijah’s not helping me out of the goodness of his heart.
That boy is always up to something.That’s what Mom says every time she comes across his smirking face.
But she’s not wrong. He’s always got a plan up his sleeve. Some sort of trick he’s pulling. So what does he want this time?
Elijah: You.
CHAPTER 10
Elijah
“It’s fucking cold out here,” Roma complains, sinking further into the wire chair.
This is my favorite spot, my apartment’s large flat terrace that overlooks the street. It’s nicer in the summer when the raised flower beds bloom.
“Nobody forced you out here,” I remind him, pacing the length of the patio.
His hands dig into his coat pockets, clearly annoyed I won’t go inside.
The youngest Zimin brother showed up not too long ago. He has this annoying habit of popping in like the nosy busybody he is.
I’m not sure why he came over the morning after Leonora appeared. I love my brother but this is not the time for moping. Important things are happening.
“It’s ten in the morning—”his collar muffles the words—“and you’re smoking a cigar.”
“So?” I release a puff.
“So, why are you plotting world domination?”
“I have no idea what you mean.” I tilt my head up, relishing the cold air. “Why are you here anyway?”
“Because Russ wants to see Albert.”
“Russ?” He’s the only other human out here.
“We’re going to brunch at that new place around the corner,” he explains. “We decided to meet here so she could pet the dog.”
“Maybe I wanted to go to brunch.”
“Do you want to go to brunch?”
Fuck. Roma’s even more morose than normal.
I lower the cigar, pacing to and fro. “No. Like you said. World domination must occur.”
His thick brows furrow. They’re the only feature visible, he’s so bundled up. “What’s happened in the twenty-four hours since I’ve seen you last?”
I inhale. “Leopold Stuart.”
