Page 104 of Gabriel

She turned around, a half-smile still on her face, but it was the victorious flicker in her eyes that sent a flicker of unease down my spine.

“Amara! I didn’t expect to see you up on the deck this early.” Her tone told me otherwise, her gaze locking on Gabriel with a smug expression. “Sleep well, I see. Too well, judging by our prisoner.”

The captain chuckled like he was in on a joke. I ignored him.

“We need to talk,” I said. My voice didn’t rise, but the chill in it sliced through the sun-warmed air.

Elira’s smile faltered just slightly. “Now?”

“Yes. Now.” I narrowed my eyes on the man standing beside her. “And you, Captain, need to pay attention to the coastline now that we’re approaching Albania.”

She scowled at me, mumbling into his ear, and he disappeared, glancing several times over his shoulder with puppy dog eyes.

“I was just getting somewhere with him,” she said once he was out of earshot, clearly annoyed at the interruption. She straightened, rolling her eyes. “Now, what’s this about so I can finally get laid too?”

I stepped in closer, annoyed at her casual stance. “It’s about your phone call with Jet.”

Her mask didn’t crack. It barely even shifted, but I didn’t miss the flash of panic behind her expression.

“You must be confused.” She pushed her glasses atop her head and folded her arms.

“I’m not.” My tone was flat, the conviction that my siblings were up to something and I wasn’t privy to it growing by thesecond. “I heard everything, including his instruction to you to distract me.”

She scoffed. “I haven’t talked to Jet in days. If you had heard something like that, you wouldn’t wait to call me out on it.”

I might know my siblings, but they knew me as well. Then her words sank in.

“So you have been talking to him?” I hissed.

She shrugged. “I was able to get in touch with him, yes.”

“So what the fuck are we doing?” I tsked, clicking my tongue. “Why this charade with Gabriel?”

Behind me, Gabriel stood still, his presence grounding and protective, but he didn’t interfere, and I appreciated that more than anything else.

“No charade,” Elira grumbled defensively. “We’re doing what’s best forourfamily—for you, Jet, and me.”

“And Gabriel and Anya?” I questioned. “What does it have to do with them?”

Elira clammed up, and seeing the stubborn tilt to her chin, I knew she wouldn’t respond to aggressiveness. If I were anyone else, she’d have probably sliced my throat and ended this conversation.

“Elira,” I said, softer now. “I’m asking as your sister, please tell me what Jet’s up to. Why are you keeping secrets from me?”

She looked away, out toward the blinding sea, and for a moment I saw guilt—or was it regret?—tug at the corner of her mouth.

“Jet has a plan, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants,” she said quietly.

“What does he want?” I demanded.

“Don’t know and don’t care.”

I let out an exasperated breath.

“You do know.” Her lips thinned, refusing to divulge whatever truth she was hiding for our brother. “Is it Anya?”

She shrugged. “You know Jet. He keeps his cards close to his chest.”

Disappointment and hurt washed over me.