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A MAN WITH OLIVE SKIN AND dark hair approached Imara the moment she entered the restaurant. “I’m Montu,” he said. “Keiko’s father.”
She nodded as she took the apron and nametag he handed her. The other waiters wore all black. The coral pink shirt she’d been wearing since yesterday would stand out against their uniforms. And she hadn’t showered since yesterday morning. She hoped no one would notice.
Montu ushered her into the dining room where he pointed out Sef’s table. The portly man sat with three other people Imara didn’t recognize.
She tapped her ring and opened the program, just as Keiko had instructed. After shrinking her hologram screen as small as possible, she strolled over to the table with arms swinging and a wide grin on her lips.
Stopping at their table, she opened her mouth, but Sef started speaking first. “We already ordered. What are you doing here?”
Her stomach twisted in a knot as she blinked. But the moment passed, and she slapped her hand to her forehead. In her most soothing voice, she said, “I went to the wrong table again.” She let a tittering laugh escape through her lips. “That’s the third time this week.”
Sef narrowed his eyes at her. She leaned forward and asked. “Did you want anything else? Might as well use me if I’m already here, right?” She playfully touched her hand on top of his. Her breath froze as her focus turned to his ring. Just one brief moment of physical contact. That’s all she needed. A moment later, she felt their rings touch.
But Sef refused to match her playful attitude. He pulled his hand away and glared at her. She tried another smile and said, “It was my mistake, I’m so sorry. Would you like to be moved to our private conference room to make up for it?”
“Why aren’t you wearing black like the other waiters?” a woman at the table asked.
Before she could respond, Montu appeared and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. “You’re needed in the kitchen,” he said.
Once they were out of earshot, she whispered. “Why did you pull me away?”
A second later, she had the answer. Abe waited for her in the hallway. The color drained from his face as he panted. “Takara is coming. We have to get out of here now. We’ll have to get Sef to use a wall hologram another time. At least we planted the virus.”
She huffed but didn’t protest. Montu helped them slip through the back door while the pain of yet another failure gnawed at her insides.
“I chose my business,” Abe said once they were safe in the alley.
She jerked toward him as they walked out to the main road.
He ran his thumb along his chin before he spoke again. After a careful breath, he said, “I didn’t choose Edrice. I chose my business. Maybe that was still wrong, but I thought you should know.”
She nodded, not really sure what to say. They were quiet for a long time. Finally, Imara said, “I should probably go home.”
“No.” Abe turned on his heel until they stood eye to eye. “Naki said you were already too late. Just stay here. I want to spend time with you.”
His words melted through her, but she forced herself to think about more than his russet brown eyes and bouncy hair. “I have to make Naki a priority,” she said. “I can’t keep spending every second of my time here. What if I go home right now, and I’ll come back tomorrow morning?”
“Please stay.” He took her hand and stared until his look warmed her from head to toe. “I’ve barely seen you these past few days, and it’s been awful. I need to be with you. Especially after everything I...” He looked down with a gulp.
“Why don’t you come with me?” she asked cautiously.
He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and shook his head. “Imara, I can’t. If Sef gets on the Egyptian Council, he’ll destroy my business. Everything I’ve worked for.”
“He’ll probably destroy all of Egypt while he’s at it,” Imara said. “Plus, the taggers will come to Kenya once they have Egypt in their control.”
Abe dropped his hands and cupped them around hers. “Yes, see? You have to stay here so we can stop them. We’re so close.”
She chewed on her lip as she stared at her shoes. “I guess Naki did say it was too late for tonight.”
“Exactly.” He interlaced their fingers together. “You got the virus on Sef’s ring, right?”
She nodded.
“See. We just have to figure out what was in those boxes, and we’ll have a way to stop them. You have to stay.”
