The Starling Saviour

Chapter 65

'I just got off the phone with Patrick,' I told Tommy as we were preparing for the big opening night for our second attempt at starting up Verdant. 'He said the band are too busy at the moment with releasing their new album, but apparently Steve Aoki, the DJ, owes them a favour. The band were recording some music with him, actually, for the new Step Up film, of all things.'

'Wow, Fall Out Boy have officially become basic,' Tommy commented sarcastically. 'And, Oliver dated Steve Aoki sister, so that probably helps too.'

'Fair enough,' I shrugged, writing some important contact numbers down on a piece of scrap paper I had found nearby. 'Now, we need to call Steve up later about his preferences for tonight, his transport, and just housekeeping-'

'Aria, slow down,' Tommy stopped me from talking any faster, his hands placed on my shoulders to steady me and render me stationary. 'You need a rest from all this planning, you've been at it twenty-four seven almost all week.'

'There's no time to stop,' I argued. 'The opening night's tonight, and we haven't nearly enough-'

'As your co-manager, I order you to just sit down, and take a deep breath,' Tommy interrupted me again, caring for my welfare. 'Stop being such a stress-head, Aria.'

'I am not stressed,' I rolled my eyes at him in response to being told to do nothing. 'I am just trying to be organised and on top of things. And the club, it's opening, tonight!'

'You're in overdrive, Aria,' Tommy said in a concerned tone. 'You've had so much going on in your life recently, and it's taking a toll on you, visibly.'

'When did you get so serious, Tommy?' I inquired jokingly. 'Oh, God, it's like you're morphing into your father!'

'I think I'm a long way off from being as boring as my father,' Tommy remarked with a snicker.

If only he knew about the exciting life Malcolm really lived. Then he would have a very different idea of what his father was like.

Down in the Arrowcave, I found Diggle at the computers, an article on his brother's killer, Deadshot, displayed on the screen.

'Bialyan President Assassinated,' I read the article's title as soon as I could make out what was written on it. 'Interpol suspects Deadshot.'

'What are you doing here, Aria?' Diggle quizzed me at once, taken aback by my sudden appearance. 'I thought you were sorting things out upstairs.'

'I was,' I agreed with Diggle. 'But Tommy made me take a break, since I'm such a stress-head at the moment, in his words. I'm not going to ask you anything else about what you're researching, but I do have one question; what on earth does Bialyan mean?'

'For a second there, I thought you were gonna interrogate me,' Diggle laughed at my choice of words. 'A Bialyan is someone from Bialya, a country north of to Saudi Arabia and Iran.'

'Why is the Starling City Sentinel reporting about that far away country, then?' I pretended to act stupid, but Diggle knew my game.

'You're sly, Aria,' he commented in a short laugh. 'I'm finding
myself wanting to tell you all about it now.'

'Well, I did work alongside people just like that at the SCPD,' I remarked. 'Well, just the one, Detective Lance. But John, you can tell me anything, and anything you don't want Oliver to get involved with. He has good intentions, but sometimes he ends up just being reckless. I, on the other hand, am more... Sensible about things.'

'I can't fault you for that,' Diggle smiled, looking amused at my offering of help. 'But, I do need someone to talk to about this. I thought about telling Felicity, but she's loyal to Walter, and if she was in a pressurised situation, I can imagine her telling Oliver everything.'