“I know. She’s sort of in trouble because of me.” I met his gaze, and he conceded with a nod.
“Let’s go.” I grabbed her by the elbow and ushered her toward the back of the small building.
Lee’s storage shed had the same setup as Alexa’s with a hidden gate that led to the alley. From there, there were only two ways out—the murky waters of the sound or the street on the opposite end.
When I swung the door open, I ran into a QEC commando in full gear. I recognized Ry’s face immediately, but my heart rate spiked anyway. Every time the QEC showed up, someone died.
“Ry.” Catita ran to her side. “I’m sorry I had to leave. Captain Weston’s unit barged into the bar, and I had to get out of there.”
“Never mind about that. I’ve been pinging you for hours. Why didn’t you answer?”
“I left my comm device in my jacket.”
“Where’s the rest of your uniform?” She eyed me up and down.
“Left it in someone’s yard. Second house off the main road.”
She exhaled loudly, the way she always did when I’d done something stupid. “Let’s get you inside. You can stay there until Lady Sonja and Eli clear out.”
“Ry, this is Tek. He helped me last night.” Catita patted my shoulder.
“Nice to meet you.” Ry smiled, a genuine gesture I’d never seen a commando do. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Glad I could be of service.” I followed Ry and Catita across the pitted, narrow road to Alexa’s place. By anyone’s definition, my promise to help Catita had been fulfilled. But I didn’t want to leave her yet.
Inside, Ry blocked the small hallway that lead to the front of the tavern while Catita and I scurried to the office across from the storage room. When we barged in, Alexa shot to her feet, eyes wide.
“What the hell, Tek?” She leaned on the desk.
“You were right. I found them across the way,” Ry said to Alexa and plopped herself on one of the chairs. “What a fucking night. First the crops, then I lose my sister.”
“I wasn’t lost, Ry.” Catita sat next to her, eyeing Alexa. “I came back just like you asked.”
Catita didn’t know Alexa like I did. But she was right in thinking Alexa’s disposition from last night had changed. She’d been in a foul mood since the QEC arrived a month ago. Now I understood why. Alexa had a one-night stand with an immortal over four years ago. She refused to talk about it then, but I got the sense that for Alexa, their brief affair had meant something. Was Ry that person? After all this time, how was she not over it?
“If you need to, you can use my apartment.” Alexa sat across from Ry, her gaze trained on her.
“Thanks. But that won’t work.” Ry shook her head, smiling. “In broad daylight, we won’t make it far. We wait here.”
In her dark breastplate and high-tech utility pants, Ry looked menacing and imposing. Next to her, Catita seemed younger and more like a civilian.
“So what happened with the crops?” The question flew out of my mouth before I gave it any real thought. Shit. But I wanted to know if at least some minor damage had been done.
“Not much. Just a scare. Lady Sonja saw it as a personal insult to her. As it is, she has little patience for things. But this morning, she was in rage mode.”
So it was as we’d thought. All our efforts had been for nothing. This fight with the immortals would never get us anywhere. If we could call it a fight. A human against an immortal was hardly a fair anything. They were faster and stronger, with all the tech in the worlds. We had nothing. If they wanted to raid our lands, our resources, there was nothing we could do to stop them.
With a loud sigh, Ry rose to her feet. “You three stay. I need to make sure Eli isn’t looking for me.”
The minute she disappeared behind the door, Alexa blew out a breath, dropping her head into her hands. “Jesus, fuck. Why do I keep doing this to myself?”
“We’ll be out of your hair shortly.” Catita glared at her. “If it helps, we’re shipping home soon.”
Alexa squeezed her eyes shut. “No, that doesn’t help.”
“Are we talking days, weeks?” I sat next to Catita. If it were up to me, if we didn’t have the QEC breathing down our necks constantly, I’d ask her to stay a bit.
“A few days.” She knocked her knee to mine.
A ribbon of adrenaline ran through me. By the look in her eyes, I was certain she felt the same. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it tight. I would have loved for tonight to have ended differently, to get more than a few hours with her.
“What is this you think?” I ran the pad of my thumb over the soft skin on her wrist. Like last night when we first touched, an electric spark prickled my skin, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I let it spread up my arm and chest.
“I don’t know.” Her eyes fluttered closed. “But I feel it too.”
“Two years is a fucking long time to see you again. Don’t you think?”
“Catita.” The door swung open, and Ry rushed in. “All of you, time to go.”
“What happened?” Catita jerked free from me and shot to her feet.
“Sierra told Eli about you.” She gripped Catita’s arm and pulled her to her side. “Alexa and Tek, you need to get out of here now. Go home and stay there for a few days.”
Alexa pursed her lips and darted to the corridor outside her office. When I joined her, a commando as wide as a fridge blocked our path. I made to shield Alexa with my body, but the asshole clocked me right on the side of my face.
I hit the wood floor hard, tasting metal in the
