The hair on the back of Jack’s neck stood up.
“Then why are you here?” Carla demanded, stepping forward, shoulders squared, eyes narrowed as she looked the yellow-eyed man up and down.
Jack admired her as much as he feared for her.
“The better question is, why canyouseeme?” mused the yellow-eyed man, appraising them with raised brows.
Jack inched closer to Carla. “Listen, I don’t know why you’re here?—”
“Don’ttry to lead the conversation,” the stranger continued, crossing his arms. “It’s tiresome. I’m a busy man, and still somehowthe only one who could be spared to deal with this. You’re lucky I’m here at all.”
“‘Spared to deal withwhat?’” Boris growled. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The temporal loop. You’ve noticed.”
“Wehave,” snapped Carla. “Lots of others haven’t.”
“Yes, that’s incredibly unusual. Typically, I only find one potential recruit per incident. It’s unprecedented that there are three of you.” The yellow-eyed man narrowed his gaze, sweeping over them, lingering the longest on Boris. “Though you’re not particularly adept, I must say.”
“Recruits?” Boris raised an eyebrow. “Forwhat? You’re not recruiting me. I’m not going anywhere.”
A chuckle, low and mocking. “That’s what theyallsay.”
Jack’s knees started to tremble. What the hell was he talking about?
“If you want to lead the conversation so bad,” said Carla, voice growing caustic, “then do it. Don’t just stand there and mock us.”
“Fine,” said the yellow-eyed man. “I’m intrigued. How do you propose dealing with this ‘Enzo’?”
“You heard that?” Jack asked, surprised.
“I did. Now, please.”
Three pairs of eyes landed on Jack. He swallowed. “I thought maybe we could lure him somewhere… And force him to reverse whatever he did? If he actually did anything?”
“If he actually did anything,” hummed the yellow-eyed man, a smirk on his lips. “Yes, indeed, unusual. It seems Enzo is your only person of interest. And you think you can blackmail him, or…?”
“Brute force,” Carla hissed, glare growing intense. Her perfectly plucked brows arched. “Why do you care?”
“I’m just curious if our interests align.”
Boris tapped Jack on the shoulder, whispered, “This is the disappearing guy, right?”
“The very same,” Jack answered, afraid to look away for even a moment, lest he disappearagain.
“And what happens if our interests align?” asked Carla, mirroring the yellow-eyed man, crossing her arms, angling her body.
God, Jack loved that about her. Fierce and defiant even in the face of something dangerous and otherworldly.
Behind the counter, Boris tensed like he might interrupt. Jack held out a hand to stop him, trying to communicate silently while the stranger’s focus was locked on Carla.
“Perhaps we might find ourselves in an alliance,” said the yellow-eyed man.
“And what does that entail?”
“Ending this temporal atrocity, for one.” He gestured across the lobby, fingers pointing toward the front desk.
Something like offense crossed Boris’s face. Jack nudged his shoulder. “Not you,” he hissed.
