As for him, he’d been at the command center ever since, doing his damnedest to glean more intel off the SD card and any other data lead he could chase down. What he really wanted to do was smash something with his bare fists.
Sia was livid with him and for good reason, evidently.
He still couldn’t believe she had planned to return to her colony without so much as telling him about it.
Then again, if she was that hellbent to get back to her people, who was he to stand in her way?
He should be the one holding the damn door open for her to walk her haughty ass out of his life, out of his thoughts. Out of his heart.
Her fine ass,he corrected himself grimly.
But he didn’t want to think about that or any other of Sia’s many fine qualities.
He had a mission to put back on the rails and he intended to do it.
Savage broke into his thoughts as the two of them started down the corridor. “What do you suppose the odds are that Santino’s business in Trapani tonight is still a go?”
Trygg shook his head. “We can’t be sure, but we also can’t risk losing the chance to find out. Lazaro and Lucan just gave me my orders. I’ll be heading south to stake out the area as soon as the sun sets.”
Savage cocked his head. “A stakeout? Last I knew, we were gearing up for a raid if the lead turns out to be a hot one.”
Trygg swiveled a flat look at him. “Change of plans, courtesy of JUSTIS. Since I put a wrench in their side investigation, they’re demanding the Order surrender any collars to them. If there’s a bust to be made, they get the win. We’ve just been downgraded to an eyes and ears operation only.”
Savage scoffed. “In other words, we do all the work, and then we phone it in to JUSTIS for them to take the credit?”
“Sounds about right,” Trygg muttered. “Lazaro and Lucan aren’t happy about it, either, but since we all want Santino put out of the Red Dragon business, we’ve got to play nice—at least for now. Lucan and the team in D.C. have their own problems with JUSTIS and the layers of corruption that have infected the organization. As for me, I don’t give a shit who I report to. I just want to see the job done and Santino wiped off the board for good.”
As they approached the residential area of the command center, the sound of female voices carried from one of the rooms on the main floor. To hear Savage’s mate, Arabella, and Lazaro’s mate, Melena, was no surprise, but it was the other soft voice that made Trygg’s feet slow beneath him.
Sia.
Trygg couldn’t hide his surprise as he and Savage reached the large arched entryway and found the three women seated together on the sofa and chairs inside. They had a tray of fruits and cheese in front of them and glasses of red wine in their hands.
Trygg’s gaze rooted on Sia. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too.” Her tone was cooler than her gaze. In fact, if he knew anything at all about females, he might have guessed she’d been crying recently. “I came to say good-bye to my friends.”
“Good-bye?” He tried to ignore the disapproving looks of the two women. “You mean you’re leaving Rome?”
She nodded and his heart felt as if it were suddenly caught in a fist.
“When?”
“As soon as possible. Tomorrow, most likely.”
Fuck. He would be gone to Trapani in a few hours on a mission that would easily last most of the night. Which meant the odds of seeing her again after this moment were slim to none. He told himself it was for the best. If seeing her right now felt like hot iron talons raking deep into his chest, what would he feel like if he had to watch her leave?
“Where are you going to go?” His words came out rough, more demand than question.
“I haven’t decided yet. I may eventually go back to the colony and appeal to the council to pardon me.”
“I see.”
Just then, he noticed the leather thong that looped her wrist, its small crystal orb shimmering in the soft light of the room. He knew what the crystal was. The Atlantean male and friend of the Order’s, Zael, wore the same kind of teleportation amulet around his wrist. It was how he transported himself between the mortal world and his own.
Now Sia had one too. From her friend Phaedra at the shelter, if he had to guess.
So, her mind was truly made up. One way or another, Sia was determined to go back where she belonged. He nodded, the tendons in his neck feeling tight.
