“Thanks.”
He didn’t mind the idea of Sean moving into the apartment with him, but didn’t really want to share space with his brother and Sean. He and Kyle had put their names on the lease to this place last year, with the understanding that it would be Alexei’s more than Kyle’s despite what the forms said. Alexei had enjoyed living with Sean at his apartment before it was destroyed. Coming home to Sean had felt right, and he wanted to feel that wayagain.
But losing his home how he did had rattled Sean in a way Alexei hated to see. Right now probably wasn’t the best time to broach the subject of officially moving in together. Maybe later, after this mess was cleaned up and Cillian was dead and buried six feetunder.
It took all of five minutes for Sean to pack up what clothes he’d left in Alexei’s closet and a few toiletries from the bathroom. Alexei didn’t argue when Sean also stuffed a few changes of his own civilian clothes into theduffelbag.
“Smart. Not come back for a while,” Alexei said. “Ready?”
Sean shouldered the duffel bag with anod. “Yeah.”
They left as quickly as they arrived, with Sean holding Alexei’s hand all the way to the car. They dumped the duffel bag in the trunk and got on the road, with Alexei picking a random direction todrivein.
“Where do you want to eat?” Seanasked.
“Not care. Youchoose.”
Alexei wasn’t picky, even if Sean could be. Some minutes and countless food reviews later, Sean finally held up his tablet for Alexei to see. “Howaboutthis?”
“Steak?”
“Yeah. Figured we should get something that we won’t be served onthebase.”
“Base servesteak.”
“That block of charcoal isn’t steak,Lyosha.”
Alexei chuckled. “You want steak, we eat steak.Isgood.”
Sean rattled off the address and Alexei mentally mapped out a route that would get them there in an hour as opposed to the thirty they could make it in under normal parameters. He kept his eyes on the road in front and behind them, searching for any possible tail, but didn’t see a single hintofone.
Sometime later, he finally pulled into a public parking garage tower, finding a spot on one of the middle levels. As he turned off the engine, Sean answeredacall.
“Hi, Phaedra. How was school today?” Sean asked, in no hurry to leave thevehicle.
Alexei sat back and waited as Sean chatted for a couple of minutes with the little girl his parents were fostering. Alexei adored Phaedra the same way he adored his younger sisters. She was a shy little girl his entire family doted on, as she slowly came out of her shell and got the help she needed to overcome her trauma. Phaedra had become particularly close to Sean ever since he rescued her. He talked to her at least once a day if he wasn’t on a mission or busywithwork.
For all her sweetness, Phaedra still had deep, lingering trauma from her time in Montana. Phaedra’s clairvoyant power still overwhelmed and scared her, despite the instinctive control her changed DNA came with. Which made Alexei glad Mercedes was guarding his family with Charlie Team. Mercedes would be able to help Phaedra handle any mental overload during this stressful time better than anyone else except for Katie. Phaedra didn’t like using her power, a fact Alexei knew the higher-ups were hoping she would growoutof.
Sean ended the call a few minutes later with a promise to call Phaedra in the morning. Alexei opened the car door and got out, automatically scanning the area. The only people he saw were two blonde young women getting out of a sporty-looking car that had come up a minute or so after they had parked. Both women looked to be in their early twenties and wore matching sorority inspired T-shirts beneath their unbuttoned coats. They seemed more interested in giggling through their conversation than anything else. Alexei mentally discarded the sorority sisters as athreat.
“How is Phaedra?” Alexei asked as he code-lockedthecar.
“She’s a little worried about everythinggoingon.”
“Not tell her thingsbeokay?”
“I didn’t want to lietoher.”
Alexei hummed a wordless agreement at that. Growing up in the refugee camps and cities of the Ukraine meant his parents had no choice but to treat him as a young adult despite being a small child at the time. It was the only way to stay safe. Sugar-coating the situation for Phaedra wouldn’t do heranygood
They headed toward the pedestrian exit located down the garage incline rather than up since they were closest to that set of elevator banks. Sounds of honking horns from the street below filtered up through the air. The parking garage tower was open to the elements on all sides and a chill wind blowing through had Sean steppingcloser.
But then he keptfalling.
Alexei braced himself beneath the sudden dead weight of Sean collapsing against him. Alexei automatically caught him, holding Sean’s limp body close. The glint of a deeply embedded tranquilizing dart protruding from his back caught Alexei’s eye as adrenaline narrowed his focus. Whatever drug carried by the dart had been strong enough to immediately knock Seanunconscious.
Which meant it had been primed to take down ametahuman.
