“Sorry, man.” Trevor stretches his legs out, crossing his ankles, and twists in his chair until his back cracks. “I did what I could. Had to get you out of that hell hole first.”
Leo swallows hard, clutching my hand like it is the only thing keeping him grounded. “About that…”
Glaring at Leo, Trevor arches his brows. “Stop right there. You didn’t hesitate when Dani and I showed up in the middle of the night with half the Venezuelan government after us. Or when Ry called you and asked you to find Franco Rojas. Did you really think I wouldn’t have come?”
“Yes.” Leo’s stomach rumbles, and he swears under his breath. “Shit. I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.”
“Sit. I will get us food.” I squeeze his hand, then head into the kitchen to rummage in the refrigerator. “No pineapple?” I ask after pulling out slices of pepperoni pizza. Trevor and Austin stare at me like I’ve just asked them for ants on top. “What? It’s delicious. If you order it from Palermo’s.”
Leo chuckles, the first truly happy sound I’ve heard from him since the rally. My eyes sting, and the lump in my throat threatens to choke me. “Converted you, huh?” he asks.
Trevor snorts from his seat at the table. “I went for the first pie shop I saw. You want something better, give me directions. Later.”
“I’d eat glue and oatmeal right now,” Leo says. “Or mud, as long as it had some sort of flavor to it. But when this is all over, we’re getting Palermo’s.”
Austin’s laptop dings as I set two cups of strong coffee next to the plates on the coffee table. “That’s Zephyr,” he says and taps the screen.
“Let me see them.” Her demand surprises me, as does the worry on her face when Austin turns the laptop. “Thank God.” Zephyr almost collapses back into her chair. Her shoulders heave, and she calls out, “He’s okay, Ronan.”
After a brief silence, a man comes up behind her and leans down so his face is next to hers. “I told ya’ he was too much of an arse to die.”
“Fuck you too,” Leo says. Despite his words, a hint of warmth infuses his tone. “Heard you’re not confined to the van anymore. Congrats.”
I don’t understand what’s going on between the two men, but they obviously know one another.
“Thanks. I’ll leave ya’ to it, but if ya’ need backup, Trevor…”
“I know. West, Inara, and Graham are on call too. Right now, we don’t want to raise any more eyebrows. But if that changes, I’ll let you know.”
Ronan gently nudges Zephyr’s chin so she turns to him, then plants a hard, fast kiss on her lips. “Don’t be stayin’ up all night now, luv. Unless ya’ want me to…” He lowers his voice to whisper something in her ear, and her cheeks turn bright pink.
“I’ll get you for that one later,” she says and points behind her. “Leave me be. Important shit going on.” As soon as the door closes, she huffs and shakes her head. “Sorry. We haven’t had much time together the past couple of weeks, and it’s getting to him.”
Austin clears his throat, and he and Trevor move their chairs around so Zephyr can see all four of us at once. “Want to tell us what you found? Now that Leo and Domina are awake, we need to get in touch with Cortez. Get her job back and find out what happened after the IPS dragged him off that stage.”
“Right.” Zephyr taps a few keys, and her face disappears, replaced with video footage from the rally. “I couldn’t get a clear shot of the sniper.” She zooms in on the top of the scoreboard. “Sunglasses, knit cap, face mask…facial recognition won’t do shit. But he’s light-skinned, black hair, and right-handed.”
“That only describes a third of the men in Panama,” Austin mutters. “You said you had intel we coulduse.”
The video footage disappears, and Zephyr’s face fills the screen. “Boss, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re being an ass.”
Leo smiles, and Trevor starts laughing so hard, he has to set his coffee mug down. “What, exactly, would be the right way for him to take it?” he asks.
Zephyr grins and bats her eyes at the camera. “With love. I’ve done almost a dozen jobs for Austin, but this is the first time we’ve workedtogether. I’m getting to the good parts. I promise.”
Those last two words carry weight, and Austin sighs. “You’re right. I’m tired and I’m not used to being away from Mik for so long.”
Leo’s lips brush my ear. “Mik is his fiancée.”
“She’s fine, Austin. Dax and Evianna’s house is a fortress. Tank and Vasquez are doing drive-bys every few hours.” Zephyr turns her focus to me. “Domina? Dax is Trevor’s boss at Second Sight. Evianna’s his wife. Tank and Vasquez work there too.”
“Oh. Thank you. I wondered, but…” Shrugging, I settle closer to Leo. “I did not want to interrupt to ask.”
“The night after Ronan introduced me to everyone, I was so overwhelmed, I made him print out pictures and write their names on the back.” She grins, and it’s so obvious she cares for all these people. A pang of regret slams into me. Who do I care about? Mina. Larissa. Manuel. And Leo. Everyone else I work with? That is all they are to me. Coworkers.
The screen switches back to video from the soccer stadium. This time, it’s footage of the crowds in the stands. “I didn’t have anything for you until now because running more than ten thousand faces through facial recognition is a hell of a load on the system. Not to mention all the red flags I had to sort through. Drug convictions, assault charges, domestic violence complaints…every one had to be investigated. Had to pull in Ripper this morning. We’re down to nine men and one woman.”
Ten photos fly onto the screen like playing cards. Zephyr gives us a summary of each. Name, occupation, violent crimes, bank account balances… So much information, it makes my head spin. Leo’s too from the way he sinks back against the cushions and pulls me to his side. Austin and Trevor, though, scribble notes on their tablets and ask questions every few minutes.
