Disarming a bomb was one of my least favorite activities. Even though it was a quick process, I still didn’t want it on my plate. There was no blood, and it always left me feeling jittery afterwards. Probably the whole ticking clock aspect.
It was also a skill I tried not to let people know I had. They’d no doubt call me when there was a potential threat and I didn’t need the extra work.
What I needed was to get back to Pharrell and Ricardo to see what else needed to be handled. But there were too many fucking people. Goddamn animals.
GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY.
I wanted to roar the words out loud. Wanted to let the beast free so they’d clear a path.
Except Rel had been clear about my conditions for staying. He said I had to put on my normal person suit when at the legitbusinesses. I could be as psycho as I wanted elsewhere. Just not here.
“Ricardo!” I heard Rel’s voice rising over the crowd. When I turned to look at him, he was in a blind panic, shoving people out of the way as he tried to fight against the flow.
I whistled sharply to get his attention. He whipped his head my way, then motioned to the area between us. I didn’t need to be close to understand him.
Something had happened to Ricardo. He’d been right here and then gone.
My first instinct would be to spread out to look. Maybe he got pushed around in the shuffle.
But there was something else telling me I should stay where I was. Something telling me to think about why Ricardo wouldn’t answer Rel’s call. If any two people were meant to be together, it was those two. That meant Ricardo would come every time his partner called, not the opposite.
I dropped into a crouch and watched how the bodies around me moved. There was a method to the madness, which I spotted right away. There was also some discord.
Enough to tell me something—or someone—was causing a break.
I shifted through the crowd, body still bent over. It was hard to keep my balance, but I managed. I’d been in worse conditions.
When I got closer to the disturbance, my blood turned to ice at what I saw.
Ricardo’s crumpled form jolted each time someone ran into him, though otherwise, it remained still.
Rushing forward, I leaned over him protectively as I assessed his body for wounds. It was easy to see the knife still sticking out of him and the blood coating his clothing and the floor beneath him.
Even with what I saw, he shouldn’t have been unconscious like this. He was made of tougher stuff. I knew because I’d been watching him for months now, making sure he was the right fit as Rel’s partner.
Since he’d proved himself to be a great fit, this made no fucking sense.
Also, how the fuck did he get stabbed?
Then it hit me.
Dammit.
This was a setup.
Someone called in the threat to cause panic, then went after the person Pharrell had come to care for most. It was a direct attack against a man I considered family.
This wouldn’t stand.
More importantly, we had to get Ricardo the help he needed before this got worse. I felt for his pulse, then sighed when I found it steady, though a bit slow.
I rose to my full height, then whistled sharply in three quick successions. It was enough to distract the people around me and also to get Pharrell’s attention. I waved him over, then stuck my arms out wide to create a barrier as much as I could.
“Back the fuck up,” I shouted when others got to close.
The second Rel was within reach, I yanked his suit to get him through the bodies. At Ricardo’s broken form, he collapsed.
Knowing he wasn’t fit for it, I called for an ambulance. There was probably one outside, but I needed them to get in here right fucking now with a stretcher and some answers.
