“Do as she says,” Storm warned.
“Or you’ll hurt me?” Tristan chuckled.
“I won’t hurt you.” Storm smiled with evil intent. “Well, maybe when I snap your neck, but you won’t feel it for long.”
A strong emotion from Storm reached her. He was angry . . . no, not exactly.
He was . . . jealous? Really? That brightened her day.
The stupids must have set in again.
Tristan grinned, taunting Storm with, “Come on. I’d like a jaguar rug for my next apartment.”
Evalle jerked away from Tristan, keeping herself turned slightly away from Storm or she wouldn’t be able to think. “I don’t have time for a testosterone battle. And neither do you, Tristan, if we’re going to find those three Alterants.”
“So you’re working with him now?” Storm asked.
Tristan’s smile widened.
Evalle glared at Tristan to cut it out, then looked over her shoulder at Storm. “We have an agreement.”
The look of disappointment on Storm’s face crushed her. He had come for her just as he’d promised, but would he understand why she had to stick with Tristan?
“Not so fast,” Tristan told her. “We had an agreement that did not include him.”
She swung back around. “What do you mean?”
Tristan raised his hands, palm out. “If that tomcat found his way here, then he can find his way to the next town. Storm goes or I go.”
Storm said nothing, which worried her a lot more than his anger. What did he think? That she’d been allowing Tristan to touch her body . . .thatway?
As if.
Evalle couldn’t afford to lose Tristan, but neither would she abandon Storm after he’d come all the way down here to find her. She told Tristan, “You’re not going anywhere without me if you expect me to speak to the Tribunal for you.”
Tristan’s eyes moved from Storm to Evalle, making a decision. “Remember when I told you gods and goddesses could be tricky? You said Loki’s exact words were ‘Let the one who returns the three escaped Alterants to VIPER be cleared of prior transgressions.’ I don’t need you to talk to the Tribunal. All I have to do is show up with those three to negotiate for my freedom. And finding them shouldn’t be a problem, since I’m the one who told those three where to hide in Atlanta.”
Tristan was going to snake her deal with the Tribunal. “You son of a—”
He shook his finger back and forth. “Uh-uh. Brina doesn’t like her minions to curse. Make up your mind if it’s me or him if you want to continue our partnership.”
“It’s not technically a partnership,” she said for Storm’s benefit. “Just an agreement.”
Tristan wouldn’t relent. “You with me or him?”
“You know I need your help.” The disgusted sound that erupted behind Evalle lowered her expectations of smoothing this over soon with Storm. Surely he realized she would not leave him here. Nobody was going anywhere until she got things straight with Storm first.
Not that she should care what he thought with so much at stake, but she did. His disappointment ate at the happiness that had bloomed over seeing him here.
She said in a firm voice, “I’m not leaving anyone here.”
“Can either of you teleport?” Tristan asked.
“No,” Evalle snapped, losing patience. “What’s your point?”
“I can.” Tristan vanished.
“Blast it!” She turned to Storm, saying, “I can’t believe he can still tele—”
