Bryce handed Alex a Taser. “In case it fails.”
They loaded up the equipment, and Bryce took both firearms, since Jesse had one of his own. He had a shoulder holster for the handgun and it took him a moment to get the rigging in place.
All that was left in the box was a small black bag.
“Should we take it?” Alex asked.
“It’s too sensitive for you, and I’ve got all I can carry,” Bryce replied.
“I’m still good, but what is it?” Jesse said.
“Everything moves at a frequency.” Bryce closed the lid of the car, then took his phone out of his pocket. “Light. Sound. Emotions. Psychic resonance. Find the opposite of the frequency and you can neutralize it.”
“You’ve got a device that small?” Jesse asked.
“Well, we have taken a few things from would-be alien invaders and figured out how to use it,” Bryce replied.
“But use that one wrong and the whole building could come down on our heads,” Alex said. “So, sorry new guy, none for you.”
“They’re close.” Bryce tucked away his phone. “You ready for this?”
Jesse nodded.
The front doors of the building were unlocked, and as they made a sweep of the first floor, they didn’t find or hear anyone. Jesse would have loved to consider that a victory, but it only made him worry more. No one left a building unlocked unless they were expecting guests.
Worse, when they finally did find someone, it was a dead body. The attack looked like a stabbing. No sign of anything like the devourer had gotten to it.
But a bad feeling was creeping through Jesse’s psyche more and more. He wanted to itch his arms, or put on fifty layers so he wasn’t cold. Anything that would make him feel better in the end. All he had was Bryce.
Whatever the effect the psychic resonance had on him, Bryce obviously felt none of it. Jesse was almost jealous of him, but Bryce didn’t let anything get to him.
Except Jesse. That was clear in every kiss, every worried glance, every moment they spent together. While Bryce could withstand the rest of the world, he melted whenever he was in Jesse’s presence. Bryce was more than a tether to make Jesse feel stable in the world. He was patient and understanding. Sexy as hell when he opened up.
This was the worst time to sort out his feelings. He could wait until after they saved the day to be in love with Bryce.
“Where should we look next?” Jesse asked.
“Basement,” Alex replied. “Shit always goes down in basements.”
“Happens in plenty of other places, too,” Bryce said. “Attics. Fields. Throughout whole houses.”
“My apartment was on the fourth floor,” Jesse said.
Bryce nodded.
Alex rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. But in this case, I’m thinking basement.”
A basement wouldn’t have light, and was far easier to control access to. Anything down there could easily get trapped. Like them.
“Guess we need to find a way down.” Jesse led the way across the lobby.
The main staircase, the one with the signs, not far from the elevators, didn’t go below the lobby floor. Their footsteps echoed on the tile floor in hushed tones.
As they reached a maintenance room door, Jesse began to itch even more. His skin felt like a hundred tiny spiders were crawling across him. His arm was tired from keeping his gun at the ready, and he swore the world was grayer. He scratched his neck, which helped, and kept absently scratching until Bryce grabbed his wrist.
“You need to stop,” he whispered.
Jesse frowned. “Just an itch.”
