by A. J. Macey
That’s weird. People come in from the offices all the time... what is it about these two that’s making me so uncomfortable?
“What can I get for you two today?” I asked with a perky smile and the cheeriest voice I could manage. The man on the left paused, seemingly undecided, giving me a chance to take him in—brown hair styled into a buzz cut, his clothes pressed and starched to the point I could see the iron lines down the front of his white shirt. Two red crest pins were attached to his collar, but with the menu shifting in front of him, I couldn't identify what they were.
“Coffee, black,” he ordered, closing his menu, his voice gruff and short as he looked to the man he was sitting with. “Councilman?”
Involuntarily, my shoulders seized up, tension stilling my body as I finally recognized the pin on the man's shirt as Legionary.
“Coffee with creamer and I think some orange juice, please, Miss Evera,” the man on the right requested, smiling politely as he leaned forward to read my name tag.
“Of course, Councilman,” I added with another smile. Turning on my heel, I strode to the back, my body tingling with the build of my power I strained to keep contained beneath my skin. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm. They don’t know who you are. They have no reason to suspect you’re the Phenom adventuring around at night.
Despite my attempts to stay out of the spotlight, it was hard not to hear the rumors that passed through the outskirts of the city, whispered between casual diners in restaurants or friends as they walked down the street, none the wiser about who might really be listening in. The most recent revolved around the Council, claiming the organization had been finding and meeting with powerful Phenoms throughout the city. Why. I didn’t know. There were whispers about how they ended up spending more and more time with the council after the initial meeting until finally they really weren’t seen at all, but I shoved those rumors and a building sense of unease away and busied myself with getting their drinks. Act normal.
“Oh, delicious,” the Councilman perked up after taking a sip of his orange juice. “I think we're ready to order, Miss.” My handwriting was steady even though I felt my body nearly shaking as I jotted down their orders.
“Ma'am,” the Legionary called out before I could walk away to put in their food orders. Plastering a fake as fuck smile on my face, I turned back to the two men who’d triggered my fight-or-flight response. “Have you heard of any Phenoms in the area? The Legion Council is looking to meet with a few for an upcoming summit.”
“Uh, I don't believe so. If I think of any, do you have a number I could reach?” I didn't fake the confused note in my voice as I answered. So, the Council is, in fact, looking for Phenoms, but what would the summit be about?
“Just ask for Councilman Edgar's office,” the Councilman held out a card for me. I gave a polite thank you and scurried away.
At least they didn't ask about Arc Angel.
Finally, after my double shift had ended later that evening, I headed home, my feet aching, and my body exhausted as I walked to the bus stop. The ride was a blur, and it took me three tries to get the front door to the building open before I was able to enter my apartment and collapse on my bed.
What felt like a second later, I heard a pounding on my door. Shooting to sitting, I stumbled off my bed and across my small space, thankful I had stayed in my waitress uniform of black pants and shirt. My heart thudded so quickly, so powerfully, I was almost afraid it would burst out of my chest. Nothing like an abrupt, dramatic wake-up call to get the blood flowing. I didn’t stop to collect myself before opening the door. Well, that was apparently a bad idea. Three men rushed the opening, two trying to grab me in the process.
“You’re coming with us, Miss Quinn,” the third man stated, his face covered in a ski mask, so all I could identify was the hazel eyes and deep voice. Panicking, I lost control of my powers, my lightning arcing in all directions around the space. When the men’s grips loosened with pained grunts, I knew I didn’t have time to grab anything. I ran, sprinting without thought of where I was running to. The thud of their footsteps closing in behind me spurred me on even faster, fueling the adrenaline that pumped through my system. My eyes took a bit to adjust, but I knew the area well enough to run without hitting anything or anyone. Not that anyone would really be out this late at night.
“Oof!” I huffed, running into something solid as I rounded a corner. Looking up, I saw a familiar set of blue eyes and a black face mask. “Seriously? Again?” I groaned, jumping up from where I had fallen when I heard footsteps behind me. Before they could round the corner, I started sprinting again, Wings keeping pace with me.
“Sparky? That you?” he questioned. I could feel his eyes on my face before darting to the lightning dancing around my fingers in my fear. “What’s going on?” I was huffing and puffing at that point. I guess adrenaline can only do so much to make up for lack of regular cardio.
“Guys... chasing... me…” I choked out when I could. His head whipped around to look over his shoulder at the three men chasing us.
“I got them, Sparky. You just keep running,” he murmured before stopping, his wings popping out. Without looking back, I heard the sound of grunting and shouts and was almost tempted to turn back. Hey, Wings told me to run, so I’m gonna run for it.
I had gotten almost another couple miles away, and when I didn’t hear any footsteps or see anyone following me, I slowed, struggling to breathe through the stitch in my side. Unfortunately, I had only gotten another block before a solid hit to the head blindsided me, darkness swallowing me as I collapsed to the sidewalk.
Carson
The night was cool, and the bite in the air made me shiver as I walked down the sidewalk in an attempt to clear my head. Evera’s happy laugh, the girly perfume that she used to wear, and the memories of her in my arms plagued me, and the more I tried to push them away, the more they pressed down on me. I would give anything to feel her soft skin and curves pressed against me again.
Turning the corner, my steps faltered, and I thought I was seeing things—what couldn’t possibly be Evera’s familiar white-blonde hair sprawled out on the sidewalk at the end of the short block. Panicking, I ran over in time to see a man with a ski mask lug the woman up onto his shoulder.
That build of forceful pressure in my chest released, radiating down my arms and legs until the nearly painful pressure engulfed my body before finally bursting around me. It only took a moment before my solidified power flowed, fueling the force field, the barrier surrounding a few inches outside of my skin, helping to ground me. I pulled the field back for only a moment, long enough to throw a punch at the man’s face. Grunting from the impact, he stumbled and dropped the woman. I scrambled, catching her before she hit the cement, pulling her into the bubble surrounding me.
Before the man could fight back, I kicked out, but he disappeared, reappearing a split second later out of range and further down the sidewalk, repeating the process until he was out of sight. Shaking my head at the asshole, I finally looked down to make sure the woman was alright. When I saw who she was, I felt my arms tighten around her as I held her to me. Evera was breathing, but she wouldn’t wake, a reddening mark quickly darkening on her temple and cheek.
I turned and practically ran back toward The Syndicate building, making sure not to jostle her too much. I burst into the building, Gage shouting at me as I continued to Kane’s office. He was in a meeting with Silas, but I didn’t care at that point, shoving my way into the room.
“Carson,” Kane bit out in irritation until he saw Evera unconscious in my arms. “What happened?” he demanded, moving out from behind his desk. Silas was by my side in an instant, running his hand over Ev’s face, brushing her hair from her eyes.
“I was just out walking, only got about half a mile away, when I saw this guy wearing a ski mask trying to take her. Another Phenom, a Blinker,” I explained breathlessly.
“Come on,” Kane directed, holding the other door op
en. Following, Silas and I made our way through the halls after my uncle until he opened the door to one of the spare rooms. I made sure to lay her down gently, my hand coming to brush her hair from her cheek before I let Silas take my place.
“Looks like he got a good hit in on her face,” he stated, examining her, taking care not to hurt her. “I don’t see anything else other than this one spot, but we’ll have to wait to see how she is when she wakes.”
I ground my teeth, not just in anger but from the building power within my chest. Don’t lose it now, Carson. Keep yourself together until we find that piece of shit who hurt her.
“The hacker wasn’t there?” Kane questioned. I shook my head, too angry to talk. “Silas, go see if he’s at his place. If she was out alone, I want to know why.” Silas nodded, moving from Evera’s side and walking out of the room.
“What do you think she was doing over on this side of town? She didn’t have her mask on, and I didn’t see it when I found her,” I explained.
“Well, I highly doubt she was coming to see us,” Kane murmured, looking down at Ev, her chest rising and falling rhythmically as she laid still. “If she wasn’t out looking for trouble, we’ll have Acer and Silas figure out what the hell happened.” He turned, his hand coming to squeeze my shoulder. “She’ll be alright, she’s a strong woman.”
“How would either of us know that, Uncle? We haven’t been around to see what kind of woman she’s become,” I mumbled, my chest squeezing at the depressing thought. I hadn’t been able to hold her or tell her how much I cared about her for the last ten years. We should have been together this whole time, I thought, rage accompanying it, but I pushed it back when my uncle’s jaw tensed.
“What other kind of woman goes out to beat the hell out of assholes?” he questioned before starting toward the door. “Stay with her for now, but when Silas gets back, I want you to meet us in my office. We have plans to figure out.”
Like the fact, I’m going to beat the hell out of the man who put hands on my Baby Blue.
Acer
God damn it, I groaned as my fingers brushed the bottom of my bowl of popcorn, finding only unpopped kernels left in the blue plastic container. I’m still hungry. I set the empty dish on the meaningless stack of papers the table to the left, my fingers flying over the keyboard when I finally got the code I had been searching for.
“Alright, Syndicate, let’s find out what you guys are doing over there,” I murmured, my concentration solely on the screen, so when there was a pounding on my door, I jumped, nearly falling out of my chair. “Fucking hell, give me a damn heart attack, why don’t you?” I hissed under my breath, making my way out of my office to the door. I peeked through the peephole to see who the hell was at my apartment before I unlocked the row of locks.
“Oh, not going to kidnap me this time?” I snapped as I opened the door, leaving the chain latched in case Kane’s man, Silas, decided to push into my space. The man glared at me with a set jaw and narrowed eyes.
“Was Evera going out tonight?” he asked, surprising me.
“Out where? The bar? Club? Pottery store?” I snarked. No need for these assholes to know about the super squad.
“I don’t care where, did you know if she was going out?” The severity in his statement gave me pause.
“Why?” I questioned. “Did something happen?”
“Carson found her being taken by a guy in a ski mask a half mile from our building,” he explained.
“I’m supposed to believe you, why?” I snapped, worry settling in my stomach like a lead weight. I had to be sure something had actually happened before I opened the door. I am so not getting kidnapped again. Silas sighed, pulling out his phone and calling someone.
“What?” I recognized Carson’s growling voice filtering through the speaker.
“Show Evera, please,” Silas asked, turning the phone to face me, a flash of Carson’s scowl filling the frame until it spun around. My body immediately flooded with adrenaline when I saw an unconscious Evera, lying in a bed. I was almost unable to restrain myself from throwing open the door and running to her side. More concerned about Evera than any possible kidnapping, I let Silas into my apartment, but he stayed close enough to keep the door propped with one foot.
“Mr. Renick wants you to come back to assist in finding out what happened to her. I know she would want you there when she wakes,” he explained. I nodded, too anxious to say anything as I stuffed some clothes and equipment into a duffle bag.
“She’s okay, though, right?” He nodded, holding the door for me. “Alright, let’s go,” I huffed, only slightly relieved at the news. Following him out of the apartment, I only took a moment to lock my door before darting down the stairs after him. There was a brand-new, black SUV parked outside the building, and I jumped into the passenger seat, taking care to not hit my bag on anything as I set it at my feet. “How much money do you guys make to afford this?” I found myself asking, not caring if it was an invasion. I mean, they kidnapped me from my own place, I think I get the right to ask.
“A lot.”
I rolled my eyes at his lack of an answer. There are enough rumors about The Syndicate, I know these assholes make a lot of money. It’s not like he’s fooling anyone with the vague answer. Fidgeting in my seat, my heel bounced nervously as we headed to the warehouse The Syndicate called home base. My mental library pulled up the blueprints I had managed to scour from the web, ready to put more of a visual look to the map in my head.
“Follow me,” he directed, pulling the car into a back garage before hopping out. Shouldering my pack, we passed lots of other members who blatantly stared with a mix of suspicion and surprise. I matched names to faces as best I could, but I hadn’t found much—yet.
“She’s in here.” The door Silas held open led to a small bedroom with only a bed, nightstand, chair, and a small table. Kane’s nephew, Carson, knelt next to the bed, holding Evera’s hand as he hummed softly, but as soon as he saw me, he stopped. Glaring, he stood.
“Hacker,” he greeted with a bite. I smirked, stepping up to him so I could check on Angel.
“Asshole,” I responded. As much as he wanted to punch me, he didn’t, making me chuckle. I took his place at Angel’s side as soon as he moved, my eyes roving her quickly. “She stir at all yet?”
“No, but it’s only been about a half hour or so,” Carson explained. “We’re supposed to meet my uncle in his office.” I sighed, somehow knowing this was about to turn into a whole big thing Angel and I weren’t going to be able to get out of soon. Standing, I followed Carson out of her room with Silas behind me. I quickly memorized the space and layout in case anything went wrong, and Evera and I had to run.
“Acer,” Kane greeted with a single nod as we entered. “If Silas brought you here, that means he’s decided we can trust you—at least when it comes to Evera’s whereabouts last night. I have a proposition for you.” I narrowed my eyes on him but didn’t say anything as I waited. “I want you to find out what happened. Figure out who targeted Evera. I have a feeling this is much bigger than we know, and I want as many eyes as possible on what the hell is going on.”
“Especially when Evera is on the line,” I added to his unspoken addition. His jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed.
“Along with my nephew and Silas, she is my top priority. Either you’re with that, or you’re not, but I’ve been watching over Evera since she was four years old, and I plan on continuing that.”
As if anyone’s fooled about your real feelings for her, I mentally scoffed.
“Well, you mean you looked after her for ten years until you left her for ten years,” I challenged, growing irritated at his pompous attitude. From what I knew about Angel, she didn’t have anyone after her brother died, and they had left. With the three of them gone, she had locked down and closed herself off, refusing to rely on me or anyone else.
“We looked for her, for a decade we searched for her,” he ground out, standing up from behind his
desk as his eyes sharpened, spitting fire in my direction. “Just because I couldn’t find her didn’t mean I wasn’t trying to look out for her, and I won’t let you or anyone else get in the way of that.”
“Seriously, though, how did you miss her? The south side is less than ten miles from here. I mean, granted, my skills are impressive, and she did ask me to keep her off the grid, but it still seems like you gave up pretty quickly,” I challenged. His face reddened, and I fully believed Kane would be spewing steam from his ears if it were possible.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed, with your impressive skills, we’re a target for the Legion Council and a number of other enemies, so we have to keep a low local profile. Which is why we had to cut ties with her in the first place. After a few years of nothing locally, we widened our search to other parts of the country and to…” he trailed off, swallowing hard, his eyes falling to the desk.
“To what?” I snapped, tired of the excuses. If Evera and I were going to be sticking around, we, but especially she, deserved some answers.
“To obituaries and missing person lists,” he ground out. When he looked at me, I could see the raw pain in his eyes, despite the stoic way he held himself. “I thought she was dead, but now that we know she isn’t, I don’t plan on letting her go so easily.”
“Then I suggest you believe I will completely crumble the entire Syndicate infrastructure if any of you hurt her again. She’s been alone all this time, and it took me years to finally get close enough before she would even tell me anything. I won’t let you or anyone else ruin the slight stability she’s created for herself,” I threatened, taking a step forward and matching Kane’s glare with my own.
“You have our word we won’t,” Silas cut in diplomatically, glaring between Kane and Carson, the latter having been suspiciously quiet until they both agreed. If looks could kill, I was pretty sure Carson’s silent glare would send me straight to Hell. Feeling on edge, but not wanting to make this harder than it needed to be, I nodded, letting it go—for now.
