“What the hell are you doing, Arden?” Kayden’s voice was a low hiss in my

ear.

“Getting ready to follow my target. If you can, pick up my camera on the way to the Jeep, will you? Dave seems nice enough and all, but that camera cost

me a pretty penny, I’d like it back.”

“Then why the hell did you give it to him?”

I dodged a young mom, her stroller, and her over-excited dog. “Because I’m

going to stick to Ramirez’s ass when he moves.”

“We are not splitting up.”

“If he moves, I move.” A litany of oaths came back, but I ignored the angry

man in my ear, and worked my way up the street, closing in on Ramirez’s position. “Something’s up, because he’s way too focused on his phone.”

Sure enough, my target took another drag, then dropped the cigarette and

crushed it beneath his foot. He checked his phone once again and then slid it back into a pocket, before stepping into the current of bodies crowding the sidewalk and headed away from The Dragon.

“He’s on the move.” My pulse sped up. “Maybe Ellery’s calling him off of

Hobbes?”

“If he’s working with Ellery.” There was a hard edge to Kayden’s voice, but

at least he stopped cursing.

“Only one way to find out.” My stomach churned with a noxious mix of anticipation and terror.

“Keep the line open and watch your six, dammit,” Kayden bit out.

“Roger.”

“Arden, be careful.” That was Bishop. “Shaw, I’m sending Wolf out to pick

up Hobbes from you.”

Which meant I wouldn’t be on my own for long, but something in his voice

triggered my internal warning system. It hit me I hadn’t asked what abilities Bishop and Wolf possessed. “What do you know that I don’t?”

Bishop didn’t pretend not to understand. “Nothing for sure, but I’ve got a bad

feeling.”

I choked back a nervous laugh. “Normally I’d ask if you were psychic but guess that’s a bit redundant.”

A soft chuckle accompanied Bishop’s, “That’s not my gift, but my gut’s

talking.”

And that was better than any psychic gift. Anytime a soldier’s gut started talking, you needed to pay close attention. More times than not, that was the only warning you got before things went from sugar to shit.

CHAPTER 17

R amirez led me out of the well-lit, populated areas and into the dark streets

that hid more than graffiti. We were only a couple of streets away from The Dragon, but here, the urban renewal was slow to encroach. Inky eyes of dark storefronts watched our game of cat and mouse, their entryways offering minor concealment. Sprinkled in between were the occasional boarded-up,

abandoned shops.

Following him became a test of nerves. He was definitely jumpy, every little

noise and flash of movement had him looking over his shoulder. Between his twitchy behavior and Bishop’s warning, some of Ramirez’s paranoia transferred

to me. My spine itched, but no matter how many times I checked my back trail,

it stayed clear.

Shadowing someone on a quiet city street was far from easy. Headlights from

passing traffic played havoc with my eyesight. Bass-heavy, tricked out cars kept

drawing Ramirez’s attention and interfering with my ability to stay off his radar.

I had to skirt the occasional cardboard home and watch where I stepped so I wouldn’t injure myself. By the time Ramirez ducked under a flimsy excuse for a

fence, sweat coated my spine, and not just from the heat. Although it was now

well after nine at night the temperature still hovered in the nineties.

When he disappeared into the weed-choked lot, I picked up my pace and

crossed the street. I stood on the cracked sidewalk and studied the narrow area

between the buildings. A tall, looming shadow filled the space. Streetlights couldn’t hold the darkness at bay, but I could make out the boards haphazardly

covering what were once windows. Large signs ringed the lower half of the two-story structure and proclaimed penalties for trespassing. Someone even added a

few lines of spiked wire and metal rods.

It wasn’t much of a deterrent. Ramirez was already inside. It took me a few,

but I finally managed to bypass the half-ass security. When one of those barbs left a painful scratch along my shoulder, I muffled my soft curse and poked at the tear in my shirt.