“Okay. Great. You’re dropping Tetra at the Iron Fist now, then?” Liam asked.
“That’s right.” Val nodded as Genevieve rolled past Continental Army Plaza.
“Fine.” Liam exhaled. “I still think you should have brought backup, Val. We could ask Diego or someone.”
“I work alone, and I’ve got this,” Val told him. “Run me through the plan one more time.”
“Okay. We’ll start at the warehouse I told you about...” Liam began.
The plan wasn’t complicated, not that that made its execution any simpler. Liam had finished outlining it as Genevieve purred into her parking spot in front of the Iron Fist. Its curtained windows made it look sleepy. Enzo’s silhouette was dimly visible as he pottered around the closed bar.
“Got it?” Liam finished.
Val grinned. “Got it.”
“You’re sure about the backup thing?”
“I don’t need backup,” Val growled. “Listen, I’m at the Fist. I’ll call you later.”
She turned to Tetra and did a double-take. Instead of her usual posture—stiff and straight, arms folded in defiance—the faerie slumped in her seat. Her hands lay limp in her lap as she stared out the window.
“Tetra?” Val muttered. “We’re here.”
“Where are you going?” Tetra growled.
Val snorted. “What do you care? You’ll be late for your shift if you keep sitting there.”
“You’re going somewhere dangerous, aren’t you?” Tetra kept her head turned to the window. “You’re going to confront those humans who’ve been trying to hurt Blair and Yuka.”
“It’s none of your business. You’re holding us up.”
Tetra’s shoulders tightened. “Liam’s right. You should have backup.”
“Were you eavesdropping on my private conversation?” Val snapped.
“You’re sitting in the car right next to me, Val! I know you think I’m stupid, but I can connect the dots,” Tetra barked. “You can’t take on an army of humans with guns on your own.”
“I can, and I will,” Val snarled.
“I was helpful last time. Don’t you remember? You needed me!” Tetra yelled.
“What’s your deal?” Val demanded. “It’s not like you give a shit. I won’t let you use my clients’ safety for your entertainment.”
“Where are you going?” Tetra repeated.
“None. Of. Your. Business.” Val’s hands ached as she clenched the steering wheel in white-knuckled fists. “Don’t make me order you to get out.”
Tetra bit back a strangled sound that could have been a sob, then shoved the car door open and lunged out.
“Don’t slam the door!” Val barked before she could think.
Tetra’s body trembled with rage as she gently shut the door behind her. She finally turned to Val, who froze. Were those tears in her black eyes?
Tetra blinked. If there had been tears, they vanished. “Can you tell me—”
“Do whatever Enzo tells you,” Val snapped. “I don’t have time for this.”
She stomped on the accelerator, and Genevieve screeched away from the curb. Her left rear wheel hit a patch of icy slush that sprayed Tetra’s pants, and the faerie squealed in indignation.
“That was petty,” Val half-heartedly chided as Genevieve roared down the street.
Genevieve’s dials flipped.
“Yeah, I know she deserved it.” Val chuckled.
She grabbed her phone, put it on silent, and texted Liam.
En route.
Menace hung over the block like smoke.
Val liked the parts of Brownsville she’d seen. Despite the dilapidated houses and neglected litter-covered parks, camaraderie shone between the kids who shot hoops in weedy lots and the old ladies on porches gossiping as they smoked cheap cigarettes.
It had a particular flavor that made envy curl in Val’s gut, reminding her of the way things were in the Iron Hills many nights when she and Frode sat in front of the smithy and watched as the other dwarves—the normal dwarves—grilled yak steaks on open fires in the streets below.
This block, though? This was different.
