There was no response. She blinked, and he was gone.

  Marco’s words about Martin and the Commandos had made her uneasy. She needed to speak to Marco, now.

  Chad appeared at her side. “Did he say Marcus?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “You didn’t seem surprised. You knew Marco had family, didn’t you?”

  She took a deep breath before looking up into his eyes. “Yes.”

  * * *

  Jane squeezed Ryan’s cool hand with a sigh.

  “He’ll be all right,” Doc said for the tenth time, an amused smile playing on his lips.

  “I know.” She nodded but didn’t move from her place in the hard plastic chair.

  The infirmary was quiet. Only three beds were occupied: Ryan and Zac asleep, and Chris in a coma, a white bandage covering his partly shaved head.

  The dark circles around Doc’s eyes hinted at many sleepless nights. His hair was longer than usual, and his jaw dark with stubble, shot with gray here and there. He’d lost weight, and his already sharp cheekbones stood out even more now, making him look devilish.

  Doc turned to her, and she looked away, uncomfortable under his dark, unblinking gaze.

  “It’s just his arm,” Doc reminded her again, his voice a hoarse whisper. “Go get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “I gotta swing by the office first. Found something tonight,” she said with a yawn.

  He perked up. “Like what?”

  “Not sure yet.”

  “Show me.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Tell you what—I’ll trade it with you.”

  “For what?”

  “The last piece of gossip.”

  He gasped and went as far as to put a hand on his chest. “I don’t gossip.”

  “Please. Gossip is all you do.”

  Doc frowned but gave in. “All right, here’s one: They say there’s a man in Santa Fe who can kill with a touch of his hand.”

  “That’s bullshit,” Jane said with a grimace. “You just made that up.”

  “No, I did not. Cross my heart.” He didn’t sound convincing, but she let it go.

  He stepped closer, eyes glowing in anticipation, as she dug into her pocket. Doc grabbed the plastic baggie the moment it was out, and scurried off to the lamp, hunching and muttering to himself. She was sure she’d heard the words “My precious.”

  “What’s this?” He turned to her after a second, a grimace on his face.

  “It’s a key, obviously. I found it in the alley where we lost the man we’d been following.”

  “That’s it?” His voice shot up an octave. “You found a dirty key, and you think it’s a clue? I’m never telling you any gossip again.”

  She snatched it out of his hand. “Yeah, well, your gossip was crap, so…” She trailed off, peering at the faded plastic label on the key. “What’s this number?”

  Doc bent over the desk again as Jane turned it in her hand, trying to see better through the transparent plastic.

  “Looks like one twenty-six…” he said. “Yes, definitely. Did you happen to find the lock, too?” he mocked her, and she swatted at him, straightening up.

  “Very funny. See ya.”

  She headed straight to Peter’s office, hoping to find Skull there. Instead, she found Peter himself, awake and giving orders left and right.

  “Jane?” He blinked in surprise. “I thought you were with your sister.”

  “We split up so Ryan and I could follow the man who had attacked Marco.”

  Peter’s sharp gaze locked in on her. “And?”

  “He got away,” she said with a sour face. “But I found this.” She gave him the key. “I thought maybe it meant something together with the other evidence, or maybe there’s a fingerprint or something.”

  Peter turned the baggie in his fingers, then peered at the crowd in the hall. “Hey, Julian, come over here for a second.”

  A dark-haired young man joined them, giving Jane a friendly smile. She hadn’t seen him before, and based on his formal clothes, she guessed he was from the forensic team.

  “This was found tonight,” Peter said, showing him the key. “You think it could be helpful?”

  “How was it found?” Julian’s dark eyes focused on Jane as he took it.

  She shrugged. “In a puddle. It was raining.”

  He frowned and left the room without another word. Only a few seconds passed before he returned. “It’s useless—unless you know where to find the lock,” he added with a wink.

  Jane glowered at him. “I’ll let you know if I do.” She snatched the key from his hand.

  “Jane?” Peter called as she headed to the exit.

  “Yes?”

  “Good job. Any lead we can find is important right now.”

  Her lips curled in a whisper of a smile. “I know.”

  Chapter 7

  Dawn broke before Pain was finally dismissed.

  The warehouse was being examined, the report written, Chad asleep, and Marco nowhere to be found. She’d thought by now he’d be drunk and tired enough to come back home, so she went to check the roof for the third time.

  She turned out right.

  Despite the nasty weather, he was crouching on the edge, right in the middle, as far from the two guards as possible. The rain and wind had stopped, but it was still the coldest time of night, and Marco’s slouched form was wrapped in that big parka of his.

  She crouched beside him, shivering in her gear. The sky had lightened on the horizon, the sun not quite reaching them yet. She cast a sideways glance at him. He was staring off into the distance, his face bitter.

  Silence lingered. A whole night of worrying about him, and now she had no idea what to say.

  Marco moved his shoulders, pulling the coat tighter. “Did you get the guy who jumped me?”

  “Nope. Marcus.”

  He shook his head, sniffing. “It’s my mother, she never liked Marcus. Martin insisted on the name. I guess I wanted to change something when I quit, but I didn’t want a new name or anything.”

  “I like Marco better too,” she said with a lopsided shrug.

  This wrung a wry smile from him, which quickly turned into an irritated grimace. “Stop pretending like you don’t know what happened. It’s been five years. I thought you’d be tired of it by now.”

  “What? Who told you that?”

  “I know you’ve been to my sister’s house.”

  Her cheeks burned, and she drew a long, chill breath. “How?”

  “Because I followed you there, all right? So just stop. There’s nothing to talk about.” He turned away, his gaze fixed on the sleeping city.

  “I thought you weren’t supposed to leave headquarters.”

  “I also wasn’t supposed to get drunk and high every night.” He dropped his voice when one of the guards turned to stare at them. “I knew you were pissed at me, and you found out about the Eagles somehow. They’d never talk to you, so you went to my sister, spent ten minutes with her and left. The only thing I don’t know is why you didn’t use it to drive me out of here.”

  “It was five minutes, not ten,” she protested in a harsh whisper. “You talk like you don’t know your own sister at all. Alecia told me you quit without even taking your things with you; then she questioned me about your wellbeing and kicked me out.” Marco snorted. “She saw my broken arm and said she’d break the other one if I let you get in trouble because of your drinking.”

  “Yeah, and you listened to her,” he scoffed.

  “Have you met your sister? She’s like Yonce on steroids, and I was sixteen, by the way.”

  “Whatever.” He waved her off.

  When he didn’t say anything for a minute, she prodded, “So, now that you know what I know, can you tell me what I don’t know?” She cocked an eyebrow when he turned to look at her.

  His lips twitched, holding back a smile. “Has anyone ever told you what a raging pain in the ass you are?”

  “Everyone.” She nodded. “But I always have something to offer…” She winked, reaching into her jacket for a flask full of gin.

  Marco’s eyes sparkled. “This is you looking out for me and my drinking problem?”

  “It’s cold,” she said with a shrug, and handed him the flask.

  “Damn right. Archie’s was closed.”

  “It’s not the only Ghosts’ bar in town.”

  “It’s the only bar where no one will try to kill me,” he said with a wicked grin, and swigged from the flask.

  “Makes sense, considering how we found you in the first place. Why were you drinking that night, anyway?”

  Marco handed her the flask. “We had a fight, Martin and I. You saw him tonight—you can imagine what it was like. Our disagreements had been piling up for years. But that night…” He scowled, turning to her. “How much do you know about the Black Eagles?”

  “Just the kind of work they do. The full-military-operation kind. No bodyguard jobs, creative undercover circus like we do sometimes. Suicidal missions, extreme case contracts.”

  Marco nodded. “That’s right. But my problem was their way of life. They’re closed off from the rest of the world. No friends outside the base; no going out, parties, hook-ups, hobbies, you name it. You gotta be a perfect little soldier, and obey the commander whether he’s right or wrong. And trust me, there were quite a few cases when my father was wrong.”

  Pain stared at him as he paused to take another swig. “Wait, your father? Commander of the Black Eagles? So you’re what, the Crown Prince?”

  “Not anymore, and amen to that.” He raised the flask in a mock toast and drank some more. A few seconds passed before he said, “He’d made a deal with Eugene. Behind our backs. I couldn’t trust him anymore, didn’t want anything to do with that. It was against everything we’re taught.”

  Pain swallowed hard. “What kind of deal? Why?”

  “So Eugene wouldn’t disrupt our business, like he did with HQ. A simple deal—we give his men a pass, and he doesn’t go after ours. Martin had all kinds of reasons, of course, but I just… I saw red when I heard. He hadn’t even asked us, hadn’t asked Mom. Alecia left instantly, offered me to come with her, join some of her friends in the city. I refused at first, but then Martin and I got into that fight, so I left on my own. Didn’t even take anything, just Grandpa’s sword. Mom left a couple weeks later. It all fell apart. And it was his fucking fault.”

  Pain’s eyes stung. She reminded herself to blink, to breathe, to say something. But there were no words.

  She took a sip from the flask, the bitter warmth spreading through her body, calming. “What about your mother? Where is she now?”

  “She got her own squad in Queens. Females only. Badass as hell.” Marco grinned proudly. “They mostly work in the East.”

  “Wait, females from Queens—your mom founded the Amazons?”

  “Yep. Did you work with them?”

  “Yeah, that one time when we needed backup in Istanbul. They were nearby, so Peter contracted them to help. She wasn’t with them, though.” Pain drank from the flask, blinking in amazement. “Wow…”

  Marco just shrugged. “Alecia has been working with them for a couple of years now, too. They call me when they can. It’s not often, but considering their work, it’s okay. I’m used to it.”

  “And you haven’t spoken to your dad at all since that day?”

  “Nope. Last night was the first time he showed up like that. Dunno why. But I saw him every now and then in the city.”

  “And you don’t want to…” She waved her hand. “I don’t know, work it out somehow?”

  Marco frowned, turning to look in her eyes. “Work what out? There’s nothing to work out.”

  “Well, you’re clearly still pissed at him, but it’s been years. You don’t have to go back, but how are you ever going to move on?”

  He jumped to his feet suddenly. “What are you, my therapist now? You’ve met the man, you’ve seen what he’s like!”

  Pain got up, hiding the flask from the guards as she said, “You know my situation, Marco. I’m sorry this happened to you, even though I’m not sure staying with them would’ve been good for you, knowing your lifestyle. And I know he’s an ass, but he’s still your father. I would’ve been a shitty friend if I lied and said you’re doing yourself a service staying stuck in the past like this.”

  “This is so not fair, you of all people telling me this. Knowing I can’t argue.”

  “Well, life’s not fair. My parents are dead. Martin made a mistake, and he paid a dear price for it. You can’t keep punishing him forever. In the end, you’re the one getting hurt. You have to move on.”

  He turned away, rubbing at his freshly trimmed mohawk. For a minute, he just paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

  Pain drew a freezing lungful of air and let it out in a sigh; then came up to face him. He ignored her, so she grabbed the front of his coat and pulled him down.

  “You may not agree with his methods, but he made you who you are today. And if you ask me, he’s done a damn good job. I’m not saying you should take the high road or anything. I’m not even saying you should speak to him. All I’m asking is for you to think about it and make sure that if tomorrow he dies, you won’t regret it for the rest of your life and drink yourself into an early grave.”

  Marco was silent. His eyes a whirlwind of emotions, he just stared at her, struggling to accept her words.

  At last, he regained his usual annoyed expression and breathed, “Bitch.”

  She gave him a grin and a rough pat on the cheek. “I love you too.”

  The sky was gray by now, the city shrouded in fog. Pain returned to the edge, watching the sun crawl over the horizon. Her body was so numb with cold that she had stopped caring.

  “How did you find out about me?” Marco asked, making her turn to him with a quizzical look. “I mean the Black Eagle part.”

  She chuckled. “Remember that dummy prank you played on me? Scared me half to death. You dressed it in a t-shirt, the one you were wearing when they found you. It had a small eagle label on the collar.”

  “Damn labels. I always said it was stupid, but no, nobody listened.”

  “I didn’t know it was their logo, but it pushed me in the right direction.”

  They were silent for a minute, until Pain yawned, stretching her arms. “So, can I tell Jane now?”

  “You haven’t told her?”

  “No. I had a feeling you wouldn’t want me to.”

  Marco arched a brow, an impressed look on his face. “I feel like I ought to hug you.”

  Before Pain could jump away or even open her mouth to protest, his big arms closed around her. Her breath squeezed out of her, she fell awkwardly against his chest.

  At last, he let her go, and she jumped back with a wary look. “I feel violated.”

  “You’ll live,” he said with a sly look and pointed his thumb at the door. “Let’s go inside, it’s freezing.”

  She practically ran to the door, only to bump into him when he suddenly halted.

  “By the way, did you ask Martin why he was there tonight?” he said, turning to her.

  “Sure. The Commandos have taken a couple of Eagles, too.”

  Marco’s eyes narrowed. “He wouldn’t have sent the whole gang out on a hunt for a couple of people. I bet he’s hiding something.”

  “Like what?”

  He shook his head, disappearing down the dark corridor. “I wish I knew, Pain. Wish I knew.”

  Chapter 8

  Dave stretched in his chair and let out a loud, martyred sigh.

  “Okay, I officially admit it—this idea with the dogs sucks.” He took another look at the screen, where ten blurry images of empty streets were bouncing up and down. “When I was offered a spot on the surveillance team, I did not expect to be spending hours staring at dog butts, night-vision version.” He waited for a reply, but there was none. “Rooney?”

  The hacker appeared from the bathroom door, his eyes distracted. “You were saying?”

  Dave cast his eyes skyward. “I said, my ideas suck. Don’t ever let me propose anything again.”

  Rooney chuckled, perching on a desk with one of his countless laptops. “You’ve only got twenty more minutes before Ty takes over. Besides, it’s really not a bad idea. I’ve seen worse.”

  Dave shot him a curious glance. “Like what?”

  Rooney shifted uncomfortably. “I’m afraid that’s classified.”

  Dave kept himself from rolling his eyes. “Classified must be your middle name.” He turned back to the screen, only to throw up his hands. “Oh, stop that! The hell you doing?”

  He watched through another dog’s camera as one of the animals hooked its collar on a piece of metal and pulled at it with all its might. The camera glinted, flying off in one direction like a shooting star, while the dog with the GPS ran off in another.

  “Awesome. It took us three nights to get those cameras up and running, and we’re already one agent down.”

  “I’ll call Rob. Someone will pick it up and find another dog,” Rooney said, as calm as ever.

  Dave got up from his chair with a shake of his head. “They’ll never find it without the GPS. We’re going out anyway, so we’ll swing by and return it tomorrow morning. I need a good night out to restore my traumatized brain. A dinner at a fine restaurant, a big glass of wine, maybe a lobotomy…”

  “I thought you wanted this job? I can get someone to replace you, if you want.”

  “No, I…” Dave thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “I think I want to see for myself where it goes,” he said with a smile, and pointed at the screen. “I’ll be at this exact spot in a few minutes. You’ll probably see it.”

  “Okay. I’ll cover for you until Tyler’s shift.”

  Dave picked up his new leather jacket and checked his reflection in one of the sleeping monitors. “I’ll swing by Elena’s room and get right on it.”

  “Rob will keep an eye out for you.”

  “It’ll only take a second, and we’re not on foot,” Dave said. “But sure, whatever.”

  A little later than he’d expected, he and Elena were in his car in the small parking lot outside.