Ace searched his face.
The man had been thrown, even harder than Alex expected. He hadn’t anticipated that Ace might have been close to her mother.
Alex shook his head. “This is bad. And I don’t have time to explain it all now. Later, after I’ve found her, okay? Right now, I need you to go home and wait. If she shows up, keep her there. I’ll check back.” He held his finger up to Ace’s face for emphasis. “Do not let her leave. This city is not safe for her now. If they take her again—assuming they don’t shoot her out of hand for the death of the Director of Councilor Security—there will not be a damn thing I can do.”
Ace pulled back when he mentioned Hernandez’s death. “She killed him?”
“Him. Maybe my partner. Almost me.” His hand twitched, but he managed to keep it from reaching up to support his ribcage.
“Good for her.” Ace pushed past him and out the door.
Alex barely managed to avoid being knocked into by the larger man. The sudden jerk away sent a searing wave of pain through him. He ignored it, his breath gasping out as he followed. “Ace—”
Ace spun back, rage flowing freely across his face. “I’m going, Agent. You said you could keep her safe. So go find her. Or all bets are off.” He turned and strode away, his heels beating against the ground. “And if she shows, I’m making you no promises. Not anymore.”
“I am the only one—”
Ace didn’t slow, just waved him off and turned the corner, his long stride carrying him away.
Alex shook his head. The day had gone to hell. It was time to do what he did best and turn it around. Of course, it would be helpful if he had all of the information he needed.
At the top of his to-do list, right behind getting Lena out of Azcon and covering his own ass, was figuring out what Lucas, Hernandez, and the Councilor were a part of that he hadn’t even known about. The fact that he wasn’t aware of any other factions operating within the Council or on behalf of any individual Councilors left him cold. They had plenty of reports about the Tribulationist influence on Councilors Four and Two, and on Two’s panic as the Native Nations carved away her arable land. But an unknown internal faction operating at this critical point? Not good.
It wasn’t far to her sister’s grid with the tiny new homes that were meant to emulate the old neighborhoods of Santa Fe and Los Alamos. He parked and approached Teresa’s earth-toned adobe home on foot. Just inside the gate to the little private plaza, a large earthen bowl of pecans still in their brown and black striped shells overflowed onto the terracotta tiles. Alex cocked a brow at the extravagance.
The nut somehow affected the brains of Sparks, giving them a boost in strength and longevity between grounds. The valuable commodity grew almost exclusively in Zone Three. Their trade value dictated most of the crop be earmarked for shipment out of the zone. The overflowing bowl on Teresa’s porch was meant to say a great deal about her, though she made sure they were out of reach of anyone at the locked gate. He sourly shook his head.
He pulled the rope to the side of the gate, and the bell clanged. Through the front window, he could see two shadows, one large and one small, moving in a back room. Not Lena small, though. Child small. As the notes of the bell sounded, the shadows melted to the walls. He shook his head and pulled the bell again.
After the bell sounded a third time, he raised his voice so Teresa could hear him from inside. “Teresa Gracey Luevano? Council Defense Agency. Open the door.” He pulled the rope another time for good measure. He wasn’t going away. He repeated himself, louder, deliberately throwing his voice so her neighbors could hear him as well.
The larger shadow peeled itself away from the wall and hurried up the hall. Locks flipped, and an attractive young woman in her late twenties came out and hurried across the courtyard.
Teresa looked like Mercedes, all large dark eyes and thick black hair worn loose and long. Their mother had been tired and likely sick, but he had still recognized the faded beauty of the woman beneath the sallow skin and timid demeanor. Teresa had her mother’s beauty. But Teresa did not have her mother’s manner.
She stopped and stood back from the gate, her arms crossed tight across her chest. “Show me your badge.”
Alex had anticipated her demand and already had his wallet out. He slapped it open with an irritated flick of his wrist. She leaned closer to see it better, as if anyone else had the capability to make a mock-up of the rare metal blend with a stamped engraving of his face.
“Teresa Gracey Luevano?” He made sure his voice still carried and nodded at the gate between them.
“Do you mind?” She darted forward to unlock the gate, looking quickly up and down the street behind him. She closed the gate then turned away from him to hurry back into the house.