Page 45 of City of Love

Julian sat in an equally rigid manner in the back, his eyes wide as he stared out the window at other cars rushing past. “Haven’t you people ever heard of horses?” he asked, closing his eyes and slumping down into the seat. “This is insanity, pure and simple.”

“It wasn’t just Lexi,” Matthew said. “After what happened to Alana and Vikkras, I installed tiny GPS devices—trackers—on all the timers. Every patron who goes through the portal now can be located… well, in my world at least. They won’t work in yours because of the technology. I wasn’t sure if they would be of any use at all, but obviously now I’m glad I did.”

“Hmmm. Thank you,” Gideon said. “But, I want to ask you something, and you need to answer me honestly.”

Matthew swerved the car quickly at that moment to get into an exit lane, cutting off another car, the driver of that car blaring his horn at them.

“Shit!” Gideon yelled.

“Holy hell!” shouted Julian at the same time, both men clapping their hands over their ears in pain and sliding a little lower into their seats.

“I’m so sorry,” said Matthew.

Blessedly, Gideon realized, the car was slowing down now that it was off the highway and onto smaller roads.

“What do you want to ask me?” Matthew asked.

“Frankly, Alana has been sensing tension coming from you for a little while now,” he said. “She felt like something was off. What’s going on? Does it have something to do with all of this?”

Matt looked over at him with such an openly hurt expression that Gideon suddenly felt horrible for even asking. Matthew had been his friend and colleague for several years, and his actions were helping them find Lexi.

“I’m sorry,” Gideon offered. “I don’t mean to offend you, but with everything that’s gone on recently I need to ask.”

“No, it’s okay,” Matt said. “I just… I’ve been a little concerned lately. About some of the patrons going through the portal.”

“Concerned?” Gideon raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing specific, man. Just… call it a security expert’s intuition.”

“And you didn’t think to talk to me about this?” Sweat filled with anger, worry, and physical discomfort was beading on his brow. He wiped it with the back of his hand.

“Honestly, I couldn’t find any reason to nix any of the visitors when I vetted them. It was more just a feeling. I really didn’t think it was anything worth bothering you about unless I had further reason to.”

Just a feeling. The same thing Alana had said. Yet no one had any answers and everyone’s big plan was to keep an eye out. A plan that had worked so well they were now racing through World Two hoping like hell Lexi was okay. “No, in actual fact you didn’t want to work any harder, to do what needed to be done for a deeper vetting. Or maybe you didn’t want to say no to any money that happened to slide across your palm in exchange for looking the other way.”

“What the hell? That’s not true!”

“Boys, can we please bring it down a notch?” Julian said from the back seat. “Not only am I being forced to risk life and limb in this infernal metal carriage, but I am without both my cigar and my cat at the moment, and you simply cannot ask me to put up with your silly schoolgirl bickering as well.”

The mood in the car lightened a little, and Gideon had to admit he was thankful, the pounding in his head lessening to a noticeable degree. Knowing that Julian had intentionally calmed them, he glanced back at his cousin. Julian was physically suffering as much as Gideon from his exposure to World Two, and the expenditure of his psychic energy had obviously cost him. He was pale, and his normally consistent grin was conspicuously absent. Gideon nodded to his cousin, acknowledging what he’d done for them.

“You’re right,” Matthew said. “I should have told you. I took some chances when I shouldn’t have. I did have several men I trusted helping me keep watch over all the visitors while they were in your world, but obviously it wasn’t enough to prevent this from happening. Whatever this is, anyway.”

So that’s who those two men had been that he and Lexi had seen Matthew talking to that night. He’d really been wrong about Matthew. Maybe he’d been a little sloppy in not bringing his concerns to Gideon, but it was nothing nefarious on his part. Whatever this new evil was, it was something else altogether. His colleague, his friend, was a good man.

“I admit it. I screwed up.” Matthew said. “I’m really sorry.”

Gideon reached over and put an increasingly shaky hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “No, it’s okay, brother. You couldn’t have known something like this would happen. And without your help, Lexi…” He didn’t finish the sentence.

The truth was, Gideon hated himself in that moment. Matthew really was saving Lexi. Technology was saving Lexi. That damn tracking device and the computer and the car barreling down a wide paved road were saving Lexi. And he didn’t understand or even know how to use any of those things. All he had were some pathetic leather wristbands with a few pretty crystals on them.

On top of that, he’d sent Vik and Alana back to his world to find Benjamin and figure out what he had to do with all this. If something went wrong on that front, neither of them would be as physically able to deal with it as Gideon. They simply did not have his physical power.

He’d sworn for almost a century to protect his world and his people. Yet now, with an unknown threat, they’d all agreed it made more sense for Vik and Alana to go deal with Benjamin and for him to stay and get Lexi. Or rather, to keep Matthew company while Matthew rescued Lexi.

Gideon had been alive for ninety-seven years. Yet on this one day, within a matter of only a few hours, he’d become helpless, incapable, and completely torn in two for the first time in his life. Relying on others in every way.

He hated himself.

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