Page 66 of City of Love

“I guess. But the club could do with his help. I could do with his help. He’s been offered other high-profile security gigs and turned them down to keep playing detective for Gideon. But for all intents and purposes, that other world doesn’t even exist for us. He should get on with his life. Mind his own business.” Her gaze shot from her phone back to Lexi’s face. “Like you are, Lex. You’re getting on with your life right here, finding a job, moving on.”

Lexi pushed back from the table and stood. “You think it’s that easy? Just because I’m going through the motions of finding work because I have to pay my bills does not mean I’ve even remotely moved on. I’m in love with him. I can’t just turn that shit off. I’m worried about him and his world, even if I can’t do much about it from over here. At least Matthew can try.” She dumped her uneaten lunch in the trash. “I should ask Matt if there’s anything I can do to help, too. Once I’m back in a law firm again, maybe I can use the legal researching sources to find out more about Prometheus.”

Margot pushed away her own plate, leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table, her eyes riveted to Lexi’s. “I’m asking you to forget Gideon and his whole world. I’m not saying you need to go right out and find the next man, but let him go. He doesn’t even exist in our universe. Why put yourself in harm’s way with the Prometheus Group for him? You almost died because of your involvement with him, babe. No man is worth that.”

Grabbing her glass of water from the table, Lexi marched the few steps to her kitchen sink, her limbs nearly shaking. This was not the friend she’d known for so many years. The friend who’d been so full of compassion. Then again, maybe it was. Margot had been full of compassion for Lexi, but when it came to men it was a whole different story. Maybe what happened with the Prometheus Group put the final nail in that coffin for her and she’d hardened to the point of steel. But the cold of that steel was chilling Lexi’s bones.

Margot’s phone blew up with the beeps of messages and the rings of actual calls. Her fingers flew over the screen as curses spewed from her mouth.

“Margot, maybe you need to—”

Her friend jumped from her chair, cutting off Lexi’s words. Though she finally looked up from her cell, her face was a red mask of anger. “Hey, um… sorry, I have to go.” She tossed her purse over her shoulder and made for the door.

“Wait—”

But the door slammed shut on Lexi’s words. She reached a hand to rub the now ever-present knot of tension at the base of her skull, and looked out the kitchen window. Her friend’s behavior was not just annoying, it was worrisome. She’d never seen her so rattled, even in the face of the physical and emotional abuses Margot had been through in the past. Lexi’s curiosity begged for answers. She might have those answers easily, too, if she just asked for visions.

She turned on the tap and filled her glass. Snooping on her best friend felt ten ways to wrong, but maybe she’d actually be helping her. Probably a rationalization, but she’d take it.

She turned off the tap and shut her eyes, asking for answers.

Margot drove away from Lexi’s apartment, one hand on the steering wheel, the other gripping the phone at her ear as she spoke into it. “Why is he doing that? The plan was only for him to infiltrate their world. We set him up with a home, a job, a backstory. His only task was to keep an eye on things now that Benjamin’s gone. Identify targets, but not capture anyone until things settle down over there and the heat lets up. What the fuck is he doing?”

Lexi swallowed a wave of nausea as Margot swerved through traffic, rolled through stop signs, and trampled Lexi’s heart.

“He was supposed to wait for my go ahead before… Fuck. Never mind. I’m on my way.” She dropped the phone and sped on.

Lexi ripped herself out of the vision, opening her eyes. Her hand went weak, dropping the glass, which shattered on the floor along with her sanity. “Why?” She fell to her knees, glass cutting into her skin. As she sobbed in the puddle of now blood-streaked water, gulping for air, the visions came again, unbidden. Though the vision of the car ride had been taking place in the present moment, this new vision tasted of the imminent future.

Margot standing on shaky legs, both arms stretched in front of her, hands gripping a silver pistol. Lexi could only see Margot herself, not who the gun was pointed at.

Still trapped in the vision, eyes not seeing the real world, Lexi struggled to stand up, the need to take action forcing her limbs to move. She slipped on the wet floor and went back down, banging an elbow.

The vision switched and with it came new horror. Gideon raising his arms, palms forward in surrender, the butt of a silver gun at his temple.

“No!” The vision ended. She pushed up off the floor and pushed down the bile rising in her throat. She didn’t bother brushing the glass shards from her knees, grabbing only her phone as she raced out the door.

Calling Matthew as she ran toward the club, she got his voicemail. She left him an urgent message, but if he wasn’t at Taco Shots when she got there, and with no telepathic connection to Gideon, she’d soon be out of options and out of time.

CHAPTER 29

She ran the three blocks to Taco Shots, burst past the dining area and through the kitchen, only to find the door to the hidden bar locked.

The main cook recognized her, so he didn’t exactly throw her out, but he was apologetic. “Sorry. Miss Margot went in a few minutes ago and locked the door behind her. If she’s not answering your knock, there’s nothing I can do.”

She banged a few more times, but there really was no point. Margot had crossed the portal, and nobody was on the other side of the door.

She fought back the urge to fall into a useless mass of fear and self-pity. It was fearless action that had gotten them out of the mess in the storage unit. Fearless action was needed now. There had to be a way to reach the other world.

Returning to the dining area of Taco Shots, she sank down behind a table to think. She still couldn’t reach Gideon telepathically, but in her earliest visions of their world, she’d somehow connected to Alana. Alana had seen through Lexi’s own eyes whenever a vision included Alana herself, and Alana had sensed what Lexi had been feeling and thinking in those moments. Maybe she could use that, even if just to alert Alana to danger.

She closed her eyes and asked for imminent visions of Alana, for anything significant to her life and their world.

She was viewing Alana’s face, the redhead’s eyes round with panic. “Please, let’s talk about this,” Alana begged of someone as she took a step forward toward something behind Lexi’s view. Vikkras pulled his wife back. Lexi did her best to allow her own fear and panic to remain evident for Alana to feel.

The images only ramped up Lexi’s fear, but she opened her eyes and prayed for it to work. Prayed that somehow Alana would realize her intent to warn her.

The door to the restaurant pulled open, a gust of cold air-conditioning racing past her on its way to the outside world. “Lexi, thank God you’re here. I got your message.” Matthew pulled her from her seat and drew her into a fast hug. “Come on.”

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