Page 67 of City of Love

He led her back through the kitchen, unlocked the door to the club, and shut it behind them. Without pausing, he beelined to his office, and she followed fast on his heels.

“Gideon’s in trouble, Matthew. Right now. We have to get over there.”

Not bothering to sit, he bent over the computer that operated the portal music. His fingers flew over the keys before he stopped and looked up at her, his face red and sweaty. “So, your vision. You saw that it was…”

She swallowed and nodded. “Margot. Yes. It’s been Margot the whole time.”

His eyes narrowed and jaw muscles bulged behind clenched teeth. He took a deep breath as his nostrils flared. “I fucking knew it!” He grabbed a mug filled with writing utensils and other office supplies and threw it against a wall where it shattered, porcelain and pencils and paperclips scattering.

She jumped at the loud crash.

“I didn’t want to believe it and there was never any real evidence,” he said, “but I had a feeling something was off with her. That’s why I brought her into the business with me, so I could keep an eye on her. Lot of fucking good that did. On the Fourth of July, when I found out Benjamin was involved, I thought I’d been wrong.” He shoved his hands through his spikey hair. “Not.”

Lexi took his elbow and tugged him back to the computer. “Matthew, this isn’t the time. We need to cross over. Now.”

He nodded, typed something into the computer, and the music started. A moment later they shimmered into Gideon’s office, the quiet of the room emphasizing the emptiness of the big space, the absence of its owner.

She held back her rising panic as they burst through the door into the club proper, which was fairly deserted at early afternoon on a weekday. They looked around, and she wondered what their course of action should be, when a large man strode up to them.

“Mr. McCabe.” The stranger nodded at Matthew. “You’re no longer allowed to bring anyone across without prior explicit permission from the Council. I’ve not been made aware of any crossings scheduled for today.”

Matthew lifted a brow. “There’s now guards posted in the club? You’re watching the portal?”

The man dipped his chin and offered a short grunt in response. “You’ll need to return to your world at once.”

Across the room, the grand wooden doors opened, and Lexi locked worried eyes with Vikkras and Alana. Ignoring the guard, she ran to the middle of the club, embracing Alana immediately. “You got my message I take it?”

Alana’s porcelain face was paler than normal. “I hadn’t realized you did that on purpose. Clever. But yes, please tell us, what’s going on?”

The guard stepped up. “Ladies, I’m sorry, but she cannot be here,” he said, tilting his head toward Lexi.

Vik raised a placating hand. “Give us a moment, brother, please.”

“I’ll have to alert the Council,” the man replied before marching off.

They watched him go before Lexi spoke again, her words coming in a rush. They had to find Margot before anyone else got in their way. “Gideon’s in trouble. Or, about to be.” She looked between Vik and Alana. “It’s the Prometheus Group. Someone’s about to pull a gun on him.”

Matt stepped forward. “Just say the words, Lexi. Not someone, it’s Margot. Margot’s about to pull a gun on him.”

Her friends lurched back in shock. “What? Where is he?”

“I don’t…. I didn’t notice…”

Vikkras placed a hand on her shoulder. “Look again, love. See if you can identify the setting.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, asking for images, forcing herself to look beyond the nightmarish picture of Gideon with a gun to his head, and to seek behind him.

Dark slatted wood and a high-beamed roof. Gideon’s back pressed against a chest level gate of some sort. Lexi reached out with more than her eyes, and caught the clean scent of hay, and the sound of… yes… a horse nickering. She forced her vision further to the side of Gideon’s frame and, oh, she’d know that beautiful face anywhere—Socrates shaking his head in distress, eyes wide as he huffed in fear behind his master.

“The mews! They’re in the mews.” She didn’t wait for a response as she started toward Club Deux Monde’s exit, knowing the other three followed closely behind.

As she burst through the doors outside, she nearly slammed into someone. “Damnit,” she said, stepping back from the tall dark-haired woman of about forty. Probably more like a hundred and forty, Lexi thought, irritated at being slowed down. She took a breath. “Excuse me.”

“Catherine,” Alana said as she came to a halt beside Lexi.

“Alana, Vikkras.” The woman looked more weary than angry. “I was just informed of an unscheduled cross—”

Vik cut her off. “It’s an emergency.”

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