Page 37 of Dark Rebel's Fortune

As they neared the safe house, Kyra reflected on how unremarkable it appeared from the outside—just another middle-class residential apartment building in a neighborhood of similar houses. But sheknew it had been carefully chosen for its strategic advantages. It was small, with two apartments on each of its three floors. There were balconies at the front and in the back, which could be alternative escape routes if the front and back entrances were compromised. The neighboring buildings had no side windows, and the backyards were too small for anyone to be spending time in them.

Max parked the vehicle in the covered carport behind the house and announced their arrival through the comm.

"Acknowledged," came Dima's response. "Perimeter secure."

The two apartments on the second floor had been combined into one large space, and that was where their team was staying. Kyra wondered where Nadim had housed her sister and the kids. Probably the third floor.

When they entered, the man greeted them warmly. "Welcome back. I'm glad to see you unharmed. The mother and children are upstairs, resting."

"Any issues?" Max asked.

Nadim sighed. "The youngest child cried herself to sleep. Fatima is preparing a meal for them now with some sweets for the children. Hopefully, it will help lift their spirits."

"We should shower and change clothes," Kyra suggested. "We are covered in dirt and blood."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Nadim agreed. "Dima hasalready showered, and he's standing guard. Anton is showering right now."

They needed to get to her other sisters, but it was the middle of the night, and unlike a military extraction, this operation should be done during daylight hours. Then again, they didn't have the luxury of time. They needed to secure her remaining family members before the Brotherhood realized what was happening and moved against them.

"You go ahead," Max said. "I'll follow."

Kyra nodded and started removing her Kevlar vest on her way to their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

Everyone assumed that they were a couple, but all they had done was sleep in each other's arms. She glanced at the bed, and the image that flitted through her head was totally inappropriate, given what had happened earlier and what was still waiting ahead.

Perhaps the brush with mortality had made her want to celebrate life, and what better way to do that than to enjoy a night of passion with the man she loved?

Kyra shook her head. It would happen, but probably not tonight or the next. She had a sister to comfort and three more to save.

Showered and dressed in fresh clothing, she emerged from the bedroom to find that Yamanu and the rest of the team had arrived.

Jade, Asuka, and Rishba looked as bad as Max, or rather worse. In addition to dirt and blood, they werealso covered in gore. They also looked so alien that there was no way Nadim hadn't noticed they weren't human. And yet, he hadn't asked or remarked on their appearance.

Yamanu, on the other hand, looked the same way as when he'd left the safe house earlier, with not a speck on him. How had he managed that?

"Do you need me to come talk to your family?" Max asked.

Her knee-jerk response was to tell him that she could do it alone and didn't need his help, but the truth was that she could use his solid presence even if he didn't utter a word.

"Yes, but you need to change first."

He smiled as if she'd given him a precious gift. "I'll be out in three minutes flat."

She doubted he could do that so fast but nodded anyway. He could take ten minutes or more if he wanted. She wasn't in a rush to have her heart cut into ribbons by her sister's grief.

Cowardly?

Yeah. But she was only human.

Well, not really. She wasn't even that.

Kyra sighed.

"What's the matter," Yamanu asked, "why the long sigh?"

"It's nothing." Kyra squared her shoulders. "I'm just not good with the soft stuff. I don't know how to comfort people, how to ease their fears and theirpain. All I know is how to fight, fight, and fight some more."

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