Kitty gave herself a few more moments to reckon with what was happening, lost in a whirlpool of dread and anxiety and a terrifying sliver of hope. Then she slammed those feelings down to the recesses of her mind—they weren't helpful, and she had a job to do. She was back at the restaurant as suddenly as she had left it, a full plate of uneaten food sitting pretty before her.

"How much have you told him?" she asked Scarlet.

Though her tone was flat, something about it pricked through the woman's jovial mask. Scarlet's smile dimmed, reflecting at least some of the severity being pressed on her. "The bare minimum, naturally."

Sensing their shared and sudden gravity, Roman leaned closer over the table, his meal entirely forgotten. "And I won't ask for more. I've been made to understand that the less I know about where you two come from, the better."

Good, Kitty thought. At least Scarlet hadn't entirely lost it.

"So," she said, sighing, "one of your peers got killed. I guess that makes you nervous."

Scarlet grinned. "Let's just say Rome's made sure to sleep with a night light the past couple days."

Roman shot her a look, though he looked more bedraggled than annoyed, and it was clear to Kitty at least that he'd gotten used to this kind of treatment. "The victim was Leoni Volante. With him dead, there's only four Syndicate Captains left, me included. And yes, we're expecting this assassin to make more trouble."

Kitty wasn't particularly plugged into the civilian underworld, but she at least knew her bearings. The Volante Syndicate was a mid-level player in the northeastern states, dealing mostly in guns. Far too small-time a target, and for a second Kitty thought the shadow assassin might be small-time too—an independent just like the Rogue Magician who'd almost killed Malcolm a week back.

But no, Scarlet had all but confirmed it was exactly who Kitty feared it was. A real specialist who'd trained right alongside her. Which meant that whoever had made the hit was willing to pay much more than they really had to, and for what? Security?

"You know who ordered it?" Kitty asked.

"We're not sure, but we can make a good guess," Roman said. His hard face darkened, and now he did look annoyed. "Agrivon Volante, one of the other Captains. And the Don's son."

"The Don, you mean the head of the Syndicate?" Kitty waited for Roman's nod. "I don't get it. Why kill the other Captains in his family's own organization?"

"Because the Don is old, and just last week he got sick. We took him to a doctor, of course, but there's not much they can do. He's just... out of time, it looks like." Roman sighed, slumping a bit on his seat. "He'll be choosing a successor soon. One of the Captains. Agrivon would be the obvious pick, being his own son. But then there's me."

Kitty tilted her head. "What about you?"

"To be frank, I'm a better choice, and the Don knows it. Hell, even Agrivon knows it." Roman smiled then, a sour, almost disbelieving curve of the lips, like he couldn't quite believe the truth of his own words. "But I'm not a Volante like the others. I'm an outsider, someone who worked his way up from the bottom. The other Captains resent me for it, Agrivon most of all. So you can guess how they felt when the first thing the Don did once he got sick was get me engaged to his daughter."

"Talk about subtle," Scarlet remarked. By this point she'd returned to her food, just listening as she chewed, all the while retaining her subtle smirk, like she was constantly on the verge of sharing some saucy secret.

Still, Kitty was solidly in work mode now. "So, an arranged marriage?"

Roman nodded, still smiling ironically. The idea clearly didn't make him very comfortable. "Choosing me to be the new Don would be something of a faux pas when every other Captain has a better claim by blood, but if I become an official part of the family then there's no breach of propriety. By giving me his daughter, the Don all but gave me the Syndicate."

So if Roman's rise was what they had been hired to stop, the assassin was working on a ticking clock. "When's the wedding?" Kitty asked.

"This Friday," Roman said, and he shrugged at her muted surprise. "The Don knows he could go any day now, and he wants to make sure there's no power vacuum once he does, which also means Agrivon needs to make a move now if he's looking to take over. I'm not his father, and he knows I'll get... strict with him once I'm in charge."

Kitty mulled over the situation. It was all coming together, but there was still one thing she didn't get. "If that's true, why go after the other Captains at all? Why not just kill you?"

"I've thought of two reasons," Roman said. He held his hand out, one finger outstretched. "The first is that Agrivon might want to use this as a chance to cut down on his competition. He's the natural choice after me, but there's always the small chance that the Don might pick someone else. Plus, when a Captain dies some of their crew usually goes to work under another one. A bunch of Leoni's joined up with Agrivon yesterday, so he's already got the advantage in numbers. Wouldn't hurt to get even more."

Roman now held up another finger. "The second reason is that if only I got killed, it'd be obvious Agrivon was behind it. He hasn't made it a secret how much he hates me, and as much as the other Captains might agree, they won't back a Don who kills his own underlings. No, instead I bet he wants to frame me. Already he's telling everyone that I'm the one who hired the assassin. I assume he'll order the death of a couple more Captains before finally catching me 'red-handed.' " These last two words were said with quoting fingers and an ironic chuckle. "Once he does, the Don'll have to break the engagement and order my execution. Agrivon gets to look like a hero, gets rid of me, and his father picks him as the next Don all in one fell swoop." Shaking his head, Roman chuckled again. "Honestly, it's not a bad plan. If I didn't hate the guy I'd even respect it."

Kitty considered it all. Basically, the Volante Syndicate was engaged in an internal cold war. Roman made it sound like he was the underdog here, but if the other Captains really hated him that much then he wouldn't have been a serious contender for succession even with the Don's support. More likely they begrudged him his success but respected his ability, at least enough to work with him once he got in power, meaning for them it was a matter of waiting to see who won out. The shadow assassin was Agrivon's big chesspiece, so Roman was hoping to get one of his own.

Accepting this job, then, would mean Kitty throwing her hat in with Roman's faction. A dicey prospect for what was supposed to be a law-abiding Ranger, but then again she wasn't just a Ranger. Damn Scarlet; as happy as Kitty was to have found her after all these years, the woman still knew exactly what strings to pull on.

We did grow up together, Scarlet had said. Her, Kitty, and the shadow weaver. But only two of them had gotten out, and damn her, Scarlet knew that Kitty couldn't help wishing it had been all three. As stupid as she knew it was, that sliver of hope did in fact exist.

So, fine. Kitty would let herself get strung along. At least for now. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Scarlet's smirk grew. "We want you to deal with the assassin, of course. She's almost impossible to keep track of with that shadow Trick, but you're more than a match for her. You still have your ring, right?"

Kitty nodded, and though Roman raised a brow he didn't bother asking.

"We'll bait her," Scarlet said. "Give her a chance to go in for another kill, and right when she pops out you'll be there to catch her by surprise. The only way to deal with someone like her is to beat her in her own game."

"She won't fall for a simple trap."

"She will if we make it too good an opportunity to pass up."

That made Kitty frown, and Roman stepped in. "I called a council of the Captains. Tomorrow we'll come together in one room, practically defenseless, supposedly so I can give them evidence to clear my name of Agrivon's accusations. If this assassin wants to go after the other Captains and frame me for it, that would be the perfect chance. Kill one or two, let me get away, and Agrivon can pretend like the council was all just a setup."

Had it been her, Kitty figured she also would've thought it too good to pass up. There was no such thing as a plan without risk, and all things considered the risk here was far outweighed by the benefits, especially under a week-long time limit. But the more she thought about it, the more she noticed the one glaring flaw.

"How do you know she won't see through it?" she asked. "Let's say Agrivon really did hire her. Then it's not impossible to her that another Captain like you might hire your own Magician. It's something she'll at least plan around. And if she plans around it, she'll come into the trap expecting an ambush from someone like me."

Roman nodded again, his stare now mildly impressed, and Kitty realized then that he'd expected the question. Not only that, but this whole conversation suddenly seemed vaguely planned, like he'd rehearsed the whole thing. Had he been testing her, making sure she'd think through things the same way he had?

Eyes narrowing, Kitty gauged the man again. In some ways, he seemed exactly like the lucky nobody he claimed the other Captains saw him as. Uncomfortable with the power he could wield and burnt out on the responsibility it came with. But no man could get that power and responsibility just by luck, especially as a professional criminal. If Roman had really come from nothing, this was a place he'd clawed his way up to. Kitty had to remember that.

"Didn't I tell you she was a smart girl?" Scarlet asked, far too pleased with herself, and Roman grunted out his agreement. "You're right, Kitty, which is why we'll give our friend exactly what she expects. While you hide and wait for the perfect moment to strike, we'll draw her attention to another Magician. A decoy."

Kitty stared at her, deadpan. "I hope you're not talking about yourself."

"Of course not," Scarlet said, waving her off. "The last thing we need is someone like her finding out either of us is alive before we tie her up. No, we'll need someone new on this. We want them to be strong and loud, you know? Someone who our friend will think was Rome's panic hire. Make it so they'll be who she plans around."

"You have anyone in mind?"

"We were hoping you would," Roman said. "I'd rather not play into our own act by hiring some unknown, and Scarlet tells me you're part of some kind of big government group full of Magicians. You know anyone there who'd fit the bill?"

Strong and loud. Kitty did immediately think of someone who'd be just about perfect, but she just as immediately forced the idea out of her head because he was the last person she wanted to ask a favor from.

So she hedged. "Rangers aren't exactly supposed to work with criminals."

Rolling her eyes, Scarlet put her fork down, plate finally empty. "Which is why you definitely won't tell your Outpost Captain about this. He'll have to report it. But you've gotta have some other teammate who'd be willing to look the other way, right?"

Of course he would probably be crazy enough to see 'possibly breaking the law' as a good thing, but Kitty stayed silent, absolutely insistent on thinking of literally anyone else because come on. Right now she didn't even want to be on speaking terms with the guy, much less trust him with anything approximating her life.

Roman shifted in his seat. "If it helps, I've found that enough zeroes can convince just about anyone," he said. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a checkbook and held it up. "Pick someone you trust, and tell them I'm offering you twenty thousand. Each."

Kitty hesitated, then gave him the nod she knew he wanted. Money wasn't an issue for her, and in truth the same could be said for anyone she might ask, but there wasn't any point in rejecting it outright.

"Get in touch tomorrow," Roman said. "I believe Scarlet already gave you a number?"

"Don't bother calling too early," Scarlet said. "I sleep in late."

That, at least, brought back some good memories, and Kitty almost smiled, though Roman's presence was enough to keep her noncommittal. Instead she just shook her head. "You're the same as ever."

"Clearly, it's worked out so far."

Apparently so. Kitty still wasn't sure what to think of the woman, or more specifically what her angle was on all this, but that could wait. The important thing right now was figuring out how to convince Stretch or Malcolm or, hell, even Zelda to help her out with a job like this. And more important than that was, of course, shouting down any thought of the one glaring omission.

- - - — MKII — - - -

The whole house turned into a bit of a whirlwind, with Jason and Zelda packing for a trip that would last who knew how long and Malcolm upstairs finally working to look at least halfway presentable. Red had beaten him to the shower, not because he minded how he looked but because his whole body seemed caked with dried beer and even he had gotten grossed out by it.

That's when he found the black markings on his arm. An unintelligible scrawl, at least until he got back downstairs and showed it to Stretch.

The older Ranger raised a brow when he saw it. "It's a phone number, man. So, whose is it?"

"I dunno," Red said. At a certain point his memories of the night before got a little hazy. "Some girl, I guess."

Stretch barked a laugh. "You absolute stud, at least try to remember her name before you call her."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

They walked into the computer room, and by then Baba had taken her usual station behind the screen. The woman was still in her pajamas, silver hair done up in a big bun and eyes half-lidded behind her round glasses as she surfed through page after page of official-looking documents.

Archival work sure was something. Hours upon hours staring at a screen. Red and the others had it good by comparison; monsters could pop up anytime of the day, but while that meant the Rangers always had to be on call it also meant there was plenty of downtime in between. Sure, it meant the odd few times when they'd get woken up in the middle of the night to handle some rampaging beast, but what job didn't have its sacrifices?

Baba glanced up, giving the two a quick once over before looking back down to her screen. "I'm busy," she said, skipping right over the usual hellos.

"We won't distract you," Stretch said, walking over to the room's sole sofa by the window. "I just need to tell Red some stuff, and everyone's running around out there getting ready for a trip to HQ."

"Your mere presence is distracting," Baba said, though she didn't actually try and get them to leave.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Red had the feeling she might actually appreciate the company, and looking over at the smiling Stretch it was clear the older Ranger had known it from the start. He was always like that, Red realized, quietly doing little things to make someone else's day better.

"Okay," Stretch said, hunching forward, "let's talk brass tacks, man. You gotta make some money, right? Well, Rangers get paid two ways: a monthly salary, and bounties. Here, take out your license."

Red took the card out of his pocket and handed it over. Holding it up now, Stretch pointed at the star under what Red had by now figured must be his name.

"This is your Star Rank," Stretch said. "The more stars you have the higher your rank, and the higher your rank the more you get paid. Make sense?"

That was simple enough that even Red could understand it. But looking at his license now, a problem made itself clear. "Wait, so I'm only rank one right now? Isn't that the lowest?"

"Yep."

Frowning, Red snatched the license back and stared hard at it, as if trying to will more stars into existence. "What the hell, I'm definitely better than that! I mean, I fought some pretty strong guys over at the World Tree. Doesn't that count for something?"

Stretch opened his mouth, about to respond, but Baba beat him to it, her gravely voice ringing dull. "Star Ranks aren't just about how strong you are. They also show how trustworthy the RC thinks you are on the job. I'm weaker than you, but I'm a Two-Star because I've been around for a lot longer."

Red looked back at her, and Baba must've sensed it because now she turned around, spinning on her office chair to face him. "You did good work in the World Tree ordeal, but you were also never supposed to be there in the first place, and from what everyone reported you weren't exactly willing to be a team player. You're powerful, kid, but as far as the RC knows you might be more of a liability than a utility, especially in delicate situations."

"... That's dumb."

Baba shrugged, by now having allowed herself to get thoroughly distracted. "I just send in what you all do out on the job. How that gets taken by Internal Affairs is up to them."

Red still didn't like it, but no use complaining to someone who wasn't even responsible. "Okay. How much do I make with one star, then?"

Stretch held out a peace sign. "Two thousand a month."

The number beat Red's frown right out. "Hey, that sounds pretty good!"

His sudden turnabout enthusiasm was infectious. Stretch found himself grinning back at the boy, though his was somewhat apologetic. "It's good money for what it is, but if you wanna rent out your own place you'll have to save up some for the first month and the safety deposit. And it would help having some extra in the bank. Even with an RC license, most landlords won't trust a minor to actually make their payments."

And just like that, Red went back to frowning. A month was far too long. He wracked his brain, then remembered he had other options. "How about the bounties? That's, like, cowboy style, right? Four-Eyes got a bunch'a cash from that one dude last week."

Stretch hummed, scratching at his goatee. "Bounties vary, but they usually depend on the danger rank of the target."

"Danger Rank?"

"Star Ranks are for Rangers, and Danger Ranks are for everything else. Mystic Beasts, Rogue Magicians... their rank depends on how much damage they could do. Still not just about their strength, but I guess you could say it's a bit more one-to-one." Stretch's grin widened. "If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure your Danger Rank would be pretty high if you went Rogue. Three at least."

That actually did make Red feel better. Plus, it seemed they were finally getting somewhere. "So these bounties, how do I find 'em?"

Baba tutted. "That's the hard part. If the RC put a bounty on you, chances are you're laying low. These aren't the kind of people who'll just stand around in the open."

Red scowled at her. "Can't you just do your hacker spy thing and see where they're at?"

That got Stretch to snicker. "Hacker spy thing?"

Unperturbed, Baba met Red's annoyed look with a steady gaze of her own. "I'm good, but even if I found one they'd probably realize right away and go for their exit strategy. Finding these people takes time and dedication, not something you can just do on a whim. And that's also assuming you're ready to track them down across the country when they start running."

She leaned back on an armrest, legs crossing at the knees. "A wild goose chase like that could last weeks. There's a reason most bounty-hunting Rangers are already ranked three stars or higher, you know. They're usually the only ones who have those kinds of resources."

Meaning if he really wanted to go through with this he'd have to ask one of the other Rangers for help. Half the Outpost would already be busy with their trip, and anyway leaning on their effort to solve his problems would be defeating the entire point of him doing this in the first place.

Baba watched Red mulling it over, noting each step of his thought process as it, failed idea by failed idea, cast a shadow over his face. "Look, just save up some money and get your own place in a couple months. Keep doing good out on jobs and sooner or later you'll get promoted."

Her words seemed to not have much effect on Red's mood, and Baba sighed, really wanting a smoke right about now. The young sometimes had too much energy for their own good. "I get that you're in a rush, kid, but the smartest thing you could do right now is take things slow. Life isn't some race you have to win."

Red shook his head, glaring down at the floor now, still thinking. "I just wanna take care of myself..."

A hand clamped on his head. "What are you even talking about?" Stretch asked, ruffling his hair. "You're just a kid, man. You shouldn't have to take care of yourself yet." When Red looked up at him, the older Ranger grinned and pointed a thumb at himself. "That's what grownups are for."

There the guy went again, trying to make him feel better. "Thanks," Red said, though it came with a marked lack of energy. He stood up, gently brushing Stretch's hand aside. "I gotta get some air. Be back later."

Stretch and Baba watched him walk out, that strange frown still on his face, hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie. It was a bit surreal to see from the boy whose biggest problem day to day had as of yet been killing time on the TV between assignments.

"Man, what got into him?" Stretch asked.

Baba turned back to the computer; work would just keep piling up the longer she went not doing it. Still, it wasn't so strenuous that she couldn't give her two cents. "It can be stressful to realize how dependent you are on other people. Makes you feel like you have no control, but if they're people you care about it can also make you feel like a burden."

"But Red's not a burden, he's a friend," Stretch said. "And he helps out all the time. Having him around on jobs is a huge weight off my back, at least."

Baba typed as she spoke. "Maybe he knows that, intellectually. But there's what you know, and then there's what you feel. I get the impression the kid's something of a drifter. He might never have had a real home before, and now he's finally trying to build something stable. It's not surprising that doing it makes him feel frustrated." She shot Stretch a quick yet meaningful glance from the corner of her eye. "Keep looking out for him, Lawrence. Even when he doesn't want you to."

Stretch threw himself back on the sofa, head craning back to stare up at the ceiling, suddenly tired out. "Teenage angst sure is something, huh?"

"Now you know how I felt dealing with you and Jason."

"Ugh, tell me about it. You're a real trooper, Baba."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Stretch enjoying the click of Baba's typing and the muffled scurrying of footsteps thumping throughout the rest of the house. Then the door opened again, and Kitty walked in.

"There you are," she said, spotting Stretch. "I need to talk to you."

It was just like her to get right to the point without so much as a hello. Luckily for her, Stretch found it charming rather than rude, and Baba must've felt the same, greeting the girl with a grunt that didn't interrupt her work one bit.

It also helped that she seemed so frazzled. Stretch figured at this point he should start charging for his therapeutic services. "Alright, Kit," he said, hunching forward. "What's up?"

- - - — MKII — - - -

Red sat on the edge of the roof, feet dangling, elbows on his knees and chin in his hands, eyes on the daytime skyline. It sucked to admit it, but he was... brooding. Admitting it to himself only made him sink further into the mood, but there it was. He knew that setbacks were common in a fight. It just meant he had to figure out some way around it or build up the guts to power right through. Usually that was part of the fun, but now it felt... constraining. A total slog.

He wished he could just punch something. It'd at least make him feel better. But the landline hadn't rung, and the only person who'd probably be up to spar was Stretch, and screw that. For once, Red wanted to solve his own problems.

That's when Kitty appeared at his periphery, standing right beside him. Red jumped a bit, flinching away, scowling partially at her and partially at himself for getting caught so off guard.

"You really gotta stop doing that," he said.

The girl kept her black eyes insistently away from his. "I'm not even trying at this point. That one's on you."

Okay, now he really was just scowling at her. "D'ya come up here just to crap all over me again? 'Cuz I really don't feel like hearin' it."

Kitty bit back another retort, a bit put off by how easy it had been to so immediately try and start another argument. She took a second to just breathe, letting the impulse go, and now all she had left to deal with was the subsequent knot of nerves strung all through her chest.

"Listen," she said, forcing each syllable out. "I need... I need your help."

Red just stared at her. He noticed, to his growing surprise, that her usual stern expression seemed to twitch minutely with... was that unease? Worry?

Oh. Oh. Slowly, Red's face morphed into a smug, shit-eating grin.

"I'm sorry," he said, a pinky digging into his ear. "What was that again, Darkness?"

"... I need—"

"Hm? Can you speak up a bit?"

"I said I need your help!" Kitty shouted, and finally she glared down at him. She looked away again just as quickly, grimacing. "It's for a job. You'd be... useful."

"You think?" Red rubbed at his chin. "Last I checked, I was a loser jerk who sucked ass."

"That's not what I said at all."

"Might as well be what you said."

"This is serious, you—" Kitty stopped herself. Things were hard enough already without having this devolve into name-calling. "Look, can you help or not?"

Red hummed, not really considering it, though admittedly his curiosity had been piqued. He never would've expected Kitty to ask for his help even before the party, so having her do it after must've meant something quite serious indeed. And then another possibility came to him.

Throwing himself onto his back, Red sighed comfortably against the sunny warmth, hands folded behind his head, feet kicking lazily off the roof's edge. It sure felt great to have the advantage over her for once. "Lemme guess, everyone else said no."

"Everyone else is leaving."

"Stretch isn't. Why not ask him?"

Kitty groaned, because that had been the exact same question Stretch himself had asked about Red. The man had followed her down to the dimly lit garage—she trusted Baba, but when it came to this kind of work it was always best to err on the side of caution. Then she'd explained the situation and requested his help, having found out he would be basically the only one left in the Outpost.

She'd expected some hesitation, but not the look of genuine confusion she was met with.

"Why not ask Red?" he'd said, leaning against his car. "Sounds like he'd be perfect for this sorta thing."

"He's still green," Kitty had said. "He'd just mess things up."

It should've been a good enough excuse, but Stretch had just shaken his head. "But you're looking for someone who's kind of a klutz, right? Someone who can grab all the attention. And if it turns into a real fight, combat's not really my forte. I'd honestly trust you more to him than to me."

Despite herself, Kitty had grown annoyed. "Well, I don't trust him at all."

Stretch had blinked then, eyes narrow. Then, slowly, his face had lit up with realization. "Wait, I get it. You two had some kinda fight, didn't you? Man, no wonder."

Apparently he'd become some kind of detective. Kitty had schooled her features, wondering how she had let herself slip up so easily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah ah ah, no point lying now. It's all over your face." He'd smiled at her then, a playful smile, and Kitty had felt herself slip a bit further. "Now I'm really not doing it. You'll just have to go ask Red after all. It's a good chance for you guys to patch things up."

Alright, so he knew, so what? Kitty had crossed her arms, expression now absolutely frigid. "I don't want to patch things up. We might work in the same Outpost, but that doesn't make us friends."

"That doesn't make you friends yet."

"I'll never be friends with a person like that."

Stretch's smile had become thoroughly amused then. "Hey, you'd be surprised. Honestly, you think you're so different, but the truth is you two have a lot in common."

"Like what?"

"For one, you're both way too stubborn." Her subsequent glare had only made Stretch laugh. "I'm not doing it, Kitty. In fact, consider my Sunday filled up. There's a cool bar I've been meaning to try out. Guess you'll just have to ask someone else."

Oh, Stretch had a mean streak alright. And now here Kitty was, painfully dealing with it. Well, fine, she'd deal with it. But she had to draw the line somewhere, so she wouldn't beg and, most of all, she wouldn't apologize.

"Stretch is busy," she said.

Red hummed. "Maybe I'm busy too."

The sheer delight in his tone made her want to kick him off the building, even if she knew it wouldn't actually hurt him any. But she'd known going in he might be unbearable, which was why she'd come prepared with the ultimate weapon for a doofus like him: frank honesty.

"I'm working with the mafia," she said, putting it as simply as possible. "Help me out and you get to go undercover with them."

It worked. Kitty could tell at once just by the way his eyes widened. Still, he'd played around too much by now to let himself fold without a bit more coaxing. "That sounds... interesting..."

An invitation. Now for that last bit of incentive. "You also get twenty thousand dollars."

Red sat right back up at that, and now his grin was one of pure earnest attention, because the offer sounded both cool and like the answer to literally every single one of his problems. "For real?! Why didn't you just start with that?!"

Kitty hid her surprise; since when did he care about money? "Let's go over it, then. And there's more to this than just beating up some random gangster, so listen close."

And he did, quite admirably too. It didn't make sense why he was so determined, but as long as she had her decoy it didn't matter to her if he wound up spending the full twenty thousand on ice cream or whatever the hell else he had in mind. As long as he followed her directions, everything would go smoothly.

Except she wasn't the only one getting ready for a confrontation. Far away in a lonely house, the worst possible person received the worst possible message.

Oh, Kitty and Scarlet had been careful, but it wasn't easy to hide from someone who'd received all the same training. And once it was clear they were alive after all, it was just as clear what had to happen next. The shadow already had her own mission, but the hound was always on call when it came to going after runaway children.