Three men approached Smokey's Bar at dusk. Their leader bore a complexion that looked like he shaved with sandpaper daily. The other two weren't much better looking, but O'Connor preferred it that way. Their names were Bart and Reid. They were half-brothers with the same ugly father. Unfortunately, they took after their old man instead of their mothers. O'Connor felt his goons would spend less time carousing if they weren't appealing. Sadly, it didn't stop them from trying.

As they entered the building, a hush slowly fell over the crowd. The patrons knew who they were, and their presence couldn't mean anything good. This made O'Connor smile, showing off his crooked and yellow teeth. Darren spotted Lana glaring at him, and he approached her.

"Don't look so happy to see me," O'Connor said to her.

"You're disrupting the fun," Lana said.

"I'm just here for a drink, not business. Is that okay?"

"Fine, but if you try to take anybody, there will be a fight."

"So, you haven't heard anything about this Red Sparrow!?" O'Connor said loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "No one wants to collect the five hundred thousand dollar reward for this Shaylie Lucas!?" he asked boomingly.

"That's cute, but she's not here," Lana replied.

"How would you know? Do you know who she is?"

"No, but there are no birds around here. Something in the air keeps them away," Lana smirked.

"Maybe not, but I got their attention. Look around you," O'Connor said. He hadn't turned his head the entire time he spoke, but he was right. She could see people stirring and whispering. "I accomplished my goal. Now, I want my drink," he said, turning toward the bar.

O'Connor's cronies followed closely. "Do you think that worked, Boss?" Bart whispered.

"Maybe. I doubt she's even here, but old Darian told me to try. Doesn't hurt to throw it out there. Plus, it will keep them from grumbling about our presence," O'Connor shrugged. He pushed to the bar, earning a drunken man's muttered curse. Darren laughed and ignored him. "One Hawthorne beer, please," O'Connor said.

"What about us, Boss?" Reid asked.

"Buy your own, mooch," O'Connor said. O'Connor lifted his beer to his mouth but stopped short, looking puzzled. His gaze shifted toward the east before he muttered, "I know you're there, Sharky. Get out of my head."

"Boss?" Bart asked.

"He's just letting me know he's thinking about me," O'Connor said. "There's nothing to worry about. He knew he couldn't get into my thoughts."

***

Meanwhile, Marcus returned to the inn. He found everyone gathered in one room and felt glad he didn't have to round them up. The feeling must not have shown on his face because they knew something was wrong when he entered the room.

"Did the meeting go poorly?" Shaylie asked.

"No, it went well. We can trust the Shark, but that isn't the issue right now," Marcus replied.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked.

"The crown knows Shaylie's name. O'Connor asked Lana about her. He's spreading the word about the reward."

Jake wrapped an arm around Shaylie because this left her visibly shaken. This time, he knew it was safe. "Should we be worried about someone trying to collect it?" Jake asked.

"As long as no one knows she's here, we're fine," Marcus replied.

"The Shark read her mind. He might know."

"Like I said, we can trust him."

"Wait, you didn't deny that he knows. What did he tell you?"

"I can't reveal that, but trust me. Please."

"I trust you, Marcus," Shaylie said.

"What about O'Connor? What's he up to?" Jake asked. "If he doesn't know Shaylie is here, why is he in town?"

"I don't know yet," Marcus said.

"Let's tail him. We can do a little spying," Jake replied.

"We?"

"Come on, Marcus. We're red mages and can blend in. I want to come with you."

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"Fine, but we're going to be up early tomorrow. Knowing O'Connor, he'll want to conduct his business while most people are asleep. I doubt he'll do anything tonight. He went into Smokey's Bar earlier."

"How did you know that?"

"I was already tailing him a little," Marcus grinned.

***

Marcus was right. O'Connor and his men approached the gate at the crack of dawn. He caught the guard yawning and smirked. The sleepy guard recoiled at the sight of O'Connor's appearance. This annoyed O'Connor.

"Can I help you?" the guard asked.

"We're here on crown business. The king ordered us to enter the zone," O'Connor said.

"I'm sorry, but we're not letting anyone in now. There have been some skirmishes lately with the skinless."

"They told me things were quiet here."

"Well, the king doesn't check in on us very often. Does he?"

O'Connor reached into his coat pocket, making the guard flinch. He calmed down once he realized Darren was fetching a note, not a gun. O'Connor laughed at his behavior. "I have a signed document from the king himself," he said, handing the paper to the guard.

The guard read it and returned it before saying, "That's great, but I'm still not sending you to your death. Tell you what. If it's quiet all day today, I'll consider letting you in tomorrow."

"Do you know who I am?" O'Connor asked, getting dangerously close to the man's face.

"I've heard your reputation, but you don't scare me. I deal with them daily," he said, pointing a thumb toward the gate.

"Really? You go inside every day?" O'Connor asked. Then he made a sudden, sharp movement toward the man, making him stumble backward and almost fall over. "Give me a break. You've been jumping at the slightest thing since I walked up here."

"Okay, so maybe I don't, but men who do surround me. They'll have my back if you try anything. The answer still stands! Come back tomorrow!"

It seemed O'Connor would protest again, but he threw his hands up in defeat. "We'll be back at the same time. If you don't let us in then, we'll have problems," O'Connor said.

"I'm sure we will. Have a nice day," the guard replied.

***

Jake and Marcus witnessed the entire exchange from about one hundred yards away. They altered their appearance to make them the same color as the rock they hid behind. It was a red mage's form of camouflage. While they hid, they used their enhanced hearing to catch every word of the conversation.

"So they are after infected test subjects," Jake said.

"Thank goodness for that stubborn guard," Marcus replied. "We can't let them take any of the stable skinless."

"Don't use that word, Marcus."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Let's keep following them and see where they go next," Marcus said after staring at Jake for a second.

They walked a safe distance behind them. Thankfully, Jake and Marcus could blend into shadows by shifting their appearance. O'Connor and his men headed toward the Parkside Inn, but they stopped. Jake worried they had noticed them until O'Connor looked at his phone. The message made O'Connor smile, much to Jake's chagrin. He pointed toward the mansion, which only made Jake's annoyance grow. Jake wanted O'Connor to read the message aloud. He showed it to them instead, and they seemed intrigued.

"That can't be good," Jake whispered.

Marcus didn't answer. O'Connor and his men moved toward the east, and Marcus and Jake continued to trail them. They watched as O'Connor approached the mansion's gate. O'Connor told his men to wait outside and entered the grounds. Jake and Marcus wanted to get closer, but the goons stood in front of the only entrance, and only open space stood between them and the men.

"I might be able to jump over the fence," Jake said.

"No, let's hang back," Marcus replied.

"Are you sure you trust the Shark?"

"Yes."

"Why is he meeting with them so early in the morning?"

"I don't know."

Jake could tell Marcus was just as worried as he was. He didn't press the matter. They waited fifteen minutes before O'Connor emerged, looking too pleased for their liking. He spoke with his men momentarily, but Jake and Marcus had difficulty hearing their whispers, even with their heightened hearing.

"Dammit, speak up," Jake grumbled. He wished they could get closer, but there weren't any places to hide between them and O'Connor. "Are you catching any of this?" he asked Marcus.

"No. They're too far away."

O'Connor, Reid, and Bart moved again, and Jake and Marcus shadowed them. They returned to the Parkside Inn and went inside.

"We should go back and tell the others what we saw," Marcus said as they watched them enter the building.

Jake and Marcus walked silently, but ditching the camouflage and moving normally was nice. When they arrived at the Main Street Inn, they discovered Jeremiah was there. Marcus greeted him with a curt nod, but he paused when he saw Isaac in the corner. Isaac wore his usual hoodie with the hood over his head. He also sat hunched over with his hands on his stomach.

"Is he okay?" Jake asked.

"He has been feeling ill this morning. It happens sometimes because of his condition. He's fine now," Jeremiah said.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked.

"I'm fine," Isaac replied without looking up.

"You shouldn't have let them in without us here," Marcus said.

"Relax, we can trust them," Shaylie replied. "Don't be paranoid."

"We have reason to be. O'Connor and his men just met with the Shark for an early morning rendezvous," Jake said.

"What?" Shaylie asked.

"We watched them go in," Jake said.

"That's impossible," Jeremiah replied.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, looking annoyed.

"The Shark was at my house this morning. He's a great healer and was helping me with Isaac."

Marcus looked at Jeremiah and then at Jake with the same look of comprehension Jake had. He knew before Marcus spoke they were thinking the same thing. "If they weren't meeting with the Shark, they were..." Marcus started.

Before he could finish, Isaac asked, "Does anyone else hear crying? I think it's coming from the room next door."

"Maya!" Shaylie said and rushed into the hallway. She entered their other room and found Maya sitting on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chin. Tears were streaming down her face. "Maya, what's wrong?" Shaylie asked.

"I had another vision, but I..." she began, trailing off when she saw the others in the doorway. "Please, let me talk to Shaylie alone," Maya said.

Marcus nodded and herded everyone out again. Jake hesitated, but a look from Shaylie made him retreat.

"Okay, what's going on?" Shaylie asked as the door closed.

"I couldn't say this in front of the others. Not yet, at least, and especially not in front of Jake. I figured you're the only one I can share this with. Maybe you can help me decide what to make of it," Maya said frantically. The words came out so quickly that Shaylie worried Maya would hyperventilate.

"Calm down, Maya. What is it?"

"It's Jake. I think he's..."

"Think he's what?"

"I think he's going to die," Maya cried.