Page 111 of Passion and Payback

“Let me know when you’re back on planet Earth,” I said softly, looking at the sprawled bodies behind me. The whole thing was an absolute mess, but despite that, I had to trust Stitch to get us through it in one piece. His ability to do that had never really been in question. I might not have said it to Hunter when I’d explained some of the things Stitch was potentially doing, but I figured he had resources at his disposal to help. It was more his willingness to help, which, now he was here...without me requesting, was no longer in question.

“I’ll orbit for a little while, at least until he returns with our drinks,” he said, looking around as I heard the hiss of the coffee machines. Hunter was busying himself from his thoughts by putting himself to work. Considering the amount of shit he had to think about, I wouldn’t be surprised if our drinks came out as expertly and creatively as something Rich could come up with.

“They’re ready for you guys,” Hunter called after a few minutes. “You’ll, uh...probably want to drink them in here.”

“Just how fancy did you make them?” I wondered as Stitch and I both entered the kitchen. Sure enough, Stitch’s had cream on top, a drizzle of chocolate, caramel, and a couple of raspberries and chopped strawberries in a wide mug. Mine was simple, but a glance at the counter said he’d dragged his press out to make it when simple espresso would have been fine.

“I was thinking we were going to need to talk, and honestly, other than your room, there’s nowhere up here that doesn’t havedeath,” Hunter said, flashing a quick smile before sliding Stitch’s large mug before him and handing me an elegantly shaped mug.

“A fair point,” Stitch said, then immediately sat at the island even though it gave him a perfect view of said death down the hallway. “Despite everything you’ve been up to, I can’t imagine you’re as inured to the sight of death as Alpha and I are.”

“Alpha?” Hunter asked with a raised brow in my direction.

I grimaced. “An old nickname. One, I have specifically requested not to be called, but no one listens to me unless bullets are flying, so I just bitch.”

“It suits you,” Hunter said with a small smile before sipping his coffee. I watched him close his eyes, marveling at his ability to savor the taste of well-made coffee despite everything that had happened tonight. I wouldn’t mention it now, but it was a clear sign that even with the horrors, terror, and pain that had come, it showed a great deal of resilience. “Now, Stitch...”

“You may call me Zeke if the idea of calling me by my old call sign reminds you too much of a furry alien in Hawaii,” Stitch said in his usual, cool voice.

“Wow, you got the real name?” I said to Hunter. “He likes you.”

“And why not?” Stitch asked. “He’s clearly resourceful, determined, levelheaded, not afraid to get his hands dirty, and managed a feat anyone else would deem impossible.”

“What’s that?”

“To tie you down and tame you.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

Hunter snorted. “We’ve got a long history together.”

“Even so,” Stitch said with a light shrug. “For your average civilian, you have an impressive track record in a short time.”

“Right, so about that, Zeke,” Hunter said as if testing out the name and finding he liked it. “Youclearlyhave more details than I’m comfortable with you having. So let’s talk.”

“Why be uncomfortable? I was called in to help, and so here I am.”

I cleared my throat. “I would like to clarify that I did not ask him to be in the city on standby to help us because I didn’t think that was necessary...or possible since I thought he’d be busy.”

“I can work from different locations if necessary,” he said blandly.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Hunter said with a slightly raised voice, cutting off my response. “I appreciate that you’re here to help and apparently have the means to help us. However, I’m uncomfortable with you knowing because I’ve worked to keep this as in-house as possible, and even though I trust Kai’s judgment, I don’t know you. I don’t know what your intentions are, and I don’t know what’s dangling from this offer for help.”

“I feel obligated to point out that he showed up to help us of his own free will,” I said gently, trying to make sure Hunter understood that Stitch was here to help and not cause further problems.

Hunter grunted. “I’m aware of that, but apparently, him helping you before with Mitchell didn’t count as you cashing in whatever favor you owed him. Then, from what you two just said, he was already in the city, waiting. I’d guess he was waiting for us to bring down Callum. And now he’s here, literally minutes after it happens, and saying he’s going to help us. That doesn’t feel likejusta favor, it feels like there’s a string attached, and I’dbetthat string is there because of Callum.”

Stitch stared at him for several seconds before softly speaking. “Is that what you believe?”

“I know enough to make some guesses. And after tonight? I’m tired of leaving things up to the whims of chance and luck. So if there’s stuff we need to know, I need you to tell us upfront. And that includes any price.”

Stitch watched him for a moment until he broke eye contact, a look passing over his face that I recognized. He had been evaluating Hunter, under what criteria I didn’t know, but there had been an evaluation. And he was satisfied with what he found and was moving onto the next step of whatever plan he had going.

“You’re right,” I told Hunter with a sigh. “I can see it now. There’s a catch.”

An uncharacteristic spasm of surprise flashed over Stitch’s face before passing as he let out a rare laugh. “I’ve worked so long with people who don’t have the privilege of being around me constantly, let alone learn anything about me. It’s a rare surprise to be read so easily, but it's not unpleasant.”

“How very nice for you,” I said dryly. “Maybe you should get to the point like Hunter wanted.”

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