Page 83 of The Aether

With a blank stare, she nodded.

“Perfect. Should anyone come, please direct them away from the area I’m occupying. Can you do that for me, my dear?”

Again, she nodded.

“Thank you.” He released her and moved two steps away before another thought occurred to him. “Mona? Have you seen a trio of men hanging about recently? One may have had a scar down the side of his face, here.” Damian ran a finger from temple to jaw.

Frowning as if struggling to remember, she finally nodded. “Not three. Just that one. He was hard to miss.”

“Do you recall what he was after?”

“He asked me about vacant apartments on the ground floor. He signed a lease for 1C.”

“I believe I found what I’m seeking. Thank you, Mona. You’ve been a great help to me.” Removing five-thousand dollars from his coat pocket, he folded it and pressed it into her hands. “You should go buy yourself something nice. Immediately.”

Standing, she removed her headphones, grabbed her purse, and left.

“What are you going to do when someone enters the building and she’s left the lobby unmanned, Dethridge?”Creed asked with a cynical-sounding chuckle.

“No one will leave their apartments. Your team will see to that with an enchantment.”As Damian turned toward the hallway, he said,“Be sure to add in a contingency should this place catch fire and innocents need to get out.”

Addressing Alastair, he said,“I’m going to need your guys to alter the security footage so she’s not seen leaving. I’d dislike it if she lost her job from our interference. Please make that call.

“Narissa?”

The Siren lifted her brows in question.

“Please stand guard at the front door and distract anyone wishing to enter.”Damian then directed Kass toward the exterior windows of the building.“1C should be on the west side. Find an escape route, should we need it.”

It was do-or-die time.

Preferably Morcant would be the one dying.

“Castor, you’re with me. Masters, take the rest of your team and find another way into that fucking tunnel.”

Striding toward the hallway with Alex cloaked beside him, Damian clenched his jaw and forced himself to keep his hands relaxed by his sides. He’d be damned if he gave in to the stomach-churning fear that they were too late.

Five feet from the door, he felt her, and he was dizzy with relief.

“She’s below us.”

Castor halted and looked down at the floor as if he could see to the tunnels below.

Putting a hand on his arm to gain his attention, Damian inhaled deeply.

“Alex, if things go south, don’t try to reset time for me. Get my daughter out of here. Have the Sentinels help you guard her until Isis wraps her in magic to hide her.”Squeezing the forearm under his palm, he asked,“Will you do that for me? Please?”

“Christ, Dethridge, shouldn’t this be a request for Ronan? You can’t ask me to leave you behind. I don’t know if I can do that.”

Damian stared at Alex until the moment became uncomfortable for both of them.

“Fuck. Fine. I’ll leave you here to rot and abscond with your child so she can flit about unsupervised. There. Are you happy now?”

If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Damian would’ve taken delight in Castor’s pique. As it was, he nodded.“Thank you.”To the others, he said,“You heard him, gang. Make sure he keeps his promise.”

“I hate you,”Alex muttered.

“No, you don’t. Not even a little bit,”Alastair said as he joined them.“You’re just annoyed you’ll have to take responsibility for something.”

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