Page 123 of Nemesis

I’m not eventhathungry, but apparently my body has other ideas. I find myself nodding along, my cheeks heating, while Saint grunts an affirmation.

Kade rubs his hands together. “Tem, keep an eye on the computer, would you?”

I don’t hate that he calls me by my nickname. Saint wouldn’t dare.

I take the stool Kade occupied. He busies himself pulling stuff out of the fridge, laying out ingredients, then fetching a pan. I glance at Saint, who seems to be torn between watching him and me.

Who took Reese?

And why?

Kade alluded to the fact that Reese might be running from someone—but Reese made no such mention. Either he didn’t trust us with it, or he didn’t think it was relevant. Maybe he tried to outrun his past, and it caught up with him.

Or Kade’s information is wrong, and someone else took Reese. One of the Cyclopes, maybe. But it still brings me back to thewhy—and what they’re doing to him.

“We don’t know who has him,” Saint says in a low voice. “It’s no use panicking. Stay rational.”

“Easier said than done,” I murmur.

I focus on the screen. There’s a chat window up, the relevant details sent, and a user with a long string of numbers in their name replying that it was possible.

“Who did you ask for help?”

Kade glances over his shoulder at me. “An old friend.”

“Like how Reese was an old friend?” Saint asks.

Kade huffs. “Yeah, he knew Reese and I from the same place. Except when we got out, Reese went his own way and I stayed close with some of the guys.”

“Military,” Saint guesses.

Oh, shit.

“Reese said he was a former Marine.” I narrow my eyes. “Is that where you two met?”

Kade nods. He doesn’t even look at us anymore, fixated on whatever he’s making. His broad shoulders block my view.

Saint taps the table. “How long ago?”

“Few years.”

Saint and I meet eyes, and for once, I think we’re on the same page.

“Now isn’t the time to hold back,” Saint argues. He steals the words right from my lips. “Especially since we’re trusting you with this.”

“You could’ve done this already,” I add. “Why ask me for help if you have someone who can hack into security feeds?—”

The laptoppingsas a message comes through, proving my point. Saint gets up and circles around behind me.

Kade comes to the table with three grilled sandwiches stacked on a plate. He puts it down and leans in, clicking the link his friend sent. It downloads a file, which pops up as soon as it’s done.

Security footage. The street is visible, as well as the front door to my building.

“He sent the whole night,” Kade says under his breath.

He plays it double time until I grab his wrist. He slows it down, and the three of us watch Reese come out the front door. He weaves, clearly not super steady on his feet.

This image is much sharper than my building’s. Wonder who I have to bribe to update them…

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