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“Getting Alex.”

Talon winces. “Better him than me.”

I pick up one of the knives. “I need to go in light. I never openly carry when I meet with Ricky. Small caliber. Easily concealable.”

Talon nods, tapping a small Beretta on the table. “This should work. It'll fit in an ankle holster without showing.”

I pick up the gun, checking the chamber and magazine out of habit. It’s a beautiful piece—compact but built for damage. “This will work nicely.”

Z and Alex join us. Alex yawns as he drops into a chair. “Address?” he asks, voice still rough with sleep as he pulls out his phone. I rattle it off as Alex types on his phone. “Looks like an apartment complex. Didn’t you say that you usually meet him at Southie bar?”

“Yeah, this is the first time he’s given a new place to meet up.”

“Give me a cup of coffee and an hour, I can have a bird’s eye view of the entire block,” Alex offers, shoving from his seat and padding into the kitchen towards the coffee maker. “We won’t be going in blind.”

“Make the coffee strong,” I tell Alex, already running through potential scenarios in my head. “We've got three hours to scope the place and position ourselves. I don't like this change in location.”

“You think Ricky's compromised?” Talon asks, sliding another knife into a sheath.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibilities. His information game may have caught up with him, and he’s hiding out.”

"What about Vesper?" He glances toward the hallway.

“What about her?”

“Is she coming with us?” Talon clarifies. “If she stays behind, one of us will need to stay here with her. It might be the safer option.”

“She's not going to like being treated like a child who needs a babysitter either,” I point out, though the idea of leaving her behind in relative safety appeals to me.

Z's expression darkens. “I'm not letting her out of my sight.”

“That's not your decision to make,” Alex says quietly, the coffee maker gurgling behind him. His tone is mild, but there's steel beneath it.

I shoot Alex a warning look. The last thing we need is another alpha standoff before walking into this meeting.

“How about we ask her what she wants?” Talon suggests, ever the diplomat. “Novel concept, I know.”

“Ask me what?” Vesper's voice cuts through the tension as she appears in the doorway. She's changed into black jeans and a fitted dark blue top, practical and understated. Still utterly fucking breathtaking.

All of our attentions snap to her. I can't help but notice how she commands attention without even trying. A queen amongst wolves.

“Whether you're coming with us tonight,” I answer, watching her reaction carefully.

Her eyebrow arches slightly. “And why wouldn't I be going?”

“It’s not safe,” Z argues.

“Middle ground, remember?” she replies back to him.

“Fine,” he relents with a huff. “But you’re staying back with the rest of us.”

I share a glance with Talon, unsure what exactly "middle ground" means between those two, but I'm relieved Z isn't digging in his heels. Progress.

Alex appears at Vesper's side, offering her a steaming mug. “Black, two sugars.” Their fingers brush as she takes it, and something passes between them—a look I can't quite decipher.

“Thanks,” she says, accepting the cup with a grateful smile. Their fingers brush during the exchange, and I note how Alex watches her for a beat longer than necessary.

Interesting.