Page 6

She scoffed as she took in the dingy surroundings—the peeling paint, the rust-stained sink, and the persistent hum of the aging ventilation fan. “Partner?”

He extended a hand. “Jonah.”

Her arms stayed crossed. “I know who you are.”

His smile faltered for a brief moment—more of a twitch than a full fade—but Ruby caught it.

“Obviously anyone in the TCA knows who you are, but you—"

“Met you a few years ago. During basic training,” she said, grabbing a paper towel, wetting it, and starting to wipe her arms. Her sundress was torn and likely beyond repair, which was a shame since it was a luxury brand.

“I recognized you back at the barn. Pretty much as soon as your hat came off.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember us meeting back then.”

That stung, but she didn’t call him on the lie.

The only thermophile in the TCA and he just so happened to forget the months they spent every night together?

Unlikely. Pretending he didn’t remember so he could deny being friends with a thermy?

Much more likely. Her anger simmered into fresh disappointment.

Ruby studied Jonah under the harsh fluorescent lights of the convenience store. Fine, if he wanted to play stupid, she would play stupider. She coughed, straining against the tightness in her throat. “Why would you? It was years ago. Think we only met once or twice.”

Something akin to pain flashed in his eyes. “Ruby, I—” A pounding on the door interrupted him.

“Hey, I gotta piss!” a rough, impatient voice boomed from the other side.

Jonah rolled his eyes and stood. She snorted and unlocked the door, swinging it open to reveal a burly man with a scraggly ponytail and a scowl etched deep into his face.

“Y’all bout done?” he snapped, eyes darting between them in irritation.

They both muttered apologies, slipping past him and out into the store.

The smell of stale coffee and cheap air freshener clung to the air, a stark contrast to the earthy scent of fire and sweat still clinging to their clothes.

Their shoes scuffed against the worn linoleum, and the cashier glanced up with disinterest as they passed by.

Jonah gestured toward a black truck parked on the far edge of the lot. “That one’s mine.”

Ruby tilted her head toward the truck they had driven to the store in. “And that one’s mine.”

Jonah smirked. “Mine comes with a driver and information.”

She crossed her arms, her lips twitching into a bitter smile. “Mine comes with silence and the promise of never seeing you again.”

He nodded toward the woman sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck, illuminated by the glow of a cell phone screen. “That’s Kavya. My editor and camera person.”

“Congratulations?” Ruby’s tone was sharp, exasperated.

“I’m sure your ‘special videos’ pay better than the TCA, but I’m not interested.

” He needed to get to the point. Sweat and a thin layer of ash clung to her skin, making her feel sickly and sallow.

She wanted a shower and the escape of trashy reality TV.

She missed when she needed to eat. As much as she resented the buttered noodles she ate so frequently as a kid, she would kill to turn up the AC, hide under the expensive comforter, eat a bowl full of noodles smothered in butter, pepper, and fake cheese, and fall asleep to the sounds of catfights and celebrity drama.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the humid air hanging heavy between them, their eyes locked in a quiet battle. The distant hum of crickets and the faint sound of traffic on the highway filled the void, but neither of them moved.

Finally, Jonah shrugged, his posture loosening. “Guess you don’t want the information I have on Edward Alden.”

Ruby froze, her heartbeat quickening. Her gaze sharpened, all pretense of indifference gone. “What do you know about Edward Alden?”

Jonah's words echoed in her mind, facts she'd known for years spilling out of his mouth like he was lecturing a child. “Scientist. Started killing in the 60’s but has been around since the early 1900s. He’s one of the most documented thermophiles that exist.”

Ruby’s lips curled into a snarl before she could stop herself.

"Everyone with clearance knows that. Hell, the janitors probably know that," she argued, already turning on her heel to head to her car. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, Lucas’ name flashing on the screen.

She gritted her teeth, answering with clipped frustration. "Yes?"

“Did you meet up with Jonah?” Lucas crackled through the line.

“Excuse me?” Ruby froze, heat rising in her chest, and spun around to face Jonah again. He had the nerve to grin at her like nothing was wrong.

“Jonah,” Lucas repeated, oblivious to the tension. “He texted me earlier to let me know he was on his way to you.”

She blinked, her mind blanking for a second before anger flared hot and sharp in her gut. "Why would he text you?"

“It wasn’t my idea.”

Her blood pressure skyrocketed. “Lucas.”

His chair squeaked. “When you see me next, please remember that I am a scientist, not a fighter, not the one making any decisions.”

“LUCAS,” she half screamed, half whispered through clenched teeth.

"The TCA thinks you have too much leeway. They would like you to work with him," Lucas placated. “He’s the star of a reality bounty hunting show.”

Ruby nearly choked. She coughed, trying to regain her composure, but the sheer absurdity of the situation nearly knocked her off balance. “A what?”

“It’s on YouTube. He films himself catching people who skip out on bail.” Lucas snorted. “It’s actually pretty entertaining.”

Jonah leaned against his car, that damn grin plastered on his face like he’d won some kind of twisted game.

“So he films himself catching thermies and puts it on the internet? That seems pretty counterintuitive to the idea of a secret government suppression agency.” Ruby forced eye contact with Jonah as she kicked a rock.

It soared through the air, pelting a telephone post and leaving a hefty chunk missing from the wood. Jonah’s smile fell. Hers stretched.

“Not thermophiles. Humans,” Lucas continued. “They want you to help him with the bounty hunting.”

“You’re joking. Why the hell would a TCA agent, even a shitty human one, bother with regular criminals?”

“They temporarily want you off of the Alden case,” Lucas replied, his words tinged with regret.

Her stomach dropped. “Look, I get it. It sounds stupid. But a few years ago he said he wouldn’t hunt thermies anymore.

TCA wanted to keep him around. They gave him this role under the condition that he continued to search for Edward in the background. ”

“What’s the real reason?”

“For?”

“The TCA partnering me with the reality show himbo.” She sneered at the offended look on his face and took a few steps away, lowering her voice.

“And for keeping him around. The TCA hates inefficiency. They wouldn’t waste funds on something that stupid.

But mainly, taking me off of Edward. It doesn’t make sense.

I’m the only one strong enough to fight him. ”

“That’s a very good use of modern slang for someone your age,” Lucas praised, ignoring her question.

“I know where you live.” To any other TCA agent, the threat would be frightening. Lucas only sighed.

“They kept him around in case they needed a deterrent. They don’t trust you.”

“Already got drugged for that once today,” Ruby remarked.

“What? By who?” Lucas faltered. “Actually, I don’t want to know.

We’re getting close to Edward. A few agents went missing recently.

They know you’re not involved, but he has a way of…

corrupting people. They want to keep an eye on you and they know of your history with Jonah.

I think the assumption is that he could keep you in control, if needed. ”

Not on his life. Not even if he didn’t completely erase her from his memory. “So he’s my babysitter?”

“With benefits,” Jonah chimed in.

Her left eye throbbed behind her sunglasses. “I’m not having sex with you.”

“That’s not…no.” Jonah shook his head. “I meant work benefits. Hunting and muscle and stuff.”

“Sure you did.” She approached Jonah, her steps measured, controlled. “Why do we have to do the show, then? Even taking me off the Edward case, which is bullshit by the way, why do I have to be on camera?” She aimed the question at Lucas.

Lucas hesitated. “Look, it’s not an amazing idea, but it’s out of my control.

They want him watching you. They trust him.

He enjoys doing the show and only agreed to the partnership if you agreed to be on the show.

You’ll take a break from tracking Edward, but Jonah will help with normal, non-filmed thermophile hunts, if that makes you feel any better. ”

This conversation was going nowhere. Clearly, something more was happening here, something weird, but even if Lucas had the answers, he wouldn’t let them slip.

"Fine," Ruby muttered into the phone before hanging up, her hand shaking with barely-contained frustration.

Ruby brushed a hand through her tangled hair, fighting back the scream threatening to break free. Instead, she exhaled sharply and turned back around.

“Change your mind?” Jonah asked, rapping his knuckles on the hood of his truck and waving at the woman in the driver’s seat.

She stepped out and walked around the car—a short, curvy Indian woman with dark hair and a wedding ring sparkling in the light.

Ignoring him, Ruby directed a warm smile at the driver. She extended her hand. “Ruby.”

The driver shook it firmly. “Kavya.”

“Nice to meet you.” She aimed a dirty look toward Jonah. “You don’t seem that scared of me.”

Kavya crossed her arms, bracelets jangling with the movement. “Should I be?”

“ Someone made it seem like you were.”

“I’ve read your record. You’ve killed hundreds. It’s not the most comforting fact, but I wouldn’t work for the TCA if I was afraid of thermophiles.”

Jonah nudged her with his elbow, a silent warning.

Ruby looked away, scanning the lot for any sign of danger. She settled on the soft glow of the gas station sign. “How much do you know about me?”

Kavya stared back at her. “Just the basics. Your story is told at every orientation—like a ghost story at summer camp. Turned by Edward in the ’70s. Buried, then dug up. Consumption level in the hundreds.”

“Oh good.” Ruby sighed. They were right about her being a ghost— she was only an empty shell of the person she once was.

They were wrong about her count though. Her real number was easily in the thousands.

“My level wasn’t by choice,” she added, leaving it at that.

It wasn’t their business, and it wasn’t a story she wanted to tell.

“If you were at orientation, does that make you an agent?”

Kavya nodded as Ruby’s head cocked to the side. “Why would an agent work on a social media show?”

Crossing her arms, Kavya declared. “He’s your babysitter. I’m his.”

“Understandable.” She had the same locked down look in her eye that Lucas got. Definitely TCA management. Maybe even upper management. She’d have to figure her out later. Turning to Jonah, she asked. “And you?”

He blinked at her, surprised to be involved in the conversation. “Insurance purposes.”

“As in, if you die on camera Kavya gets your life insurance?”

“As in, if I die off camera, people will notice. Kind of hard to cover up my disappearance when the ladies are out there missing this face." He paused. “Why would Kavya get my life insurance?”

Ruby nodded toward Kavya’s hand. “Because you’re married?”

Kavya burst out laughing. Maybe Ruby would like her after all. “My wife would be so offended.”

So she was married, just not to Jonah. Ruby tucked that knowledge away and hoped she would never need to use it. Although she tolerated her job, she didn’t trust the TCA and kept a journal of any information she could use, should something dire happen.

She turned and nodded toward her truck. “It’s a rental.

I’ll have the extraction team pick it up.

” Ruby tossed the key onto the tire well, sent a quick text to Lucas, and walked toward Jonah’s car.

She climbed into the back seat and wedged herself between bags of camera gear. “Mind driving me to my hotel?”

“Sure,” Kavya said from the driver’s seat.

Ruby glanced out the window at the soft light of the rising sun. “Have y’all slept yet?”

“Y’all?” Jonah asked, twisting in his seat to look at her.

“Guess you didn’t read my file that closely. I’m originally from Texas.” Ruby toyed with a pair of handcuffs she found on the floor. “I’ve got the hotel room for another night. Double beds in the next town over, if you two need to crash.”

“What about you?” Kavya asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.

Jonah popped open the glove box and pulled out a set of wet wipes. “Thermies don’t need sleep.”

“I’m aware,” Kavya snapped. “I meant would she also be in the room? No offense, but I don’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same room as a thermy.”

“Scared I might eat you?” Ruby lowered her sunglasses, showing off the green blood vessels around her eyes.

“Perhaps. What does it feel like?”

Ruby shrugged. “It doesn’t feel much different. I don’t eat, not like you do. I smoke herbal rolls to inhale phlogiston. I don’t sleep. I heal faster, but I still feel the pain.”

Kavya seemed to chew on her words before nodding. “I slept in the town’s motel last night. Jonah can sleep on the way. Lucas sent over our first joint case while you were cleaning up.”

“Great. What better use for a superhuman soldier than chasing down bond jumpers?” As the car pulled away from the gas station, the first light of dawn crept over the landscape.