I laughed. “No one’s kicking anyone out. I think having just Jonah there will help with his learning. You and December are good. Too good, sometimes, and it hinders him from making a mistake.”
Nico frowned. The air smelled of cherry from his exhale. “No. We’re not splitting up.”
“It’ll only be for a couple of days.” I gathered my cleanup supplies, tossing them into a plastic grocery bag.
“We did your coin toss.” Nico gestured to me. “We accepted this job. You’ve had your way, and now, it’s my turn. I don’t enjoy splitting up. Especially on isolated jobs like this.”
“We’re passing by a city on our Hotspot list. I just need you and December to check in, take some readings. It’ll take a day, two tops. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet up with you two in the middle?”
He blew out a breath, and I poked his shoulder.
“Hotspot monitoring was your idea,” I said.
“Yeah, I know, but…I don’t like being apart after Atlanta.” He tugged up his sleeve, showing me his forearm. “I get hives every time I even think about it.”
I squinted. “There’s nothing there.”
Nico huffed, and I swallowed a laugh.
“They’re there,” he promised.
“Stalkers don’t come around often,” I murmured.
We had a close call earlier this year. Some weird guy who’d followed all our socials and started private messaging me questions that began polite and devolved into confessions of adoration and obsession.
He’d cornered me in a Wendy’s parking lot with a wilted bouquet in hand. When I didn’t recognize him at first glance, his irritation was instant. The bruise he’d left on my wrist after trying to pull me to his car took a couple of weeks to fade.
It should have shaken me up more than it had. People could often be as dangerous as the supernatural. And yet,all I could think of was how exposed his skin had been. He’d worn short sleeves to an attempted assault. When he grabbed me, he hadn’t guarded any part of his body like my parents taught me to when fighting. He hadn’t expected a fight or a worthy opponent.
“And Octavia’s not one of them.” I clicked my kit shut. “Trust me.”
Nico sighed, pressing the vape to his bottom lip but didn’t take a drag. Didn’t say a word.
“Come on, it’ll be a perfect time to test out your Remnant scanner,” I encouraged. “The ranch doesn’t need four hunters for an assessment.”
“You really want this? Or are you just sick of December and me?”
I remained silent for a bit and laughed when his gaze snapped to mine. Truth was, I’d probably wither away after a week of not being in their presence. After leaving my sister’s team, I only briefly played with the idea of being a solo hunter. The thought lasted for all of three seconds. Solving cases was far more rewarding alongside other people.
“No, I’m just trying to do what’s best for everyone. And to see if what we’re doing…is actually helping. Your scanner can help prove that we’re moving the needle. Changing things permanently.”
Nico tilted his head to the side, studying me. “What are you talking about? Of course, we’re helping.”
I nodded quickly. “Right.”
“Rae.” His face softened.
My nose twitched, and I switched my gaze to our not-qualified-but-willing mechanic at the front of the RV. The smoke billowed from the open hood blocked my view ofthem. Getting lost in the fumes seemed far more appealing than getting lost in Nico’s attempts at comfort.
“How are we?” Nico asked in a gentle voice.
I laughed under my breath. We. That’s what Nico and I have always been, ever since we’d met at six and five. We’d lived together at the Guild headquarters from thirteen to eighteen. We were roommates for a stint (before Nico went on testosterone and wanted more privacy), literally tying ourselves at the hip for field day just to prove to our mentors we were better together.
But “we” weren’t questioning our decision to leave the Guild. We weren’t questioning whether these freelancing jobs made a difference. We weren’t questioning whether we were wasting our time pushing a rock up a hill only for it to fall again the next day. If we weren’t questioning whether we were good enough to keep pushing.
Because he was building. Nico flourished without having to set aside his research and experiments to fully focus on a job. He’d learned how to repair almost every standard paranormal instrument with no budget and Gorilla Glue. Nico wanted to start an offline database for people outside the Guild. He was building, and I was?—
“It’s a good book,” he said. “Don’t let some rancher from the middle of nowhere make you believe otherwise.”
