Page 33 of Twist of Fate

“Your people,” Connal said, voice low but close enough to cut through the city noise. “They are aware of your absence?”

Luke huffed a quiet breath. “Oh yeah. They’re aware.”

He didn’t look up from the screen as he checked the coordinates, mapping them automatically against what he already knew of the city.

The warehouse district. Of course it was.

“Are they a threat?” Connal asked.

Luke locked the phone’s screen and slid it back into his pocket. “Depends on the day.”

Connal remained unconvinced.

Luke didn’t bother trying to fix that. At the moment, he wasn’t reassured either.

“The original drop was compromised,” he said, cutting across another street without hesitation. “I’ve been redirected to a secondary location.”

Connal watched the street with the same rigid vigilance he’d shown since they’d arrived.

“This is exposed,” Connal said after a beat. “Too many variables. Too many points of exposure.”

Luke almost smiled. It was kind of nice having someone around who understood everything that went through his head at any given time. “Yeah. That’s kind of the point.”

Connal turned sharply to him.

Dammit. He’d revealed too much. Then again, could he really keep pretending he wasn’t in danger?

Luke kept moving. “Predictable routes get people killed,” he added, more lightly than he felt. “Crowds give us cover, and changing direction makes us harder to follow.”

Connal didn’t respond to that right away.

Luke caught it, though—the way Connal’s focus sharpened as he reassessed something that didn’t fit into his framework.

Good. He didn’t need Connal to understand.

He just needed him to keep up.

“We’re close,” Luke said after another turn, his focus narrowing as the surroundings changed—less traffic, more space, longer sightlines. “Couple more blocks.”

Connal stepped in closer.

Luke didn’t look at him, but he adjusted anyway, shifting his path just enough to account for the extra body at his side.

“Stay with me,” Connal said.

Luke snorted. “Wasn’t planning on wandering off.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“No,” Luke said dryly. “I figured.”

The tension between them didn’t spike this time. It just…held.

Luke let that sit for exactly half a second before pushing it aside.

Focus.

Mission.