Page 55 of Twist of Fate

“I took it to the arranged meeting place. Someone intercepted the exchange before I could complete it.”

“The people Connal rescued you from?”

“Yes.”

“And they wanted the drive.”

“That’s what I assumed. They didn’t stop to explain.”

Gomez looked pointedly at Luke’s bruises. “How inconsiderate of them.”

“They had blocked the exits and interfered with communications before I arrived. Connal and his brothers got me out before they could take it.”

Gomez’s gaze shifted toward Connal. “Thank you.”

Connal inclined his head. “Luke is my mate. I will always come for him.”

Gomez held his gaze for a moment before nodding. “Ooookay. That’s an intriguing answer. Note to self, ask questions later.”

Luke returned the drive to the hidden pocket at his waistband. “After that, Hale sent me instructions for a secondary delivery.”

“Hale, as in Mr. Hale, your boss?”

“Yes.”

“And you thought going to a second location after someone ambushed the first one was a good idea?”

Luke could hear how reckless the decision sounded when stripped of everything Gomez didn’t know. Walking away would have allowed whoever compromised the exchange to choose the next time and place. Luke had needed to regain some control.

“I thought finding out who had compromised the exchange was better than waiting for them to try again.”

“That sounds suspiciously like something a person says immediately before making a terrible decision.”

“I wasn’t alone.”

Gomez glanced around the room. “I’m beginning to understand why you collected an entire set of sword-wielding bodyguards.”

“They are not—” Luke began.

“I know. Powerful fae warriors. One of them is your—and I’m leaning heavily on my romance-reading expertise here—magical soulmate. Another one kidnapped me. I’m simplifying.”

“The warehouse had been prepared before we arrived,” Luke continued, pretending Gomez hadn’t called Connal his magical soulmate. He was definitely not ready to have that discussion. “Whoever prepared it used some kind of magical structure against Connal and his brothers. They wanted the drive, but they were also prepared to trap anyone with magic who came near it.”

Gomez’s gaze dropped to where Luke’s hand rested over the drive. “That’s why the king said Connal needed to rest and recover.”

“Yes.”

“And why you look like you tried to fistfight a building.”

“That part was unrelated.”

“Of course it was.”

Luke expected another joke, but Gomez’s expression tightened instead.

“You disappeared,” Gomez said. “I couldn’t reach you. I didn’t know where you were, and then Tall, Dark, and Kidnappy appeared in our apartment and carried me into another dimension.”

“Realm,” Zer corrected.