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A messy-haired Damien peeks out, looking either confused or sleepy. I can’t tell.
“Oh, it’s you,” he says instead of a greeting.
“Can I talk to Tanya?”
“She’s still sleeping. As was I before you decided to knock the door down.” He frowns at the bright sun, then invites me in.
He’s shirtless, looking like an anatomy model with all his perfect muscles on display. I’m as tall as him but look much weaker. I’m trying to keep my insecurities at bay, ignoring how a little voice in my head denotes him as Tanya’s protector and me as an annoying puppy that gets in her way and apparently abandons her from time to time without meaning to.
“I’ll wait here.” I sit down in one of the brightly colored booths. The whole bar area is dark.
“It’s okay, go make yourself a drink. You know the way, right?” He chuckles to himself as he disappears into the corridor leading to the staff area.
I glance at the bar. Why not? It’s been a hot minute since I’d handled drinks and I didn’t have any breakfast.
I decide on a sidecar mocktail—smoky tea, lemon juice, honey, marmalade, and ice. It’s basically a whole meal.
As I wait for the lapsang souchong to brew, thinking about how I’m going to adapt the mocktail considering it’s usually made with cold tea, Damien comes back into the room.
“You care about Tanya,” he states as he takes his phone out. “And you care about Jenya, though not in the same way.”
“Not in the same way,” I confirm, unsure where this is going.
“I have the feeling Tanya’s about to do something stupid by herself. She’s done it before.” He scrolls through an app I don’t recognize.
“Like when I had to blow up the docks to save you both,” I say as I put the lemon juice and marmalade in a shaker and start stirring.
“Exactly.” He raises his head and looks at me with a puzzled expression. “How did you know we were there?”
“She messaged me asking to find a safe place for Yeira. She and the other girls were safe in that motel I found them, so she must have thought it’s part of what I do in the Arcana.” I shrug.
“You’re special to her, you know. She doesn’t ask for help easily,” Damien says with a rueful smile.
“I know. But now she’s ignoring me.”
“That’s between you two. If you ask me, you should just bone and call it a day, but when are things ever so simple?” He chuckles and I crack a smile with him. It’s like getting the blessing of a parent. I feel oddly honored.
“Do you have dry ice here?” I ask. “Need to cool this tea quickly.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Luisa has some. Tanya would know where it is. While she’s asleep, I want to share something with you.” He shows me the app on his phone, a list of locations and links on a background with little animated watermelons.
“What is this?”
“Since Tanya’s return, I’ve been worried about her, so I started putting tracking chips in all her coats and shoes. I know it’s not great, but I can’t have another docks incident. She’s playing with fire and she knows it.”
I frown. “I don’t think she’ll be happy about that.”
“Better unhappy and alive than dead and full of pride,” Damien says.
“Can’t argue with that.” I sigh, pouring some honey into the shaker. It sinks to the bottom in mesmerizing swirls.
“Give me your phone. I’ll install the app so you can check on her. I know you’re looking for Jenya as well, so there is a chance it will be useful for that too.” Damien stops scrolling, ready to take my phone into his free hand.
But my fingers still mid-stir, my eyes locking on one of the coordinates.
“All the trackers point to here, right? Because Tanya is sleeping upstairs?” I ask, leaning over the counter to see his screen better.
“Yes, why?”
