They had decided that rescuing Robin’s family was paramount. Since they knew Randall was out of the country, security might be a bit more lax. After all, when the cat was away, the mice would play, and if their suspicions were right, then the cat was not somewhere he would be reachable; at least, not for a while. It didn’t make Robin feel any better, though. She wanted both her family and Hal back, and she hated having to pick whom to rescue first.

“Let’s go over it again.” Alec’s somber voice broke into her stream of thoughts.

She blinked, taking a deep breath before diving in. “Thad will jump Nimue, and Dem will jump me to the alley behind the hotel to the west of the Eclipse building. Nimue and I will arrive within five minutes at the church across the street. You and Ellie will arrive at the donut shop on the other side of the building.

“We will circle the building and wait for you at the park next to the church. Nimue will evaluate the wards and verify that she can break them. Ellie and Alec will circle the building while Ellie evaluates the amount of electricity she will be able to handle. When we all meet at the park, we will confirm that the plan is a go. Nimue, Dem, and I will enter the building as she pulls down the wards, while at the same time, Ellie will siphon all the electricity she can, redirecting it back into the grid.

“Thad will remain outside, apart from both groups, as our ace in the hole. Once inside the building, Dem will nicely ask security for the keys, and we will make our way down to the floors below the building proper. Nimue will continue to work on removing any magical obstacles, and Dem and I will search for my family. Once we have them, Dem will jump my little sister and my mother out to the church across the street, where Alec and Ellie will be waiting. When Dem returns, we exit through the main building. As soon as we are out, Ellie lets go of the electricity and Nimue puts the wards back up. Then we all meet back here. Alec will handle Ellie and my sister, Dem will jump me and my mom, and Thad will jump Nimue and my dad. Clear?”

Nods all around.

“Then we sleep for a week,” Alec mused. “Jumping two people is going to wipe me out.”

“No. Then we go get your brother.” Anger whipped through Robin at the thought of them leaving Hal out there.

“I meant after that.” Alec rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting her eyes.

“Fine.”

“If it would help, I could take you all to the lake after. It will help rejuvenate your abilities.”

“That would be amazing,” Dem said, surprising Robin. “I can handle lots of jumping, but moving two people at once multiple times is going to be draining, even for me.”

They were all dressed somewhat casually. Ellie and Alec even had maps of Boston in their hands so they could be convincingly lost tourists should the need arise. Robin had half expected everyone to be outfitted with fatigues and weapons, but that would just draw attention. Her outfit, along with Nimue’s and Dem’s, were a little more business than casual. Their hope was once Dem knocked the guards out and they were in possession of the security badges, they would be able to move through the building without notice.

“Ready! Break!” Aster chimed in from the doorway, plastering a wide smile on her face that didn’t reach her nose, let alone her eyes, as she clapped and pumped her arm like a cheerleader. When Alec and Thad had forbidden her from coming, she had let out the bluest streak of words Robin had ever heard. In her gut, she wanted to agree with Aster—she had just as much right to deliver a blow to Eclipse as anyone. That being said, she had no fighting experience and no skills that made her presence there a necessity and not a liability.

Lately the petite blonde never seemed to be able to bring herself to fully enter a room; at least, not while everyone was together. The first night she stayed there flashed across her mind’s eye. Aster had seemed much happier then. Maybe something had changed, but Robin didn’t have time to worry about what that was right now. She sighed and took a swig of the water in front of her. They needed to get going, and she needed to get her mind focused.

“Everyone ready?” Robin asked, looking up.

She caught Dem scowling in Aster’s direction before his gaze reverted to her and he nodded. Something was definitely going on with Aster, and now she suspected Dem may be involved as well. A mystery for another time, she reminded herself as she brought the schedule to the forefront of her mind once again. She assessed the group in front of her. She had never been more grateful to have stumbled into this strange group of friends who were becoming more like family to her.

Mr. Scowl himself extended a hand to her, his midnight blue eyes flat, his face betraying nothing. Nimue took Thad’s hand, and the four of them jumped to the alley behind the hotel. The smell of rotting food assaulted her senses before she even opened her eyes. The hot late summer sun beating down on the trash made the odor that much worse. They walked around to the front of the hotel, crossing the street to get to the park.

Nimue’s eyes widened with amazement as she took in everything around them. The cars, buses, giant buildings, swarms of people—none of it would be familiar to her, and Robin wanted to kick herself for not thinking of warning the poor woman.

“You okay?” She nudged Nimue with her shoulder as they walked toward the front of the church, the big stone building looking tiny in comparison to the monstrosity that was the Eclipse building. The shiny tinted glass looked black in the sunlight as Robin glanced over her shoulder, trying to shake the feeling of being watched.

“I’m fine. I knew the world had advanced much while I was away. While this is more than I initially thought, I did glimpse some of it while running with you.”

“Running? Is that what we were doing? Felt more like flying to me.”

“Yes. Well, that was a mistake on my part. I am sorry for that, Robin. I don’t think I ever said that before. It was not my intention to harm you in any way.” Her violet eyes pierced her with their sincerity.

“I know you didn’t.” She smiled kindly at the other woman. “So shall we take a walk around, see what you think?”

“Yes, let’s. So far, I don’t see anything alarming.”

Dem was silent behind them as they began walking. Robin slipped her arm through Nimue’s so she was more able to guide her and they wouldn’t be separated. They crossed street after street, weaving in and out of the crowds of people, most of whom took one look at Dem and moved as far away as the sidewalk allowed.

“You all right back there?” Robin asked over her shoulder.

“Fine.”

The one-word reply didn’t surprise her. He was their guard, and he took his job seriously.

The walk took much longer than she would have liked, given the circumstances, but as they approached the park once more, she could see Ellie and Alec’s heads together as they sat on a bench at the far edge of the park, one map open across their knees.

“Hey all, how was your walk?” Alec said, looking up.

“Very informative,” said Nimue.

“And yours?”

“Also informative.” Ellie smiled up as she spoke. There was something so calming about the woman that made Robin simply want to spend time in her presence.

“Are we a go?” she asked, looking back and forth from Ellie to Nimue.

Thad came strolling up a moment later.

“There are no security cameras from any of the other businesses that have the front entrance in view.” His low voice was smooth as silk as he spoke.

Robin wanted to kick herself for not thinking of that. She knew that Thad was usually the one who planned and thought of contingencies by the way the other brothers deferred to him, but he had let her lead the charge on this, which she appreciated.

“That’s not surprising. Randall wouldn’t want anyone else to be able to see what was going on without having to go through him first. He is a bit of a control freak.”

“Especially when it comes to that which he desires most.” Nimue gave Robin a pointed look.

“I can handle the other building as well, if you want,” Ellie grinned.

“No, I don’t think there’s any need.” Robin took a deep breath. “Okay, Ellie, you want to do your thing? How long will it take?” The brunette hadn’t wanted to give an estimate before without having seen the building and power structure.

“By the time you walk from here to the front door, the power will be down.” Her eyes flashed with blue lightning, and suddenly Robin realized she had been massively underestimating her new friend just because of how protective Alec was, which was a mistake she wouldn’t make again.

“We’ll see you on the other side.”

Robin, Nimue, and Dem set off toward the towering building while Thad melted into the background as backup, just like they had planned. Sweat pooled between her breasts and trickled down her back, making the thin blouse cling to her in a way she was uncomfortable with. It was more than just the summer heat; her body was screaming at her not to go inside, not to pass through the doors that they rapidly approached, because she wouldn’t get back out again.

“Breathe, Robin. I won’t leave you in there.” Dem’s voice was a low growl, but it soothed the part of her brain that was spazzing out.

“Thank you.” She squeezed his upper arm, which was a hard rock under her hand, before turning to the other important player. “Nimue?”

“I have created a hole in the outer wards that will allow us to cross without completely taking them down. They are much too complex for that. A slight tweak, though, and we . . .”—she paused, her lips pursed—“are fine.” Her face smoothed out, and a small, slightly malevolent grin took up residence.

The sleek chrome-and-glass doors were in front of them then. Her hand stopped short as she reached out to open the door. If someone hadn’t been coming toward them on the other side, she may not have opened it, but if she didn’t, then she was going to draw unnecessary attention to their little band of warriors. The sharp cool caress of air conditioning slithered over her sweat-slicked skin as the familiar scent of cleaning products filled her nose.

The lights flickered and went out, leaving the lobby dull as the sunlight filtered through the tinted glass. The security guard working the front desk looked up at them, his bushy caterpillar brows connecting as he took in the people walking toward him. The hum of the air conditioning died at that moment, and the sudden black screens of the security monitors drew his eyes down. Thick pudgy fingers tapped the screen, as though that would somehow bring the picture back, before he peered under his desk at the computer tower that was now just a very expensive paperweight.

He ignored them, even though they were standing in front of him now, too focused on getting the screens to work again. When he picked up the phone and there was no dial tone, Robin could almost see the freak out beginning behind his dull, otherwise empty eyes. The badge hanging from his belt showed a photo of him that was at least twenty pounds slimmer, along with his name—Daryl Jenkins.

“Mr. Jenkins. We have an appointment to see Mr. Fields. Will you please let him know we’ve arrived?” Robin smoothed her hands on the counter in front of her as she spoke.

“Look, miss, I don’t know who you are, but we are having some technical problems right now, so you’ll just have to wait.” Daryl waved her off, as though she was a mosquito instead of an actual person.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, Daryl.” She paused, taking in the man still ignoring her and pushing any button available to him as his frustration mounted. “I’ll just see myself up, shall I?”

Robin turned and walked toward the elevator bay, with Nimue just behind her, drawing him out from behind the desk as he began to chase after them, just like they had wanted. “Miss!” his raspy voice called out fruitlessly. A boot scuffed the floor behind her, and Robin turned.