The slight figure with the white-blond hair in the doorway looked determined not to let him in, and Ewan supposed he couldn’t blame Al for being upset at being awoken at this strange hour. He didn’t have time to be polite. He put a hand on the door, forgetting for an instant, stupidly, that Al was as strong and quick to act as Nina and probably as quick to react.

He was lucky Al hadn’t put him to the ground.

“Please,” Ewan said and took a step back. “It’s about Nina.”

Al yawned and blinked. “What about her?”

“She went to visit her sister and disappeared. Someone took her. Jordie Dev is involved, somehow. I need you to help me find her, but more than that, to get her back once we do.” Ewan had spent the last few hours working with his team, trying to locate both Jordie and Nina, but so far there’d been little luck.

“How’d you figure out where I live?” Al yawned again, looking curious, not angry.

Ewan drew in a breath, determined not to lose his temper at Al’s lackadaisical attitude. “You’re in the directory.”

“Right, right. Did you contact ProtectCorps first?”

“Yeah, but Leona said you’d quit.”

“I did. I’m off the job, out of the game,” Al said. “Reee-tired.”

Ewan’s fingers twitched, wanting to make fists but too aware of how stupid it would be to make even the barest hint of a threat. “I can pay you.”

“I’m sure you can, Mr. Billions.” Al’s eyes narrowed. “Leona didn’t have anyone else who could help you? She has loads of guards.”

“Nobody else who was enhanced.”

Al laughed in a low voice, not without humor, but somehow sly, and gave him a sideways look. “So the guy who worked so hard to make sure we were all hobbled by the very tech he’d invented is now desperate to hire only one of us to help him?”

“I love her, and she’s gone missing,” Ewan said evenly, refusing to allow Al to bait him into anger. “ And I was an idiot. Please, don’t waste any more time trying to remind me of that. Will you help me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Al said with a shrug and stepped aside to let him in. “I’m not doing much else at the moment.”

The interior of Al’s apartment was no surprise. Al lived in one of the modern buildings that had become trendy in the past few years. Each unit was a simple box, an open living space with doors that ran on tracks to close off the bathroom and sleeping spaces as necessary. All the doors inside Al’s cube had been slid into the walls, so the apartment was wide open. Undecorated except for a neatly made bed and a comfortable-looking beanbag couch in front of a viddy screen set into the plain wall, it was a spartan and somehow soothing environment that calmed him only a little.

“Just let me get changed, and then you can tell me what’s going on.” Al gestured toward the beanbag couch, but Ewan didn’t sit. It was designed to cradle the user, and he didn’t feel like being cradled right then.

Al slid one of the doors halfway across the room to block off the area next to the bed. Ewan turned his back to offer even more privacy. He kept himself from pacing only because the room wasn’t large enough for him to move around too much. Behind him, the door slid back on its track, and he turned, letting out a mutter of surprise.

“What?” Al looked down at the slim black leggings and form-fitting long-sleeved shirt that showed off curves Ewan hadn’t noticed before. She laughed at his look. “Oh, yeah. You thought I was a bro, yeah?”

“I . . .”

She held up one hand to show off the androgyne tattoo between her thumb and forefinger. “I’m shiny fine with being called ‘him,’ if you’re wondering. ‘Her’ is also acceptable. I’m not a big fan of ‘they,’ but I’ll answer to it. You can also call me Allegra, Al, or ‘hey, you.’ Just don’t call me late to dinner, hyuck, hyuck.”

She gave a loud, braying, and forced burst of laughter that softened when she watched him. “Sorry. Just a little light humor.”

Ewan thought back to the first night he’d seen Al talking to Nina, and the heat of embarrassment flooded him at what an excremental sphincter he’d been about it. “I shouldn’t have assumed. I’m sorry.”

“People do it all the time, it’s not a problem. It’s hard to see the tattoo and when you saw me before I was being more of a bro. It’s all good.” Al rubbed her hands together briskly. “I don’t think you came here to talk to me about that, did you? When did she go missing, exactly?”

“Late yesterday afternoon. I know who took her, but we can’t figure out where.” Ewan swallowed a rush of sourness, trying to keep himself calm. “Leona said her tracking chip was disconnected. I have my team on it, but every lead they’ve tracked is turning up negative.”

“I’m not a tracker.”

Ewan nodded. “I know that. I will find her. When I do, I need you with me.”

“Because you think it’s going to be dangerous. Extracting her,” Al said thoughtfully. “Gotcha. Well, let’s get started, I guess. No sense in waiting around.”

“You don’t care about a contract? Payment?” He’d been prepared to transfer credits to her account immediately, even to work without a signed agreement, just to get her help.

Al looked surprised. “Nah. I’m sure you’re good for it. And besides, anybody who managed to actually take down Nina Bronson sounds like a challenge to me. I’m totally up for a good challenge.”

“This isn’t a game, Al,” Ewan said sharply.

Her expression smoothed, and she nodded. “Yes. I know. If you get me to her, I promise I’ll do my best to make sure we get her home safe.”