Marcus strolled down one of the more decadent hallways in the mansion on his way to Kathrine’s room. Absurdly expensive carpets covered warm wood floors, paintings dotted the walls, and patterned lights swirled in intricate designs along the ceiling. Kathrine had to have pressured someone to get a room in this wing. It was easy to forget she had a penchant for luxury when they were traipsing across the continent.

  He paused at the door. He’d seen the schedule. Kathrine had been on the night patrol shift. She should be in, but… was this really a good idea?

  He already owed her. Asking for something else, even if it was circumstantial to Isi’s investigation, was another dagger to use against him. He just kept slipping closer and closer to the line.

  And now Isi needed another favor. He pressed his palms to the wall beside the door and leaned there for a moment. She wanted Teorin’s location. Logistically, it was reasonable. Lev and Teorin were probably still together, but…

  Would Isi pull Teorin into this? He’d told her no so many times. She knew exactly how much he’d hate that. He’d trusted her for so long, but every time he turned around these days she was pressing on one of his boundaries.

  He stared at the ground. Isi was edging the line, but who did he trust more than her?

  No one.

  He took a deep breath. It was just confirmation of direction. He could frame it to Kathrine as an official mission. Just a quick check if the glidesuit Kathrine had tagged with her trace bullet was still moving.

  He straightened and knocked. He didn’t have time to waste worrying. His second patrol shift was in an hour.

  No answer. Marcus knocked again. She was going to hate him for waking her up. He stared at the large oak door. This was a mistake. Trusting anyone was.

  He should go. There had to be another—

  The door opened, framing Kathrine, who stood there in a very decadent lounging robe, her dark brown hair pulled back in a loose braid. She sniffed, looking him up and down. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

  Marcus held back a flinch. She was expecting him? He forced himself to relax. “Enjoying the luxury?”

  “Quite. Although I seem to have gotten more sleep out in the middle of nowhere. I suppose that’s the tradeoff.”

  “Apologies.”

  Kathrine grimaced. “It’s not just you. I hate this house. I hate feeling like I’m constantly being watched.”

  Marcus nodded. That he understood.

  Kathrine leaned against the doorframe. “Why are you here, Marcus?”

  He glanced down the hallway. This wasn’t a conversation that he wanted to have in the open.

  Kathrine sighed but opened the door wide enough for him to slip in. The room was as luxurious as the hallway, large and tastefully decorated. The air smelled faintly of citrus and something floral—perfume, maybe. A robe lay draped over the back of an armchair, and an open book sat on the nightstand, spine cracked.

  Kathrine gestured to the sitting area near the window and seated herself on a plush armchair. Marcus took a seat on the sofa. He shifted to look at her, but before he could open his mouth, Kathrine said, “You’re lucky Isi trusts you so much, Marcus. Visiting so many women’s bedrooms is a bold move.”

  Marcus choked on what he had been about to say, and it turned into a full-on cough.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Kathrine asked.

  “I honestly don’t know how to respond to that,” Marcus said when he recovered his breath.

  Kathrine cocked her head, waiting. Her expression indicated he had missed something he shouldn’t have.

  He ran over her accusation again in his head. “So many?”

  Kathrine just examined her fingernails. “Yes. Perhaps that was a generalized statement. Or perhaps my patrol duty took me close to that Tanel girl’s room in the early morning hours. I may have noticed what appeared to be a female silhouette with another one that was quite tall. There are only so many people in this house that tower over a woman that way.”

  How…? Kara’s room faced the ocean. Anyone trying to see in would have to be down on the water, much too far away to make out two silhouettes. It was the only reason that Marcus had risked turning the lights on at all.

  Maybe Kathrine was lying, and she’d seen him in that hall. But no, he’d checked. She’d had that patrol shift. How else…

  The bathroom. Marcus cursed under his breath, and Kathrine just raised her eyebrows. She had just been silently sipping the drink she had on the end table by her chair, letting him sort through the implication of her words.

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  It had to be the large, tinted window in the bathroom. He’d walked past it to get to Kara’s closet to deactivate the listening device. Kara’s room was technically at the corner of the mansion. But what were the chances of Kathrine watching at the perfect—

  No, it was a light in the dark hours of the morning. That attracted attention. It was unlucky, but not shocking that she’d been watching. Marcus glanced around the room. Siera had bugs. If she heard this, if she knew—

  Kathrine leaned back in her chair and waved off his concern. “I disabled them. I told Siera a long time ago that she’s free to place her wires in my room, but I very much value my privacy. I informed her they would be shut down and that she could fire me for doing so if she wished.” Kathrine shrugged. “I still have a job, so I assume she’s learned to live with the fact.”

  Marcus rubbed the bridge of his nose. Was this blackmail? A trap? He glanced up at her. “Why are you telling me this?”

  Kathrine sighed. “Because I’m worried about you.”

  Marcus stiffened as his gaze jerked up from the table between them to her face. The comment didn’t have any of her usual brashness. “Why?”

  “I’d like to think that we’re friends, and that’s the sort of thing that friends do.”

  Marcus closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Kathrine knew too much. It made him want to bolt, but…she obviously hadn’t told Siera about last night or about him stealing Trevor’s drive. If she had, he’d be dead or in some interrogation room.

  He looked up at Kathrine, who was still watching him. “I admit that I could use a friend right now.”

  “I’m pretty sure you desperately need one,” Kathrine said, curling up in the chair in a way that was almost feline. “I’ve known for a while that you and Isi were up to something, even before you told me a few days ago. But it’s never been this obvious. You’re lucky that it was me on patrol last night. Normally you’re so in control. What happened?”

  He stiffened. “I’m fine.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re not.”

  Marcus ran a hand through his hair. “I am. There’s just… a lot happening right now. More at stake, more pieces moving at the same time.”

  “And one of those pieces is your brother.”

  Marcus sucked in a breath. If this turned into threats against Teorin…

  Kathrine huffed. “Cut the glaring, Marcus. I’m not going to hurt him. Who do you take me for? Sasha?”

  Marcus didn’t say anything, just tried to get his expression under control.

  Kathrine frowned. “When was the last time you got a full night’s sleep? You’re never this jumpy.”

  He shrugged, working back through the last several days. “It’s been a while,” he admitted.

  She stared at him for a few moments before uncurling and leaning forward in her chair. “Look, here’s what we are going to do. You should probably stay away from Dr. Tanel. If you absolutely have to speak with her, we’ll figure something out, but if you can avoid her for a few days…that would probably be best.”

  “Why the next few days?”

  Kathrine smoothed down a loose thread on her robe. “Because both Siera and Sasha are nosing around right now. You didn’t bring back Trevor’s drive. They are watching more closely than normal.”

  Marcus leaned back, staring at the ceiling. “It’s worse than you think. Siera… Seden sent me out on my first patrol route with just a map. Alone.” He looked back at Kathrine. “Your first patrol…”

  Kathrine breathed in sharply. “Seden sent me out with someone the first time.”

  Marcus felt a tremor run through his hands. He clenched his fists to avoid the shaking. They really did want him out of the way.

  “Maybe next time, remind Isi you’re not expendable.”

  Marcus glared. “Stay out of it.”

  “Ah,” Kathrine said. “You did, didn’t you? Risky maneuver she’s pulling.”

  Marcus folded his arms, jaw locked. It was, but that was between them.

  Kathrine shrugged. “Girl’s getting on my nerves.”

  “Girl?”

  Kathrine smirked. “You’re both kids to me, Marcus.”

  He sighed. Fair enough. She had a solid thirty years on both of them.

  After a long moment, Kathrine gave him a sympathetic glance. “Just…try to lay low for the next little while. With everything going on, maybe Siera’s focus will turn to something else.”

  Marcus closed his eyes. It was far from a perfect plan, but he hadn’t been able to come up with a better one. He looked back up at Kathrine and nodded.

  Kathrine pursed her lips as if she wanted to add something else, but in the end she just went on. “Now, why did you interrupt my beauty sleep?”

  “I need to know where Teorin is. You were tracking his glidesuit. Any signal for that trace still?”

  “I haven’t checked recently, but it gives general directions, nothing concrete.”

  “I know,” Marcus said. “But I’ll take any information you’ve got.”

  Kathrine nodded. “Anything else you need?”

  “I’m working on a way out if this all goes south. Anything you’ve noticed about holes in security would be helpful.”

  “Probably wise,” Kathrine said, pushing to her feet. She made her way over to the armoire and pulled a narrow black box from a worn backpack.

  Marcus followed, leaning against the wall as she adjusted dials.

  “I dropped a sensor in Kalin Bay,” she explained. “The suit went north from there. It’s at least five miles out, but I can’t tell you anything more than that. You’ll have to decide if Teorin went with it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Do I want to know why you need this information?”

  “Probably not, but…it’s for Isi.”

  “Then you’re right. I don’t really want to know. I prefer to avoid dangerous secrets and information.”

  Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You picked an odd career for that.”

  “I didn’t say I avoid danger,” Kathrine said with a smirk, “Just dangerous information. Secrets are stressful with very few rewards in my experience. Regular danger tends to be much more adrenaline filled.”

  “Good for you, I guess?”

  Kathrine grinned. “I’d say so.” Her expression sobered a little, and she continued, “I’ll put together a list of anything I notice on patrols. You’ll get it. Somehow.”

  “Mysteriously?”

  Kathrine’s grin was a little wicked this time. “That’s the fun part. Now, I’m going to ask you to leave, because while you may be able to run on little to no sleep, I quite enjoy my beauty rest, and that imbecile captain assigned me to a late afternoon shift.”

  Marcus nodded. He needed to get back. This conversation had gone on longer than he anticipated. He made his way out of her room, Kathrine on his heels.

  “Kathrine?” he said, turning back once he was out the door.

  She cocked her head from the doorway.

  “Thank you.”

  She nodded. “Be well, Marcus.” And with that, she closed the door.

  A little bit of the tension in his shoulders released. Trusting anyone in this house besides Isi was a risk. A risk he might regret. But he was still alive. For now.

  If Kathrine had a game plan, he wasn’t sure whose side it was playing for. Pressure built in his palms until he forced it back down. A pawn. For Isi. For Siera. For everyone. He was getting tired of it.

  He jogged down the hall. He’d get a quick message off to Isi, and then he had to get to his next patrol shift.

  [Lev] Marcus is so dramatic. Unlike me, who is at least fun about it. Regardless, if you like Marcus’s revenge-and-control sort of vibe, you might like this one. Check this one out. Rent Paid.