Blue and white light flashes as a police HOV tears through the air lane, cutting around slow-moving cars. His stomach flips.
When Rafael looks up, Kane isn’t fazed. His expression is utterly calm.
Right. Nothing’s changed. Rafael takes a breath. Until Kane seems concerned, the least he can do is try to believe him.
The corners of his mouth lift. “Let’s at least try the seasoning bubbles,” he says. “And maybe grab some cream-around-the-world on the way out!”
Kane snorts. “I can’t tell if you’re making that up, but something about this place tells me you’re not.” He takes another bite of his pop as Rafael guides them toward another stand.
They move down the street together. Rafael scans the crowd, that hum of awareness returning. Kane’s not the only one hiding here.
A hand brushes the small of his back. He peers up at Kane, watching him, a half-smile on his lips.
Everything else fades away.
The bike waits in the alley. Kane’s crew waits in Shreveport. Rafael’s shift starts tomorrow.
But right now, everything else can wait.
24
Chapter 24 - Kane
After two trips to Rafael’s apartment—three if that meeting with his lieutenants didn’t drag him back to Shreveport—Kane still hates stepping into Midtown.
The routine is always the same.
Dodge security drones, ping Coda for cover, scan every corner.
Anyone sane would stay away. But five days without Rafael were four too many.
Inside the elevator, the numbers crawl toward Floor 35. Not Rafael’s floor—the one he asked them to meet at. Kane lets his hands rest at his sides, forcing himself not to map every exit. He’s been trying this lately. With Rafael and the crew back home.
He exhales through his nose. Would they even recognize him like this? The lieutenants have held the line so far. That has to count for something.
As the elevator climbs, Kane checks his wristlink out of habit. Natural Order’s been quiet since they torched Athena’s weapons cache. But he knows too well that peace never lastsin the Outer Districts.
When the doors slide open, he hesitates a second, until he remembers the facts. He’s not the Chrome Baron here. Only a random face, a random name. All thanks to Coda’s scrambles.
Outside the doors, a VitaCorp lobby opens up. All sharp angles and too-neat seating with a ticket kiosk glowing near the wall. Even the air feels scrubbed clean, carrying that same synthetic freshness he’s come to associate with Rafael’s apartment.
Across the room are a pair of large double doors with a corpo security panel glowing in their signature yellow. Leaning against them is Rafael, sweater and slacks soft yet immaculate, eyes on his wristlink.
When his gaze lifts, the man’s face lights up. Kane’s chest tightens.
He rushes over with a wave. “Hey! Glad my access code worked. I—”
Kane pulls him close, burying his face in Rafael’s hair. Rafael melts into his arms.
“Missed you.” The words escape before Kane can catch them. Rafael pulls away enough to look up, and in Kane’s HUD, his pulse jumps. Kane’s jaw tenses, bracing for the worst.
Color rises to Rafael’s face. “M…me too.”
The knot in Kane’s shoulders loosens. He clears his throat and glances around the lobby. “So, what are we doing here?” His tone shifts lighter. “Is Terra’s latest mad science experiment hiding behind those doors?”
Laughter spills from Rafael. “No, I wish! But hopefully, you’ll like this. I reserved the space just for us.” He takes Kane by the arm, guiding him to the double doors. His palm hovers over the security panel, and the doors slide open.
Two synthetic leather chairs sit in the center of a dimly lit room. Each is crowned with a top-of-the-line V-link headset, its smooth eye-and-ear band illuminated by a thin strip of light.