Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(52)

“Do you have a place we can stay?”

He grinned. “Of course. Buenos Aires is a big place. Easy to lose yourself in the crowds. Though it would help if you got rid of the bloody jacket sometime between now and then.”

She glanced down, realizing she hadn’t even bothered to change since they’d left the compound.

“I’ll change when we stop again,” she murmured.

The hours dragged on. Even the scenery, which at first had offered an interesting diversion to Tyana, blurred in one unending line. She hated the silence but knew better than to try and draw Eli into conversation.

When darkness fell, she succumbed to sleep more out of desperation than fatigue.

When Eli shook her awake, though, bright sunlight streamed through the windshield, nearly blinding her. She blinked as she sought to get her bearings. She felt heavy and lethargic, like she was coming out of a coma.

“Where are we?” she mumbled.

“Reaching the outskirts of Buenos Aires,” he replied.

She sat up straighter in her seat. “Shit. You should have woken me up.”

“Why? You needed the rest. When was the last time you got more than a few hours of uninterrupted sleep?”

She didn’t bother responding, because they both knew the answer to that one.

“Did the others make it yet?” she asked.

“Talked to them a while ago. They’re a couple of hours behind. They’ll meet us later.”

She scrubbed the sleep from her eyes and focused on the direction they were heading. Sleek skyscrapers dotted the horizon and traffic around them increased as they drove further into the city.

It reminded her of European cities. Crowded. Similar architecture. It could be one of any of the major metropolises. It could swallow you whole. A person could be as obscure or as noticeable as they wanted.

But she was out of her element, and she knew she had to rely on Eli. This was his turf. Not hers. That dependence made her uneasy.

She absorbed the hectic pace around her as they continued to navigate the busy streets. Beyond the more stylish, modern buildings, they entered an older, more rundown part of the city where the shadows grew and the new and shiny faded.

Eli pulled into a three-story parking garage and parked on the top level. She eyed him curiously as he opened his door.

“Get your stuff. From here we walk.”

She got out and hoisted her bag over her shoulder then walked around the back to get the bag containing their weapons. He took two duffel bags with clothes and electronics and headed toward the stairs.

They exited the garage into an alleyway, and he set off at a brisk pace. After four blocks of dodging trash bins and refuse thrown onto the streets from windows above, he stopped at a battered door and pulled out a key from his pocket.

She looked up to see there was no unit above this one and a glance to the side told her that this apartment adjoined a closed business. The windows of the business were busted out, and it looked as though no one had occupied the building in years.

Eli unlocked the door and ducked in, motioning for her to follow.

It was a simple one bedroom efficiency-style apartment with a small kitchen and a rag-tag couch straddling the space between the bedroom and the kitchen. A small television rested on a rickety stand by the window, but other than that, the apartment didn’t boast much else.

“Home sweet home,” he said as he dropped the bags onto the floor beside the couch. “At least until we hear from your friend.”

And hopefully that would be soon. This place made her uneasy. Reminded her too much of things better forgotten. Even the smell was familiar. Dirt, poverty, pain…

She gripped her arms with her hands, rubbing up and down, trying desperately to make the fear go away.

“Hey, are you okay?” Eli asked softly.

She yanked her gaze to him. “Yes, I’m fine. What do we do now?”

“We wait,” he said. “Are you hungry? There’s a place a block or two away. We could grab something and bring it back here. It would give me a good chance to scope out the area.”

She nodded. Even the unsavory reality of what lay out there on the streets was better than this place.

“Wait here. I’m going to shift and take a look around. I’ll be back for you in a few minutes. Then we can go together if you like.”

Again she nodded and tried to control the trembling of her hands.

He touched her briefly on the shoulder then moved away. She watched as he became a shadowy apparition and then disappeared altogether.

It was hard to curb her resentment. Why him and not Damiano? What roll of the dice came up with his lucky number? His ability was a gift, not the curse it was for D. Eli could use and exploit his ability to shift at will while Damiano struggled to prevent it from destroying him.

She dug through one of the bags and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a shirt. She’d never gotten the chance to get out of her blood-spattered clothes. After a check of the bathroom, she turned on the small shower and waited for the water to heat. Realizing that lukewarm was the best it was going to get, she ducked in and quickly scrubbed the accumulated grime from her body.

A few minutes later, she stepped out and hurriedly dried off. Despite the heat and humidity, she shivered as she walked back into the living room to get her clothes.

She blocked out the smell, the sounds coming from outside, the awful memories of the dark holes in Prague as she quickly pulled off her clothes and stepped into her jeans. After she slipped the T-shirt on, she paced for a few moments then sat on the musty couch, hunched forward, her arms protectively around her midsection.