fact that he hadn’t raised any alarms yet gave me confidence—but in most situations, Tyler had to ask questions for his ability to give him the answers. I wasn’t sure how much Tyler’s ability filled in before the man answered, but he kept a straight face and allowed him to speak.
“Mr. Gabriel, I understand your concern, but I am aware of your ability, and I would like to remind you of mine. I have kept my shield down, allowing you to see the truth in my words. I have no agenda other than to offer my support and my services to you.” He looked directly at me. “You are proof that the stories my grandmother told are true, and if that is the case, you must be protected. I am at your service.”
Again, he bowed.
A little taken aback, I leaned back in my chair, unsure how to respond. I turned to Tyler for guidance. Ethan and Josh were looking at him expectantly too. He gave us all a glance and relaxed his posture. “He’s telling the truth. He has a shielding ability, perfectly capable of blocking me, but he’s keeping it lowered.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you, sir, but I’m not sure that I really . . . need anything right now?” I sounded unsure and awkward, even to my own ears. I’d never had someone declare their “service” to me. Was I supposed to assign him a task?
Tyler saved me. “Do you know any others who glow, like Evelyn and your grandmother?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“Does your grandmother?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible.”
“Our top priority is to keep Evelyn safe. I’m sure, considering your line of work, you appreciate how valuable information can be in a situation such as this.” They shared a look of mutual understanding. “If you’d like to help, then help us learn more about what this is. Could you speak with your grandmother?”
“Of course. It may take some time. There aren’t phones in her village, let alone Internet. I will have to travel there and then back down the mountain before I can get in contact, but I will leave at once.”
Apparently he wasn’t one to waste time, and neither was Ty. They both rose from their seats. I scrambled to follow suit, as did Ethan and Josh.
“I’ll organize a secure line and wait to hear from you,” Tyler said.
“Perfect.”
Tyler and Mr. Takata bowed to each other. Mr. Takata repeated the gesture with Josh and Ethan, then turned to me.
He took a card out of his pocket and held it out with both hands. “Evelyn, this is my private, secure line. I am always reachable on this number. Please don’t hesitate to use it.”
“Thank you.” I took the card with both my hands, as I’d learned to do when I was a child in Japan, and bowed.
He left and closed the door behind him.
“Got any more cult followers waiting to declare their undying devotion, or can we get the fuck out of here?” Tyler wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his tone teasing but tired. “I need sleep.”
“Let’s get you home.” I hugged him around the middle as Josh opened the door for us.
We checked in on Alec, but he was asleep again. Lucian had been ordered home by Olivia, and the only reason I felt comfortable with all of us leaving was because she and Dot promised to stay until we came back. That and the Melior Group guards crawling all over the building.
We left the same way we arrived—inconspicuously and heavily guarded—and headed back to the apartment.
Tyler fell asleep in the car, then again in the elevator, leaning his head back against the mirror. Once we made it inside, he shuffled to the first bedroom, flopped face-first into the bed, and immediately started snoring.
I felt so bad for him. He hadn’t slept in over thirty-six hours. He was always cleaning up the messes, taking care of us.
Well, now he had me to take care of him.
I pulled his shoes off and unbuckled his holster, then managed to roll him over to remove his pants. I grabbed an extra blanket from the next room to cover him and drew the curtains. Lying down beside him, I ran my hand through his messy brown hair.
I was itching to call Mr. Takata on the number he gave me. In the short time since he’d left, my mind had made a shopping list of questions. But I knew it was better to let him go to his grandmother and get