Our vehicle settled into a narrow slot with a jolt. We were on the lowest level, just a couple of meters from the floor. At least I wouldn’t have to figure out how to climb down from the top.

The safety restraints released my legs, and I scooted back so that Torran would have room to stand up. It took a little more maneuvering, but he eased out of the vehicle and held the door for me. If the cycle had been any wider, we wouldn’t have had room to exit. As it was, Torran had to crouch so he wouldn’t hit his head on the platform above us.

Torran jumped to the ground, a trick I wasn’t about to copy. My knee had been a lot better since Havil had healed it a second time, but I wasn’t going to take stupid risks.

“I’ve got you,” Torran said a moment before his power clamped around me. It felt different in armor, not as personal, and I could still breathe. Well, that was handy.

I landed softly next to him. “Thank you.” I looked around, then tapped him. “Where are the access points?”

Torran pointed at the three emergency exits indicated by the lights. “All entry points are monitored, yet none of the cameras caught the kidnappers.”

“They overrode the system?”

“If so, they did it surgically. No data breaches were recorded, and the video has no obvious loops.”

“Do you still have access? Lexi and Kee might find something.”

“No. We barely got access the first time. The main part of the building is a financial institution with a great deal of influence. The upper floors are apartments for the rich and powerful. Without an official investigation, they will give us nothing. My original access was a favor from a friend.”

“Why doesn’t the empress make up something to investigate? Surely she has the power.”

Torran paused, and when he spoke again, his mental voice was filled with frustration. “Her reasons are her own.”

“Her reasons suck,” I muttered.

“I agree,” Torran responded, very quietly.

Chapter Twenty-One

Torran climbed to the top of the room with nothing but strength and determination. I watched him until my nerves couldn’t take it anymore, then I went to investigate the entrances. The kidnappers hadn’t materialized in here, so how did they get in?

“Don’t open the doors,” Torran warned. Despite the physical distance between us, his mental voice sounded exactly the same, like a comm. “The cameras are down in here, but not outside.”

“Noted.”