“I will.” Jade took a step back, toward the door. “If I can, I will return as soon as I am able. That is a promise from a shen-lung.” She turned to the monk and said something in Mandarin; he bowed deeply and walked out the door. “Good fortune to you all,” the Eastern dragon said, and gave me a slight bow before turning to follow the human out the door. “Hopefully we will meet again.”

Chapter 11: EMBER

EMBER

I hated long stakeouts.

I wasn’t going to complain. Sitting on the top floor of a parking garage, peering at a building across the street through a pair of binoculars, was better than fleeing through twisty aisles while being shot at by human maniacs. And it was certainly better than sitting alone in a hotel room, waiting for something to happen or for someone to return. But after a few hours of nothing—seeing the same building, same street, same everything—I began to get restless. I wanted to get out and do something. Not something frivolous; I knew what was at stake. I knew I couldn’t be distracted from our mission. But I wasn’t good at sitting still for long periods of time without getting incredibly bored.

“What are we looking for again?” I asked Riley, who sat next to me in the driver’s seat with the windows halfway down, also peering through a pair of binoculars. Wes perched in the back with his laptop open, of course, and Garret had been sent to scout the other side of the building. I’d wanted to go with him, but Riley wouldn’t let me, saying that I was way too recognizable by Talon to casually stroll around the building, where any guard or security camera could pick me out of a crowd. Garret, while he wasn’t exactly unknown to Talon, was less familiar, and could blend into the throngs of humanity wandering the streets. He was also better at spotting undercover guards, cameras, concealed weapons and other threats. So he was down at street level, doing the soldier thing, while I sat up here with Riley and Wes and watched the office building, not really knowing what I was looking for.

Riley sighed and lowered the binoculars. “This is just surveillance, Firebrand,” he explained, giving me a sideways look. “We don’t want to go charging in half-assed, without knowing what we’re up against. I want to know when the security shifts change. I want to know where their guard posts and cameras are located. I want to know if anyone I recognize is working here now, because they’re sure to recognize me, as well. This is Talon.” He raised the binoculars again, peering down at the huge glass doors across the street. “I’m not leaving anything to chance if I can help it. Wes? Has St. George placed the camera? Do you have a visual of the other side yet?”