Leo Rising (Zodiac Guardians #3) - Tamar Sloan Page 0,2

raises his hand, and Tristan sees that he’s holding a thumb drive. “I need to give this to you.”

Tristan smiles. “Sorry, dude. I think you must have the wrong person.” Although it’s weird that this kid knows his name. Tristan glances around the café, seeing that there’s no one else here. “Do your parents know you’re here?”

The kid frowns. “Just take it.”

A little taken aback, Tristan finds himself doing as he’s told before he’s realized it.

The kid flashes him a grin, turns, and runs.

Tristan shoots to his feet. “Hey!”

But the kid’s gone. Tristan glances at the thumb drive resting in his palm, wondering what’s going on. Should he follow the little boy and demand some answers?

Madge leans forward even more. “Ooh, are you like a spy or something? Did someone just deliver top secret info that could take down the government?”

Tristan chuckles as he shakes his head. “Nobody wants me holding that sort of information. I can’t decide on a favorite fro-yo flavor.”

Madge winks. “You’ll need to come back and try them all, then.” Her eyes narrow in a way that Tristan thinks is supposed to look sultry. “Twice.”

Getting up from his chair, Tristan holds up the thumb drive as he grins. “Hopefully I’ll have time, considering all my top-secret duties.”

Madge giggles, a sound that’s as youthful as her skin. With a jaunty wave, Tristan leaves the café, breaking into a jog the moment he’s out the door.

He needs to know what’s on the thumb drive.

He arrives home just as he’s starting to breathe a little harder, pretty sure he achieved a new personal best. He steps around the pot of daisies beside the front door and passes his thumb over the sensor.

Inside, the scent of burnt pancakes still hangs in the air. Tristan pauses, but he can’t hear Jareth in the kitchen or upstairs. He’s either out with Veronica, or down in HQ.

Tristan makes his way to the bookcase, sliding back the photo of Zarius and Tess and noticing that the stab of pain doesn’t feel so fresh. Not quite as deep. He brushes a thumb across the image, finding that the wishing is still just as raw.

He wishes he knew he was making them proud. He wishes he’d paid attention to Tess’s waffle recipe.

He wishes they were here.

Pressing the barely visible button, the bookcase whooshes open. Tristan jogs down the stairs, shaking away the melancholy. He pulls the thumb drive out of his pocket, digging its sharp edges into his palm. The need to find out what’s on it has become a steady burn.

He finds Jareth sitting at one of the desks, his cell to his ear as he smiles in an impressive imitation of Goofy. He straightens as he sees Tristan enter, speaking quietly into the phone. “I gotta go, the dude who burned my pancakes this morning is here.”

Tristan rolls his eyes but doesn’t comment.

Jareth hunches a little more around his cell. “Yeah, I love you, too.”

Hiding his flinch in the same way he’s been trained to hide a punch, Tristan grabs his seat and rolls closer to his computer. He’s glad Jareth’s found what he has with Veronica. It looks special. Amazing.

Like a soulmate.

Ignoring that word, Tristan lifts the thumb drive to the port.

Jareth wheels over. “Watcha got there?”

“A kid gave this to me at Creamy Dreams, then disappeared faster than a perfectly cooked pancake.”

Jareth frowns. “He just gave that to you and left? I don’t like the sound of that. It’s probably a virus.”

Tristan pauses, the thumb drive hovering an inch away from the port. “Yeah, I’ve thought of that. Maybe some sort of trojan, maybe a way to trace us.”

“And yet you’re going to put it in?”

Letting out a slow breath, Tristan nods. The kid knew his name. “Someone wanted me to have this. I have to find out who.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good—”

But before Jareth can go all Mr. Risk Averse, Tristan shoves it into the slot. Instantly, a small red light starts pulsing on the thumb drive and his computer comes to life. The screen flickers, then turns blue.

Then nothing.

Jareth lets out a huff. “Well, you’ve done it now. I just unpacked the last of my books, too.”

Tristan grits his teeth. If Chardis discovers their lair, there will be nowhere safe for the Zodiacs to go.

And Tristan had finally started calling this place, home, too.

Suddenly, the screen changes to white. Tristan locks his muscles, angling in front of Jareth. The thumb drive could be a bomb, for all he knows.

Jareth