Kadara Slums
Reyes stared down at the body. "Dammit," he uttered. Another one of his people dead. He clenched a fist. Keep it together. Remain calm and collected. Composed and controlled. He needed to not be seen upset or shaken by another murder. Someone wanted a reaction from him. He needed to appear at ease and like this was part of the plan.
Except it wasn't.
He frowned. He hoped Ryder was faring better. Trouble seemed to just find her, but she didn't seem to mind. She liked the challenge. He knew she could handle anything thrown at her. He didn't like the idea of exposing her to his dangers, but she was capable. One of the many reasons he found her so…desirable? Intriguing? Overwhelming?
No, focus, on this. Not Ryder. Ryder can wait. Would she? He shook his head dislodging the uncomfortable thought. Not was not the time to be thinking about his relationship with Ryder. A few stolen kisses, one dance, and some emails back and forth did not make their relationship completely official either.
Apparently, his mind wanted to wonder to Ryder. That sweet smile and charming laugh—she was probably the most honest and open person he had ever dealt with. He wasn't worried about her betraying him or hurting him on purpose. No, Ryder was genuinely a good person. And I'm a fool. I should have told her. This is Kaetus. I should have warned her.
His stomach knotted with guilt. He wasn't use to being forthcoming with information. Information was a commodity to be bought and sold. It was not offered freely, at least not the profitable information. But Ryder, she wasn't everyone else.
A message light flashed on his omni-tool. Thankfully, distracting him from his thoughts. He opened the email. It was from SAM, or more importantly…Ryder. His eyes scanned the message, narrowing as he read. Ryder was in trouble.
"Sir, someone's coming." Erenia, an asari police officer turned Collective member, hissed from entrance to the alley where this latest body had been dropped off.
Reyes tore his eyes from the email. "Keep them busy for a moment," He needed a moment. Ryder's message had been perplexing. They were attacked with an ionic pulse cannon…or something powerful enough to knock off their communications and radar system as well as overload Ryder and Cora's implants. Reyes pursed his lips in thought. There were weapons that could be modded to shoot concentrated burst or pulses of ion beams, an unlucky shot might stun a biotic for a moment or two, but nothing powerful enough to overload their amps. "But a bomb made from seemingly harmless materials," He mused. Kaetus hadn't been idle. More importantly it had been a trap.
"Shit," Reyes said, I've sent Ryder into a trap. He knew that the possibility existed, but in truth he had hoped they had both been wrong.
A single gunshot pierced the air. Reyes reacted on instinct. He drew his pistol and moved to stand behind the nearest available cover. A couple of bins being used for waste.
"Reyes Vidal!" A deep gravelly voice called out. "We've got the Pathfinder."
"And would you like a medal for that?" He shouted back. He wasn't about to peer around the corner to see who was talking. That's what they excepted him to do.
A throaty laugh burst from the entrance to the alley. "Nope, I want to rip liver out and eat it raw," Reyes flinched at the comment. A krogan. Definitely a krogan. "But the boss wants you alive, harmed, but not dead."
"Ah, well, that's kind of him," Boss? Probably, Kaetus. Out loud he asked, "And if I don't comply?"
"Then we kill the Pathfinder and her team."
Ryder. His heart sped up. It hadn't done that in a long while. He wanted to say that they could do that, 'Go ahead, kill the woman and her companions, what are they to me,' but he couldn't. Damn it. He actually wanted to show her that he could be a good person at least part of the time. He wanted to do right by her.
He let out a breath and leaned back against the bin. "What exactly are your boss' demands?"