"You sure this is the only way?"

I glanced at Zed, sat close beside me in the back of the SUV. His eyebrows were tight in determination, and his eyes glistened in the bright lights surrounding the car. At the moment, he was dressed in dark blue jeans and a black button down shirt rolled up around his elbows. The sight of him gave me butterflies in my stomach, but I nodded at him all the same.

"You know where you're going?" Elijah called from the front of the car.

"Yes," Zed agreed, shooting me a concerned look. I hadn't managed to say a word in the last hour.

"The moment things get too difficult, get out of there," Victor warned his brother in the rear-view mirror.

"We'll get the girl out, Vic," Zed frowned. "We can't leave her in there any longer."

My chest clenched. He was right. It had been bugging me since they'd told me she existed. I knew what it was like, living in an environment like this. If I could help her, if I could get her out and get her to safety, I would. I had to. Like he knew what I was thinking, Zed slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it tightly with a small flinch. That was another reason this had to work. He was trying his best to keep calm, but I knew he was still uncomfortable around me.

"Good luck, kids," Elijah grinned at us, and reluctantly, I pulled myself out of the car. Zed immediately followed, keeping his fingers laced through mine.

Night had fallen across Las Vegas, and bright lights shone all around us. People crowded the streets, and I tried to convince myself that large groups were better than empty streets. It would have been incredibly easy to lose ourselves in amongst the crowds, but all I could think was that we were heading straight into the enemy's territory, without much backup.

Zed's hand tightened in mine. "You look beautiful in that dress," he muttered at me, and I squirmed slightly beside him. Why we'd had to dress up to mingle when the Kelly's would see us coming a mile off, I wasn't entirely sure, but I was currently stood in a dark red, halt neck dress that hugged my upper half then floated down to my knees. I'd slipped a pair of matching flat pumps onto my feet, refusing point blank to try and run in heels.

"Relax," Zed insisted softly, taking his hand out of mine and draping an arm over my shoulder protectively. "Take a deep breath and try not to draw any attention to yourself. We'll be fine."

"Zed, if we don't get caught, it'll be a miracle," I muttered back, choking on my own words in fear. It wasn't something I'd felt since Alex and I had had to race out of Scotland all that time ago, and I was getting remarkably comfortable with a somewhat calmer life.

"Grace, you turn back time, and I can see the future," he reminded me with a wink. "Concentrate, and we'll be fine." My lips pursed, but I didn't argue. Zed was right. If we were going to get through this, I had to focus. Everyone had told us that we'd be stronger together. But honestly, this seemed to be a very extreme way to test that theory.

We followed the crowds through the streets and toward the complex of hotels and casinos owned by Daniel Kelly. The buildings towered into the sky high above us, and I found myself wondering how far up this girl was. Victor had told us her name was Faith Cruz, she was Spanish and she was in her early twenties. That was pretty much all we had to go on.

Just as I was start to think this was impossible, Zed jerked to a halt and pulled me down a different street. "Guards," he muttered in way of an explanation. "We wouldn't have got through there."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Okay." His lips twitched, but soon after, his face straightened and he focused in determination once more. I knew most of his concentration was on the future, and I felt incredibly relieved to have him here. I wouldn't have been able to do this alone.

"Vic says Cruz is in the smallest hotel," Zed muttered at me. "They're obviously trying not to draw attention to her."

"How did they find her in the first place?" I frowned. "The FBI, I mean."

Zed's expression hardened. "The Kellys rearranged security to stop the FBI getting to you when we were at the Fortune Teller," he muttered darkly. "One of the agents overheard them talking about Cruz's security detail."

"Oh." Honestly, I hadn't thought much about it until now, but it seemed incredibly coincidental that we heard about Faith Cruz just as we needed her to fix Zed's memories.

He shot me a worried look. "I know what you're thinking."

"Of course you do. You're inside my head."

He ignored me. "It's a set up," he grimaced, and I shuddered in his hold. "Faith Cruz is a real person, that much we know for sure. Her family filed a missing person's report years ago. Thing is, we don't know what memories Kelly has put in her head, or even if he can."

"You're saying they don't care if we know about her, because they're expecting us to fail anyway?" I frowned, and he nodded at me. "Surely they wouldn't be that stupid?" Zed's expression wavered. "There's something else going on here, Zed."

He glanced sideways at me. "You've been thinking that for a while. Why are you still here?"

I gulped hard. "We don't have any other choice." Zed's face fell, but his arm tightened around me and we continued through the complex toward the smallest hotel.

It was called Paradise, but it couldn't have looked further from it in my opinion. Bright lights immediately attacked my senses as we neared, and tacky beach scenes made me pull a face in disgust. There was a small crowd gathered outside, laughing loudly and smoking, and Zed's grip doubled at the sight of them. I bit the inside of my cheek, letting Zed steer me through the doors and into the hotel lobby.

"Keep close," he mumbled at me, eyeing security cautiously. There were three guards hovering by the door, and two more at the other side of the lobby on either side of the elevator doors. There were even four behind the long reception desk on the right hand side of the room.

Fear paralysed me for a moment, but Zed kept amazingly calm. His lips tugging into a small smirk, he pulled me to the side and stood me against the wall, winking down at me as he closed the gap between us. The air in my lungs disappeared, and my cheeks flushed.

"You're not focusing," he told me, and though his face was still relaxed, I could hear the urgency in his voice.

"I've spent my life running from men like this, not locking them up," I pointed out quietly.

"Fair point," he shrugged, pressing a small kiss into the corner of my mouth. "The receptionist behind the desk isn't a Savant. We need her to tell us which room Cruz is in. You're going to need to get to the guards behind her."

I blinked at him, wondering for a moment if it was possible to keep the effects of my gift away from the receptionist herself. Slowly and cautiously, I reached out toward the guards. "There's only one Savant," I mumbled back at Zed as he shifted closer to me protectively. "He seems pretty weak to me."

Zed grinned. "To you?"

I scowled. "Focus," I warned, and he pursed his lips pointedly, nodding at me. Taking a deep breath, I cast an uncertain look around to make sure no one else was watching us then reached out and hurriedly grabbed the security men's mental patterns, twisting and halting their time perception.

"Quick," I urged with a wince. "Most of them aren't Savants, so I should be able to hold them for long enough."

Zed nodded, wrapping his arm back around me and pulling me toward the reception desk. The moment the receptionist caught sight of us, she straightened out and plastered a fake grin on her face. I felt my eyes roll. Are all receptionists like this?

"Hello, can I help you?" she asked politely, and Zed smiled tightly back. Without saying a word, I felt his mind reach out to hers telepathically. Since she wasn't a Savant, I knew he could plant a thought in her mind and, mistaking it for her own, she'd most likely obey it.

And, just like that, she was typing keys at her computer and flashing us another fake smile. "There doesn't seem to be a Faith Cruz listed here," she told us, and my heart sank. Of course not. What did we expect?

Zed scowled. "Faith Kelly?"

The receptionist's eyes dropped to the computer screen again. "There is a Miss F. Kelly, yes. She's currently occupying the suite at the top of the hotel. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you," Zed rushed, steering me away from her again. Ignoring the pains in my forehead, I waited until we were nearly on the other side of the lobby and the receptionist was distracted by the next customer before I released my hold on the security men.

"I really don't like this, Zed," I mumbled uncertainly, massaging my temples. "How are we supposed to get up there without getting caught?"

His lips pursed. "The security by the elevator. Can you hold them long enough for us to get in?"

This is going to hurt, I warned myself dejectedly, nodding at him. His eyebrows tightened, but he turned us both toward the elevator and I started again.

By the time the elevator doors were closing, blocking us off from the lobby, my head was pounding. "Are you alright?" Zed asked, already knowing the answer.

"We're nearly there," was the only thing I could think to say.

He glowered at me. "I didn't think using your gift hurt this much."

"It doesn't normally," I shrugged. "Turning back time takes a second, maybe less. Holding time still for people takes a lot more concentration, and it's not something I usually do."

"Why?"

I shot him a look. "It hurts too much."

"And you didn't think to mention this before?" he nearly growled.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because you'd have refused to do it," I shrugged simply. He opened his mouth to argue. "Look, this is the only way to get rid of the Kellys, so we're here. This way, we save a girl's life, we stop the Kellys, and we save you. Don't try making me feel bad about all that. It's worth suffering for."

Zed glared. "Don't ever do this to me again," he warned under his breath.

"I can't promise that," I replied simply, and his eyebrows tightened further.

"At the top, there are two men," he muttered darkly at me. "Neither of them are Savants, but both are armed."

I hesitated. "I can handle that."

His scowl deepened, but he didn't argue. "Apparently so," he sighed irritably. "The future's changing again. Inside the room are three men and Cruz. One's Sean Kelly."

I blinked. "Seriously?"

"Wouldn't have said it otherwise," he pointed out dryly. "Obviously he doesn't mind who's misery it is he feeds off. Looks like that's why they kept her alive." My stomach twisted in revulsion, but before I could ask how we were supposed to get Cruz out of that room, the elevator doors gave a sharp ring and opened up into the hallway outside.

Biting my lip, I reached out and messed with the guards mental patterns until both were sat staring at the elevator, unseeing and uncomprehending. "What now?" I asked, trying not to sound as pained as I felt.

Zed shot me an irritable look, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side and round the corner, out of sight of the door and the guards. "We need to wait for Kelly to leave," he muttered. "Let go of the guards."

I blinked. "We can't just sit here and let him hurt her!" I breathed.

"We have no other choice," Zed growled. "We can't burst in there and if we call for backup this early, they'll just be overrun before we can get out like last time."

Grinding my teeth, I released my hold on the security guards and leant against the wall by the fire alarm. Zed sighed, his anger dissipating slightly as he pulled me into his side, holding me close. It wasn't until I caught sight of a red blinking light in the corner of my eye that I went rigid in fear.

Zed, what about the security cameras?

He actually had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop himself snorting, like that was the funniest question I could have asked. I glowered. Yves is a computer genius, Grace, he reminded me smugly. We're not on the security tapes, I promise.

Are all yours brothers as arrogant as this? I snapped back.

Pretty much, he conceded with a smirk, letting his hand fall from his mouth.

I couldn't remember exactly how long we waited until the door to the suite opened and Kelly and his guards disappeared. By that point, Zed and I had long since sunk to the floor, his arm once again draped over my shoulder protectively. I knew he was still overthinking the memory Kelly had planted, and every now and then, I'd twist or shuffle in his hold and the movement would make him flinch. I could feel him reaching out for my mind, like he need to reassure himself I was still there. But despite how difficult I knew he was finding it, he never once questioned me when I asked him to trust me. The thought made my chest clench uncomfortably tight.

When the door to the suite opened with a loud creak, Zed and I jumped, scrambling to our feet and pressing ourselves as far back into the wall as we could. Neither of us dared to look around the corner, our lips pressed tightly shut to stop ourselves making a noise as Kelly and his goons strode out of the room and toward the elevator. Kelly seemed very pleased with himself - sickeningly so - and I had to fight the urge to knock his teeth out.

We'll get him, Zed assured me, and I knew he was finding it even harder than I was to let him walk away. I could feel the pure fury rolling off him. Pursing my lips, I slipped my hand into his and clutched it tightly.

Finally, the elevator doors clipped shut and he shot me a comforting look. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and twisted the guard's mental patterns again. The moment I nodded back at Zed, gritting my teeth to stop myself wincing, he pulled me around the corner and hurried to the door, opening it cautiously and pulling me through.

The room was as tacky as the rest of the hotel, with cheap lighting and awful paintings and sculptures dotted around the places. The walls were a clinical white, along with most of the surfaces and the sofa. Through the windows, I could see the lights of Las Vegas still shining brightly against the night sky.

But the sight that caught and held my attention was the girl slumped to the ground in front of the armchair.

Letting go of the guards minds again, I took a ginger step forward with Zed right beside me. The sight reminded me painfully of the day we found Thea at the stables. She'd obviously been very attractive once, with the sort of face that could have easily made her a model. She had long, dark brunette hair, and her skin was stretched a little too tightly over her bones. Despite it being reasonably cold, she was dressed in a small vest top and denim shorts. Her skin wasn't nearly as damaged as Thea's had been, but she had an air about her that I'd seen before. It was the air of someone who'd given up and resigned themselves to their fate. I'd seen it a hundred times or more, in my mother, my grandmother, Alex and myself.

"We need to get her out of here," I muttered to Zed, shuddering on the spot.

Clearing his throat, Zed took another few steps forward. "Faith?" he asked, and the girl flinched away from him. "Faith Cruz? My name's Zed Benedict."

The girl shifted slightly, but she didn't answer. He glanced back at me, and my lips pursed. Tentatively, I reached for her mind. After all, that was the way I'd gotten through to Thea. But the moment my mind made contact with hers, she let out a loud yelp and the guards scrambled and cursed outside the door.

"Hold them off!" Zed hissed at me, and the door burst open in the next second. The guards halted at the sight of us in the room, stunned and confused, but I hurriedly reached forward and found the right mental patterns again. They went rigid, their wide, panicked eyes staring sight at us in shock.

"That won't hold them long this time," I rushed back at Zed, watching him grab one of Cruz's arms a little roughly and drag her to her feet. She whimpered slightly, but she didn't seem to have the energy to yell out again. Muttering worriedly under my breath, I snatched up her other arm and helped Zed lead her past the frozen guards and into the elevator.

"You can let go of them now," he told me.

"No," I gulped, shaking my head and immediately regretting it as sharp pains rushed through my forehead.

"Grace, you're hurting yourself!" he snapped.

"I know that, but if I let them go, they'll sound the alarm and I'd really rather get her out of here before that happens!" I hissed back and he glowered at me, glancing up to see the numbers counting down the floors left to the lobby. I didn't say anything, biting back the pain as best as I could.

The problem was, we drew a lot more attention in the lobby now that we were dragging an unconscious woman between us. "We're going to have to run for it and hope for the best," Zed grimaced at me.

"I'll do what I can, but I won't be able to hold all of them for long," I muttered back, and I knew he wanted to argue, but couldn't.

The elevator doors opened again and immediately, I released the guards upstairs. My head felt like someone had taken an axe to it, but I didn't hesitate before reaching out for as many of the guards minds as I could.

"Go," I urged through my teeth, and he led the way out of the elevator, Cruz hanging limply between us. We'd barely taken a few steps when the Savant security guards in the group began to resist. A sharp pain shot straight through my mind, and I staggered, struggling to hold on to Cruz's weight.

"Drank a little too much," Zed was grimacing when the other guests shot us strange looks. Most of them snorted and turned away before they looked too closely at Cruz, but the odd one frowned and muttered something at the others with them.

We'd finally made it to the door when I gasped loudly and lost all control of the situation. The security guards closest to us blinked in surprise for a moment, and Zed shot me a panicked look, nearly pulling Cruz and me through the doors. I stumbled after them both, my head spinning furiously and blood slipping through my nose.

"Hey! Stop!"

The security guard's yell made me stagger in surprise, and Zed's jaw locked angrily. "Keep going," he hissed at me, resting Cruz's weight on my shoulders and shifting behind me protectively. I struggled to hold onto the unconscious woman, but kept moving on as he followed behind us. "Call Vic!" he insisted as the security guards rushed after us.

Already on our way, Victor's voice came in my mind, and I almost sighed in relief.

Zed's hand was on my back, urging me on, and I risked a glance back. The guards were still racing after us, their hands reaching back for what I presumed where guns. Before any of them could draw them however, the trash can at the side of the building flew out in front of them and knocked the first three over with a heavy, metallic clang, and the guards behind them skidded to a halt with several loud curses.

Tires suddenly squealed to a halt in front of us, and Victor leapt out, yanking the back door to the SUV open. His face set, he bolted forward and took Cruz out of my arms, bundling her into the car. I clambered in after them, and Zed leapt into the front seat. The moment the doors were shut, Elijah floored the accelerator, leaving the security guards glaring after us.