“I don’t think I should be here, Kylie.”

“You’re good, Carmen,” I said, forcing a smile and ignoring the knot in my stomach. She didn’t need to know I felt it too. “We’ve got you.”

“Exactly,” Ryan said, stepping out onto the street beside us. His suit was still razor-sharp, like he’d just walked out of a boardroom instead of a surveillance van. “Command’s calling it a category 1 warper, category 2 at worst. Nothing we haven’t handled.”

Carmen’s fingers flexed around the strap of her purse, knuckles paling. “I usually hold back with my old team. I can block someone out of my head, but… if they can turn the sidewalk into ice just by looking at it, or decide my gun stopped working…” She trailed off, voice thinning.

Miles groaned as he hopped out of the van and stretched his shoulders. “Yeah, training wheels weren’t exactly a spa day, newbie, but we’ve seen uglier. Stick close to Katherine and watch how the grown-ups do it.”

Carmen’s gaze dropped to the pavement again.

“Hey.” I stepped in front of her so she had to meet my eyes. “She’s stronger than she thinks she is.” I kept my voice low, just for her. Miles had a point, even if he’s being an ass about it. I’ve seen Carmen training in our simulations, and usually it was her second guessing herself that did her in. But our team needed her defenses more than her confidence right now.

Ryan gave Miles a flat look. “My bad.” He raised both of his hands. “Just looking out for you, kid. We want you on the team.”

“Don’t worry, Carmen,” Katherine’s voice came from inside the van, calm as ever. “I’ve got every camera in that restaurant. You’ll be in and out in under an hour.”

“You hear that?” I said, slipping an arm around Carmen’s shoulders. “Easy job.”

She let out a dry, humorless laugh. “The last time I heard those two words, it was before the hardest mission my old team did.”

Ryan clapped his hands. “We don’t know what we’re up against, but that’s okay. Whoever is causing trouble inside doesn’t know we’re coming.”

Katherine let out a sharp whoop from the van as Miles slapped the side of the door like it owed him money. My grin finally felt real. There was nothing like the moment a warper’s smug little reality-bubble popped.

“We go in, set some sensors around, and we’ll catch them like we always do.” He glanced at me. “Besides, we have our ‘main character’ on our side.”

I laughed, I couldn’t help it, as we started toward the restaurant. The world just... tilted our way sometimes when it came to my main character energy. But I never let it go to my head. 

Carmen swallowed, then squared her shoulders. The tremor I’d felt earlier eased, just a fraction. When I let my arm drop and adjusted my purse strap, she managed a small, real smile. 

“Let’s go ruin their night.” 

Palate loomed at the top of the steps as we neared it. Polished glass and velvet ropes, it was the kind of place where a glass of tap water probably came with a tasting note and a three-figure price tag. Good thing the department was footing the bill. The crowd inside screamed money. Dressed in tailored suits or discreet jewelry, these were the kind of people who would drop five hundred on dinner without blinking. Our warper could be hiding in plain sight... or sticking out like a sore thumb. I was leaning toward the latter. But one thing was for sure: he was enjoying himself a little too much, and that would be his downfall.

“Twenty bucks says it’s some broke college kid who got lucky with some realty app,” Miles muttered as we climbed the steps. 

“Just keep your eyes open,” Katherine said over the comms. “Nothing is sticking out to me, but I can read the room better once you set those sensors down.” 

Ryan paused at the top step, scanning us. “We’re four friends out for a nice dinner. Casual. Observe first, then we grab and cuff when the moment’s right.” 

As we approached, a valet stepped aside just as a couple exited, clearing our path just as we reached the door. He was about to open his mouth, probably to tell us about some kind of wait time, but stopped himself as our eyes met before holding the door wider. I felt that familiar subtle shift, like the universe was winking at me. 

Showtime.

Inside the waiting area, the restaurant's luxury settled over us. Dim golden lighting from crystal chandeliers, the faint scent of seared steak and aged Bordeaux, and the plush carpet muffling every step. The hostess’s face stayed cool and professional. No panic in her eyes, no chaos rippling outward. That, at least, was reassuring.

“Welcome to Palate,” she said. “How may I help you?”

Ryan stepped forward smoothly. “We have a reservation for four,” he answered, sliding his ID across the podium. “You should see it under Ryan Evans.”

Carmen’s fingers suddenly clamped onto my arm, cold and tight as she yanked my focus. 

Leaning in, her whisper barely carried over the soft piano. “I thought he was supposed to ask for a table. How could he have reservations? We only got the ping an hour ago.”

I opened my mouth to brush it off. Maybe he’d booked months back for some unrelated reason, pure coincidence. However, her words stuck. We hadn’t planned for Palate. No birthdays, no anniversaries, nothing. Yet it still felt... inevitable. Like Ryan was supposed to say it.

“Nice catch,” I murmured, keeping my voice down as the hostess flipped through her book. “This warper’s playing deeper than we thought. But they didn’t count on you noticing. Let’s stay quiet and get inside first.”

Handing Ryan back his ID, the hostess smiled at him as a waitress walked up to her side. “Becca will take you to your seat. We hope that tonight will be unforgettable.”

Miles muttered something about “famous last words” as Becca led us deeper into the dining room. A live mini-orchestra played from a raised corner as a singer in a shimmering red gown sang a slow ballad. An older couple at the bar leaned close, laughing softly. Late-life romance, maybe. Sweet, if a little staged. In the lounge area, a lone man hunched over a laptop, typing furiously. Suspicious, but not screaming “reality-bender”.

Our target was here, somewhere. And subtle or not, they wouldn’t stay hidden forever.

“Here are your seats,” Becca said, gesturing to a round table draped in crisp white linen. She distributed menus as we slid into plush, high-backed chairs upholstered in deep burgundy velvet. The faint scent of truffle oil and charred oak drifted from nearby plates, and overhead pendant lights cast warm golden pools across polished marble tabletops. “I’ll be back shortly to take your drink and appetizer orders.”

Becca retreated smoothly into the flow of servers. As we settled, I let my eyes roam. The live orchestra’s strings wove through the low hum of conversation, but my work brain refused to switch off. This table, dead center of the room and perfect 360-degree sightlines to every corner, was ideal for surveillance. Too ideal. Either we’d caught an improbable break… or someone had arranged it that way.

Most patrons fit the Palate profile. Moneyed, polished, and at ease. But a few details nagged at me. Near a long banquette, a group of young adults laughed too brightly, snapping photos like they’d just discovered the place existed. A waiter hovered at a nearby table, murmuring, “It’s my first night, please bear with me.” By the floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a couple who weren’t having a good time, if their awkward silence was anything to go by.

“I just flagged someone behind me,” Miles muttered, voice barely above the music. “Solo guy in a coat. Doesn’t fit.”

Carmen started to turn her head but I caught her forearm under the table. “Eyes only, not head,” I whispered.

Blushing, she nodded and scanned the room, and I followed. It wasn’t hard to spot him now that Miles had mentioned it. The man in question seemed to be in his early-to-mid-thirties with an unremarkable face. But that brown coat immediately caught my attention. Wide lapels, heavy wool, straight out of a 1970s detective flick. It looked too clean, too… I don’t know, like a clue he wanted us to spot. He sat alone at a table meant for six. No menu open, no drink in front of him, and no hurry to leave.

He was also glancing our way, which was fine, I guess. I frowned slightly as I shook my head. That… wasn’t the conclusion I’d been heading toward. But still, we did just enter after all, and he probably spotted us as new faces. This place also struck me as a place mostly filled with regulars.

“Possible,” Ryan said quietly, “but the young guy with the blonde to my right is likely our warper.”

I tracked his gaze and nearly kicked myself for missing it, or for only seeing it now, like someone had finally lifted a veil over my eyes. Whereas everyone was wearing a suit or dress, this kid was in a plain T-shirt and jeans, grinning wide as he leaned toward the woman across from him. He looked early twenties, maybe the youngest in the room outside that photo-snapping group. He stood out without effort, like the spotlight had been dialed up just for him.

“Something’s off,” Katherine crackled over comms. “Security cams are glitching every time they swing his way. I need sensors live for a clean read.”

I flicked my eyes back to Coat Guy. He was staring at the young man too, his face unreadable. “What about us?” I asked Katherine. “Any changes hitting the team?”

A pause, then her sigh. “Couple spikes in vitals. Could be nerves… or something nudging. Hard to pin down yet.”

Carmen’s eyes widened. “So, Ryan getting reservations was a change?” 

“What?” Ryan frowned, brow creasing. “I booked it weeks back. For… something.” His voice trailed, uncertain for the first time.

“We can debate reality later. I’m moving,” Miles said as he rose from his seat.

Ryan nodded. “He’s right. Carmen, Miles, and I will plant sensors. Kylie, you good holding here?”

“Yeah.” I kept my voice steady. “But keep an eye on Coat Guy too. If he’s not the warper, he might be a spotter. Or bait.”

“You’ve got him,” Ryan said as he and Carmen stood. “Warpers usually fly solo, though.”

That tracked, especially given how the young man was beginning to notice me, likely drawn to my energy like a moth to a flame. And while powers may vary, the people didn’t. They were larger than life and usually didn’t like sharing the spotlight. Also, with how rare they were, two in the same town, let alone in the same building, was statistically absurd. 

Then again, absurd things can happen.

With my team melting into the crowd, the young man rose abruptly, leaving the blonde middle of her sentence. She called after him but he didn’t glance back. His eyes stayed locked on me, grin widening like he’d just spotted the main event.

“He thinks he owns the room,” the singer crooned, her gaze sliding our way a beat too long. The piano and strings swelled, tense and accusatory before coming to a stop. “But I command the floor.” The music snapped back into rhythm, but the air felt thicker now, heavier around our table.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my face neutral even as my pulse kicked. I’d faced warpers solo before and the team was close. “Grinning kid’s on approach,” I whispered into the comms.

“Got him,” Katherine replied. “Keep him talking. Watch for power tells and anything that feels off.”

I gave the tiniest nod as he stopped at the table, looming over Ryan’s empty chair. Despite having the confidence to leave his date and approach me, there was a nervous energy as his breathing became faster. Odd for someone so bold. 

“So,” he said, voice low and pleased. “You’re the lucky one.”

My stomach twisted. He knew about my energy? 

“Anyone who talks with me is very lucky,” the young man continued. “Not everyone is worth my attention.”

I exhaled through my nose. Ego, not insight. He assumed the universe revolved around him.

“You should probably go back to your date,” I replied, nodding toward the blonde now chatting with a waiter, gesturing around like she knew where he should go. “I don’t want to compete with her for your attention.” 

But the young man scoffed as he held Ryan’s seat. “Her? She used to be staff here. Just someone who used to pour drinks and smile pretty.” 

One of the staff? 

I glanced at her again. Black-and-white dress, subtle jewelry, and giving the waiter instructions. Patron through and through. But if I squinted I could maybe see her as another part of the waitstaff.

I met his eyes again. “Still. It’s not polite to ditch your table like that.”

That seemed to excite him as his eyes began to twinkle. “You’re right. Manners slip so easily when you’re... me. Is this table reserved?”

I leaned back as I crossed my arms. He was grinding on my nerves. “Yes. There’s a reserved card in the middle of the table.” I nodded toward it, just now noticing it for the first time.

“Change.”

I leaned back as I crossed my legs. This guy was really grinding on my nerves. “No. There’s a blank card in the middle of the table.” I pointed toward the blank card. Has it always been blank before? I thought so, but it was weird they’d left an empty placeholder. But didn’t Ryan-?

“Great! Do you mind if I sit with you?” Somehow, his grin stretched even wider as he pulled Ryan’s chair back. All I needed was one sign that this guy was affecting reality before I could call it and cuff him.

“I’d rather sit alone. There’s plenty of other people you can bother.” I just needed to wait and see if he would use his power now.

“Change.”

“I’m waiting for my friends to return. They’ll be back very soon. There’s plenty of other people you can bother.” My team and I just needed to wait and see if he would use his power now.

“For crying out loud. Change.”

“Sure thing! My friends won’t be back for a few minutes. At least I won’t be by myself.” The young man’s nervousness seemed to ease off as he slid into Ryan’s seat, though for some reason, he seemed suddenly frustrated about something. That might be the opening I need to see him use his powers.

“Finally,” he muttered as he glanced at the menu. I would have thought he had already eaten. “You can call me Hollywood, because I’m a self-absorbed arsehole.”

Ten points for honesty, though the sudden British accent was unusual. “Can’t say I’ve heard that before,” I said, before giving him my fake name. “Valerie.”

Blushing hard, Hollywood (ugh) coughed before glancing around the restaurant. I took a moment to scan the room too, noticing that Coat Guy was watching us.