, a wiry man in his fifties, was in the middle of an exaggerated tale about a close encount

unusual. It was quiet, like always. The shadows stretched across the cracked pavement,

ing?" Tony asked, nud

e. "Yeah, sorry, just z

g out," Tony chuckled,

anding just outside the ring of light cast by the fire. The figure was cloaked in the shadows,

he others were laughing along, unaware of the sudden tension creeping in

e asked, his vo

y revealing themselves. It was a woman-tall and slender, with sharp features and piercing green eyes that seemed to

tered, confused.

is woman was, but the way she looked at him sen

r leaving Nathaniel. "Nathaniel Cole,"

heart skip a beat. His secret-his carefully

haniel replied, trying to sound casual,

may go by Nate here, but we both know who you r

"What's she talking about, man?" Tony asked, his voice lace

ep his two lives separate. No one from the streets had ever suspected that the quiet, unassuming

inued, her voice lowering so that only Natha

into a corner, especially not in front of the people he

aid, her green eyes flickering i

were staring at him now, waiting for an explanation. This was exactly what N

r, man," Tony said, standing up. "I

was more dangerous than Tony could understand. Whoever this woman was, she wasn

," he said quietly. "We'll talk. But if you

htly, replaced with a look o

" he promised, though he could see the uncertainty in their

id she know him? And what could she possibly want with someone who spent his nights in the compan

the wet pavement. The air was crisp, and Nathaniel's breath fogged in th

andoned buildings. She turned to face him, her expres

steady. "I work for a group of people

el's eyes narrowed. "W

. "You have something we need, Nathaniel. Something only you can give us.

s company than met the eye, but his father had been tight-lipped about the deeper workings of S.A.T.

about?" Nathaniel as

s a hidden side to S.A.T.F.A.R., one that your father has bee

ntire life, he had felt like an outsider, even in his own family.

for him? And why did it feel like h