Jeremy Miah folded his arms. "Tch. Bet they just made it official. Can't keep their lips to themselves for a minute." Coby Black snorted. "Quit staring. You're making my scalp itch. Don't let puppy-love rot your brain." Jeremy cupped his hands and called out, dripping sarcasm, "Hey! You two! People live here. Take it somewhere else! Quit shoving your romance in our faces!" He yanked Coby back into the alley. Once they were gone, Cassian straightened, lifting his left hand off the wall. His right arm still hung at an ugly angle. They said nothing, just moved off until they were well out of earshot and sight. Only then did Natalie start, "You—" Cassian didn't answer. He bent, dropped to one knee, planted his right forearm on the ground, then drove his body forward and twisted hard. A loud crack. The joint slid back into place. Natalie gaped. He'd just reset his own shoulder? His lips were bloodless, sweat beading across his brow—heat or pain, she couldn't tell. He stayed crouched a beat, then rose slowly. Natalie wet her lips, ready to explain, but Cassian spoke first. "I overstepped. I scared you, didn't I?" She shook her head fast. Her reflexes had been too wired. He'd pulled her to safety, and she'd popped his shoulder for it. If he'd chewed her out, that was understandable—but he apologized instead. Guilt hit harder. "Sorry. I didn't mean to."Cassian replied, "It's fine. We found the well. Let's head back." He led the way toward the base. Natalie, leash in hand, trailed behind with Lucky, thinking—CEO mindset, looks at the big picture and calm. Last time too, she'd smeared him behind his back, and he still drove her home in a Hummer. Come to think of it, nothing good ever happened to him around her. First the dog nearly toppled him, then the rumor, now the dislocated shoulder. She eyed his arm. Setting his shouldres like that, would there be consequences later? They—and the dog—made it back to the villa quickly. After a quick goodbye, Natalie went upstairs, changed, and poured kibble for Lucky. Watching the dog inhale it made her own stomach growl, so she whipped up spaghetti aglio e olio and a pitcher of lemonade. She'd promised Cassian that next time she cooked, she'd bring him a portion. She tossed in an extra serving of spaghetti. Boil, chill, add in some parsley leaves, then dress with red chilli flakes, salt, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese, and black pepper—toss till glossy. She almost pulled the parsley out of his plate, then remembered she and Cassian had bought them from Roderick before. Producing a few now wouldn't look suspicious. She carried the food down. Cassian opened the door to find her smiling, noodles in one hand, lemonade in the other. "Dinner's ready." Something kicked in his chest. "Come in." She'd planned to hand it over and go, then remembered his arm might still be weak. Fine—do the good deed properly. She stepped inside and set everything on the table. Cassian asked, "Have you eaten?" Natalie shook her head. "Not yet." Cassian said, "Then eat with me. I've got to run something by you." She thought a second, then nodded. When she came back with her own plate, Cassian cut straight to it. "Your target this time is the base's second-in-command, Kelvin, isn't it?" Natalie stared. How did he—? Reading the question on her face, he began explaining. "At the plaza, your focus never left the stage. You weren't scanning the crowd. "If you only wanted a small fry, you'd have acted yesterday as soon as we arrived. But you didn't, which means the target's shielded—hard to touch. "That narrows it to Magnus or Kelvin. "Later, when Magnus came to ‘say hello,' you treated him like a stranger and didn't use the chance to get closer. So he's not your mark." Natalie's guard went up another notch. This man's instincts were razor sharp. Seeing her silence, Cassian added, "Natalie, relax. Our goals align. We should work together." She met his eyes. "What's your plan?" Cassian replied, "You've already thought of it. The well." They held each other's gaze, quiet stretching between them.After a moment, Natalie nodded. "We work together." They both planned to use the well. Teaming up was the obvious move. They only got one shot at drugging the water. They needed to make it count. When everyone dropped, he'd take Magnus, she'd take Kelvin. Neither would trip the other up. With the deal struck, Natalie lifted a forkful of spaghetti and slid it into her mouth.