Belle went through the portal first, and the torn neoprene flapped open over her hip as she stepped into the light. I got a clear view of black lace against pale skin, and I decided that counted as combat pay. Hikaru followed her in total silence, red eyes forward, shoulders square under a suit that clung to her like wet paint.
Jordan stood up on top of the spire and groaned loud enough to scare every fish in the fracture. Then he slid down the rock on his butt because his legs had apparently filed for divorce.
"I'm going through now, and nobody is allowed to talk to me for a week."
Javier caught him at the bottom and steered him toward the tear, notebook still held high over his head. The two of them vanished into the green, and the water rose another three centimeters around my ankles while I watched.
