Eliza smiled when she opened the hangar door to their apartment. Everything in the room looked welcoming. Nothing beat home sweet home. She set her suitcase by the door and went to the couch. She fell back and relished in the plush cushions.

When Ares walked in, he put his suitcase next to his door and looked at his content partner. He was looking forward to hunting with her again, but first, he wanted some rest from driving. He sat down in a chair and sank into the softness. Being home was great.

“What do we want for dinner?” Eliza asked, staring at the white ceiling.

He shrugged, “I’d be fine with ordering a pizza.”

“You’ll order it?”

“Sure.”

Eliza sighed and sat up. “I guess I’ll start unpacking.”

The bounty hunter got off her butt and grabbed her suitcase. She walked to her door and sniffed. Something smelled off. It wasn’t quite revolting, but it didn’t smell right. It was weird it was coming from her side of the apartment. Eliza didn’t recall leaving anything that could go bad in her room. Cautiously, she turned the knob and pushed her door open. The smell wafted out, much worse than what she smelled before. It actually made her gag.

Ares was about to start their pizza order online when he heard Eliza make a noise he’d never heard before. He turned to see her covering her nose and mouth as she peered into her room. He was on his feet in seconds. The smell hit him hard, but he held in his disgust.

“What is that?” Eliza asked, her voice muffled.

Ares knew that smell all too well. “Call Donovan, Eliza.”

“Why?”

“Don’t ask questions. Do it fast. And don’t go into your room until he gets here, okay?”

Eliza’s eyes hardened. “What is going on, Ares?”

“I don’t know, but if that smell is any indication, there’s someone in there.”

Her gun was out in seconds. He covered her hands and forced the gun down. “You won’t need that. Whoever is in there might already have a bullet in them.”

Her eyes widened slightly. Eliza immediately sent a message to Donovan, covering her nose afterward. She slammed the door and started opening every window that led to the outside. If she couldn’t investigate, she'd get fresh air circulating through the apartment for their sake. Whoever was in their home, violated their privacy and it made her want to punch the life out of the person who did it. Mac needed to get there fast, or she’d have no choice to start the search herself. The culprit wouldn’t get away with it.

Mac stood at Eliza’s door, his forearm over his nose when he opened the door. He came with two other officers, both with their firearms at the ready. An ambulance ship was waiting right outside of the building. Both bounty hunters stood behind the three officers, waiting to see what was in there. Once Mac moved into the room, the other four followed. He flipped the light on.

They stared at the rotting corpse of a man they didn’t know, his body positioned like he’d fallen asleep on his back. A knife protruded from his chest, right where his heart no longer beat. The knife held a note to the corpse’s body.

Eliza froze. The stranger had the same damn platinum blond hair like him, the same body type. His face almost matched. And the knife was an exact replica of the one left in Luke’s chest. Mae did it. Somehow, she left a dead man in Eliza’s bed while they were gone.

Donovan ordered EMTs to bring up a stretcher while one of his officers holstered her gun and took photos of the scene. He made a call for forensics to get there as soon as possible to gather evidence and search the room. Nothing seemed to stand out to him.

Ares stared at the body. His eyes shifted toward Eliza and he watched each stage of grief cross her face until it froze on anger. It wasn’t exactly the welcome home he was hoping for. She seemed to agree.

Eliza neared the body to grab the note. It ripped, but she didn’t care. In perfect script, exactly like Mae’s, was a message meant for her:

Hope the taste of revenge was sweet while it lasted, but it’s my turn now, little Ellie. We’ll be in touch. Mae.

She dropped it on the body and walked out, brushing past Ares. He was quick to follow. Eliza started pacing around the apartment, muttering in rushed tones. He saw her kick the couch and even punch a pillow of few times. It wasn’t until she fell to her knees and started crying into the carpet that he went to her. Eliza punched the floor three times before Ares’ hand rested on her back. Her body went limp at the touch, no longer wanting to function. The carpet was scratchy on her wet face.

Donovan came over to the two hunters, his eyes softening seeing Eliza. “I’m sorry, Liz,” he said, kneeling on her other side.

She took a deep breath and tried to release it, but she choked on the sob that expelled itself from her. Eliza thought the path to recovery was finally in her future. How could she have been so wrong?

“I hate to kick you out when you just got home, but you’ll have to stay somewhere else for a few days,” Mac said. “I’d offer my place, but I only have one extra room.”

Ares looked down at the broken woman, “I’ll sleep on the couch if you have one. It’ll be best for Eliza to stay with you.”

Eliza couldn’t try to protest if she wanted. More tears fell from her eyes at the thought of taking advantage of Mac’s hospitality again. It was that day all over again. No. That wasn’t Luke dead in her room again. It was the remainder of a stranger. And it wouldn’t only be her and Donovan. She had Ares. She wanted to laugh at the thought.

“Grab your suitcases because I’m sure you didn’t unpack and head to the station,” Donovan said. “You’ll both be safe there until I can take you to my place. We don’t know if someone is following you right now.”

“Understood.”

Donovan went back into Eliza’s room, talking on his watch to someone on their way over.

Ares silently urge Eliza to her feet, holding her up by her waist. He led her the entire way to the station while she continued to struggle through her emotions. It wasn’t until they had sat down when Eliza’s crying turned into skipping sniffles as she tried to catch her breath. Ares’ arm never left her shoulders while they sat in silence.

Nearly two hours went by before Mac walked into the building. Eliza had stopped sniffling and Ares was trying his best to keep his eyes open. He wanted to be there for his partner, but the long flight took so much out of him. It was a relief to see the old cop.

Donovan pulled Eliza into his arms and started whispering soothing words to her. It made the tears well up in her eyes all over again, but she didn’t let them fall. She wanted to stop crying over a dead man even though he meant the world to her once. Why couldn’t he just stay dead?

Ares stood up when Donovan let her go. “How’d she get out, Mac?” he asked.

The cop sighed, “She wasn’t in our jurisdiction anymore. Last I heard, she was on her way to Earth for trial. My guess is she wasn’t taken by one of my officers.”

“She’s working with someone else?”

“Seems like it. We’re going to look into it. I already have a few of my best and most trusted officers working on the case. She isn’t going to get away this time.”

Eliza looked at Mac. “Will she die?”

“I don’t know, Liz. I don’t know.”

Ares could hear Eliza tossing and turning from downstairs. Every creak from her bed reminded him of every ounce of hurt in her dull green eyes. If he didn’t get much sleep from the image of her face haunting his dreams, she wouldn’t get any. He eventually found himself ascending the stairs to check in on her. The instant he knocked, all the creaking ceased.

“Eliza,” he whispered, hoping she’d know it was him.

He heard nothing for a few seconds and then she uttered the softest invitation. The door hardly squeaked as he slipped into the room.

In the light coming from the window, he saw her bed covers in a mess around her curled up body. The moonlight reflected off her eyes and he could see she cried more. He knelt down at her bedside.

“What do you need?” he asked, eyes taking in her whole face.

Her breath shook. “Her to die so he can rest.”

He couldn’t make the promise of ridding the words of Mae Valen. They didn’t know who was protecting her. He wanted to reassure Eliza that they’d find Mae and let justice fall on her, but he couldn’t. Not until they could find her.

“I can’t give you that, but I can get you water, food, more blankets for you to tangle up in.”

Eliza’s eyes searched his face. She saw his struggle, wanting to help her and not having the means to do it. His suggestions floated in her mind even though she didn’t need any of it. Yet, her mouth spoke what she needed even though she felt herself die a little on the inside.

“Stay here.”

Ares couldn’t blink his surprise away. Eliza Kane wanted him to stay in the same room; with her; at night.

“You sure?” There was no need to piss her off any more than Mae already had.

She lowered her eyes away from him. “No? I don’t know. I just–every time I close my eyes, I see him. I-I want it to go away. I need something else to think about.”

“What are you asking for, Eliza?”

Hesitation. “Company? Another body nearby solely for comfort? Anything but his dead stare at the front of my thoughts.

The male hunter pondered her suggestion for a minute before he stood, told her to hang on, and went back downstairs. He came back another minute later with a t-shirt on and his pillow under his arm.

“Do you promise not to hit me or yell at me in the morning?”

“I’m not under the influence of sleep.”

“No. Promise me you won't beat me up and out of this bed as soon as the sun rises. I have no other intention being in this bed other than helping you.”

“I promise.” She had no intention of repeating the morning at the hotel that seemed so long ago. Deep down, she needed him to be there. Maybe it was because he’d seen her at her most vulnerable and didn’t tease her for it. Either way, she needed Ares Matthews.

With a curt nod, Ares laid down in the empty space next to her. He straightened out the blankets to cover themselves and fluffed his pillow.

The two hunters faced each other, neither one sleepy enough to close their eyes. Eliza kept glancing between his face, his chest, and the space between them. Ares remained still, letting Eliza do what she needed to be comfortable. He wasn’t expecting her to scoot closer and latch onto his shirt. She reminded him of a child scared of the monster in her closet. He cautiously snaked his free arm around her side, waiting for any sign of protest. Nothing. A morning without her socking him for being close was more believable when she sighed.

Eliza’s eyes closed. His scent, his arm, his steady breathing was just enough to ease her. She didn’t understand how the one man who irritated her more than anyone on Mars was the same man who eased her mind from her past. Her fist released the front of his shirt and found its new home tucked between them. Her forehead pressed against his chest, allowing her to use his heartbeat as a way to calm down. She was out before she could feel his chin touch the top of her head.