"What a surprise to see you two here!" Katie greeted, pulling Eliza into her arms before her own son. "I didn't know you were coming by. The house isn't even clean!"

"We can't stay long, Mom," Ares said as he hugged her. "We want to ask you about Ezra."

Katie's face flattened. "Come in then. I'll make some coffee."

Eliza followed. Her skin jumped when Ares' hand pressed against her back, guiding her inside. His hand fell the minute they entered the house and Eliza released the breath she held. They needed to discuss the night before or she was going to go crazy. Not knowing quite what was going on between them despite his confession wasn't helping her with the small gestures. Breakfast was easy with Mac there. The gentle touch on her back wasn't nearly as easy with Katie no longer in sight. She didn't think he did it on purpose, but it left her anxious in his presence. She was thankful when he walked past her into the kitchen. He was careful not to bump into her when he did so, giving her a chance to breathe again. Did she ever feel this way with Luke? She couldn't remember.

The female hunter sat down at the table and watched Ares help his mom make the tea. He leaned against the counter, his arms supporting his as he stared at Katie. She crossed her arms once she got the kettle going and stared at her son.

"What do you need to know?"

"We're hoping you might have an idea about where he is, not because you speak to him. You could have insight into his habits."

She frowned. "It's been a long time, Ares. He's not the same man I knew."

"I know, Mom. But it's hard to kill a habit."

Eliza sat up in her seat. "We saw him at a party his future daughter-in-law threw last night. Did he like to go somewhere after gatherings? He did speak in front of the crowd."

Her sharp eyes lingered on me until the kettle started screaming. She poured the water into three mugs and brought them over to the table to let them steep. She sat down beside Eliza and Ares sat on his mom's other side. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"I don't remember him going to many events when we were dating or when we were first married. He did get exhausted after dinners with friends or family. I assume he went somewhere to get some peace; probably a place he feels comfortable in where he won't be bothered."

Eliza looked at Ares. "Do you know of any place he'd be that fits that?"

"He usually shut himself in his office or his apartment if he needed to get away from everyone. Neither of those places will be easy to get to if that's the case."

"For a man who runs the most dangerous gang on Mars, he's pretty introverted."

"But he's addicted to power," Katie said, adding some sugar to her tea and taking a sip. "He'll suffer anything to be in control."

Eliza sipped her tea and met Ares' stare. Their search for Ezra was going to be more difficult than actually taking him down. Well, she hoped it would be the hardest part.

"You don't think he'd ever return to where you used to live together, would you?" Eliza asked, sitting up. "I know he's a bastard and found someone else, but he can't be all horrible. Even the worst of villains have a soft spot. There could be a part of you that he still holds onto since the son you made together wants nothing to do with him. He might miss you."

Katie chuckled bitterly. "That's an optimistic view from the woman who can hardly get through the gunk in her life."

Eliza closed her eyes to take a deep breath. When she opened them, there was a fire burning there. "I almost married a man who found himself in the world of drugs. He wasn't a good man when I look back on our relationship, but he always came back to me no matter how lost he was. He didn't forget me even when he was killing off every good part of himself. I believe he still would think about me if he was alive. That's why I think Ezra Logan may find solace in whatever memories he still holds of you. He's not a good man but I'm positive he still has a heart."

Katie looks over at her son. "Where did you find this woman?"

"Kicking ass in an alley."

"I nearly lost that bounty head because of you," Eliza said.

Ares rubbed his head, closing one eye and smiling. "I've been lucky you haven't kicked me in a long time."

"You've deserved it plenty of times since then."

Suddenly, Katie's laughter interrupted their banter. She covered her mouth and her eyes shined with mirth. "It's nice to see you both getting along better."

"We got along fine when we came over last time," Ares pointed out. "Eliza was just having a rough week."

"Sounds like that hasn't changed much."

Eliza smiled. "Good days are few and far between. They've been easier to find lately." She avoided looking at Ares knowing Katie would catch it. She could see the soft smile on his face after she said it.

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't help out more. Your father is a different man now. Try out Eliza's idea and see where that takes you. It's the only thing that might lead you to him if her hunch is right."

Ares grinned at his mom and then Eliza. "I don't like to question a woman's hunch. We'll see what we can find. Thanks, Mom. Maybe I'll come to visit after we take care of this."

She caressed the side of his face with a smile. "I'll expect it. And if you don't bring this sweet girl with you, I'll have you turn around to get her."

"I think she likes you more than me," he said, looking at Eliza.

"She's right to do so. I win the hearts of many, male and female."

Eliza saw the way Ares' face softened at her words. She knew he wanted to say something except his mom was still between them. If they ever discussed last night, things would change. She was sure of it. Her face felt warmer than before, so she hid it in her mug.

"Just leave the dishes in the sink," Katie said, standing to put her cup over there. "I know you two have a mission to complete and I won't have you delay any longer. Go stop your father before he loses himself in his greed. Don't tell me if you have to kill him. I don't want to know. Just stop him however you need to."

Ares stood up and wraps his arms around his mom's shoulders from behind her, kissing the top of her head. "We'll do what we have to."

The hunters left the house silently, walking over to the hangar. Eliza gazed up at the cumulous clouds flying overhead, closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

"You didn't have to explain yourself to my mom, Lizzy."

She opened her eyes to look over at her partner. He had a smile on his face while he stared at her.

"It spilled out of my mouth. I don't know why but I couldn't stop it. I figured I'd keep talking if it meant we could get any sort of lead on his whereabouts. No, I didn't have to tell your mom about Luke. I did it anyway."

"I appreciate you thinking my father still has good in him; still loves my mom."

"You don't look like you hate him completely," she admitted. "You want him to still be good. I think your mom, as bitter as she may be toward him, wants to believe she's still in his heart. He's still in both of yours."

His fingers ran through her hair. "You read into a lot."

"And I'm right."

"Too right."

Once they reached the ship, Eliza climbed in. Ares followed behind her silently, glancing at her as she strapped herself into the seat. He paused before sitting down, staring into nothing for a few seconds. Then he came over to her and squatted in front of her legs, using her knees to rest his arms on. She gazed at him curiously, her cheeks starting to flush.

"I don't know what's going to happen when we find Ezra. We might have to fight. We're probably going to get hurt. I don't want to think either one of us could die, but... If that's the case, I want you to know that hunting with you has been incredible. You are an amazing hunter and care a lot about doing your job well. I know it took some work to win you over and I'm glad you eventually gave in. All the waiting was worth it, even the begging on my knees.

"I'm unbelievably sorry you had to get involved with my family problems. If I knew it would lead to this, I would have tried harder to avoid Terrance. You deserve to live your life without worrying who's around the corner. I hope that when this is over, you get to do that."

Eliza gripped the seatbelt tightly, eyes studying Ares' serious face. She knew that death was a possibility. Hearing him talk like it was inevitable made her realize that she didn't want it to come to that. A life without her irritating partner around didn't appeal to her. She didn't want to sink back into the version of herself that took so long to break down and she knew she would. Life without Luke was hard, and it'd be harder without Ares. It scared her how important he was in her life. She wanted him to be waiting for her on the other side of their mission.

The lady hunter unbuckled herself and let the palm of her hands slide along his jaw. His stubble poked her skin. She watched his eyes widen and his pupils dilate as her hands stopped before his ears. His hair tangled in her fingers.

"We're going to come out of this alive."

Then her mouth attached to his, her head tilted to get the most out of the kiss. Eliza felt like she held all the power leaning over him to take his lips over and over again. Open-mouthed, closed-mouth, any way she could accept what she felt for him and show to him. She shivered when his hands found her waist, grabbing the flesh there.

Eliza slid out of her seat, straddling his knees that connected to the floor. She refused to pull away when she did, breathing in the short moments their lips parted. Ares' hands slid up into her hair where he pulled her away so he could kiss the skin at her throat. Her power was gone then. All she could do was let him kiss where he wanted, nibbling and sucking on the skin above her collarbone.

The moment he let go of her hair, she came back to his lips. The palm of her hands laid flat against his chest, feeling the muscles there. His heartbeat was strong and erratic against them. Her fingers trailed down his stomach and snuck under his shirt. She barely touched his skin with her fingertips when he pulled away from her.

"As much as I'd like to continue," he paused to catch his breath, "we have something to finish first." His hands grabbed hers.

Eliza gazed his face. His eyes were dark and full of several emotions, all she couldn't decipher. His lips were parted and moist. His hair was a mess, falling out of the ponytail holder. He was a kind of beauty she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Just try not to die," she said.

Ares pressed his forehead against hers. "I can't promise that, but I'll try my best. You can't die either."

"I don't plan on doing that any time soon."

He smiled, kissing her forehead and tapping the bottom of her chin with his finger before he helped her up. He went to his seat and she strapped back into hers. Eliza smiled at herself, an unfamiliar feeling of excitement growing inside her stomach. It was so foreign.

Ares started his ship and then turned to look at her. "Care to be a little dangerous before we get thrown into the fire?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Come here."

Suspicious of his plan, Eliza unbuckled again and stood next to his chair. He unbuckled himself and stayed in his seat. Her eyebrow rose when he grinned at her sheepishly.

"You're going to drive."

"Okay." She was still confused about what he was thinking.

"But I want you to sit here... with me."

Eliza coughed. "What?"

"I know, it's weird." Ares took her hand in his. "I've been waiting for you to realize what was happening between us and now that you have, I'm feeling selfish."

"I'll indulge you this once because we don't know what could happen when we find Ezra. If you bring this up ever again in the future, I won't hesitate to kick your ass."

"Not a word."

Ares sat back as far as he could in the seat and pulled his partner into his lap. He buckled them up together and rested his chin on her shoulder when she reached for the controls. He kept his hands firmly on her waist and let the tip of his nose trace the outside for her ear.

"Do you remember how to drive it?"

Eliza scoffed and shot off like a rocket out of the hangar. "Of course, I remember how to drive your ship. I remember how to drive it faster."

"There are rules, Lizzy."

"And I want to break a few of them. But I need to know where we're going first. Where did your parents live before the showers?"

"Ottawa," he said. "It'll be cold."

If Eliza was bolder, she would have made an inappropriate joke. Instead, she sped out of the hangar and into the atmosphere. She guessed he had a similar thought cross his mind because he wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands rubbing against her stomach. His face nuzzled into her shoulder and she felt him release a laugh. He definitely had the same thought. It made Eliza's body warm, content with the hunter giving her gentle attention. It was a strange sensation that she wasn't going to shy away from anymore.