Soraya's head snapped up. "Absolutely not."
Jackson gave a half-smile, tilting his head. "You can pay me back once your store turns a profit."
Soraya's expression softened. "I appreciate the offer, Jackson. But we have credit cards that Kian gave us. We can pay for the groceries, and once we turn a profit, we will pay him back for this and everything else we've bought since he has given us refuge."
"What's the difference?" Jackson tried to argue.
Kyra put a hand on his arm. "My sisters are stubborn, and they don't back down. It's futile to try to negotiate with them."
Sighing, Jackson stepped back and slipped his wallet into his pocket. "It's a shame, really. I get points for buying stuff, and I use that for travel."
Kyra had a feeling that he was just saying it to give Soraya an incentive to let him pay, but her sister just nodded and smiled, not taking the bait.
Suddenly, her sister's smile wilted, replaced by a panicked expression, and then she ducked her head, signaling to her sisters to do the same.
"What's wrong?" Kyra's hand landed on the pendant again, and this time it definitely felt warmer than what it could've absorbed from her body.
"A Revolutionary Guard." Soraya's voice was barely audible. "Over by the other cashier. He knows me, and he knows Rana. If he sees us, he'll tell Fareed, or worse, send the Doomers after us."
The words sliced through the air like a blade. Kyra scanned the closest checkout lane, trying to spot the threat. Her sisters were keeping their heads down and looking even more conspicuous as they attempted to make themselves invisible.
Without their headscarves and dressed in Western clothes, they should be harder to recognize, but if the guy was someone who had been a guest at Soraya's house, he might see past the superficial changes.
Sensing that something was afoot, Max and Theo got closer.
"What's going on?" Max whispered in her ear.
"Soraya and Rana need to leave. You and Theo pretend to be their husbands and walk them out of here."
Max gave her a curt nod and stepped to Soraya's side, slipping his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, love. Let's go get the car. Jackson can take care of the rest."
Theo offered Rana his arm with a murmured, "Shall we?"
Only Yasmin and Parisa remained, their wide eyes fixed on Kyra as they tried to stay shielded behind Jackson's tall frame.
She saw him then, a stocky man at the other line with bushy eyebrows who was looking their way, passing over Yasmin and Parisa and landing on Soraya.
His eyes widened, recognition flashing like a spark. "Soraya!" he called out.
Kyra felt her stomach drop. "Max, get him!" she hissed.
Max didn't hesitate, but he misunderstood, and instead of reaching into the guy's head and thralling him to forget what he had seen, he lunged across the other conveyor belt and seized the man by the collar, dragging him bodily to the floor.
A loud crash echoed through the market as the man's grocery basket clattered over, scattering cans and packages.
People gasped. One woman screamed in alarm. Others backed away.
Theo pulled a thin wallet from his back pocket and flashed a card with a flick of his wrist. "ICE," he said in a calm, authoritative tone. "Federal agents. Everyone, step back."
The whispered panic surged into a full retreat. Customers scurried away, abandoning their carts as they fled for the exits. Even the cashier froze, her mouth working soundlessly.
Kyra's brow furrowed. "What's ICE?"
"I'll explain later," Theo muttered.
Max hauled the dazed man to his feet and delivered a swift, economical punch to render him limp. "We're leaving. Now."
They abandoned the groceries, pushing the carts aside as they hustled toward the exit.
