“Idris,” I hissed. He stood, face alight with anxious longing that resonated with my own desperate need for answers. My mind whirled. We still had enough time to cut and run. Idris would comply if I insisted. Except, I completely understood the mute plea in his steady regard.
Pellini stepped out of the parlor. “They’re in the driveway, and she’s pissed,” he said. “The lack of wards, I’m betting. We’d better scramble out the back, and quick.”
“We’re staying,” I said, dismayed to hear my voice crack. Idris moved to stand beside me and face Pellini.
I expected Pellini to tell us we were a couple of fucking idiots, but he merely blew out his breath. Maybe he’d been expecting it. “Got a plan?”
“Don’t I always?” I asked and pretended not to hear his snort. I jabbed fingers at Pellini and Carl. “You two take the parlor. Pellini, as soon as McDunn passes, you draw down. Eilahn, stairs. Idris, library. I’ll take the kitchen and will cover as soon as I hear Pellini. Watch the crossfire. Go!”
Everyone scrambled into position like a well-trained SWAT team. Silence fell in the house as the first footfall hit the porch steps. I waited beyond the kitchen doorway and listened to Tessa speak, angry and harsh. Though I couldn’t make out her words, I figured it was safe to assume they had to do with the stripped protections. Idris stood a few feet within the library, and when I glanced his way he offered me an uncertain smile and mouthed, Thank you. I gave him a wry smile and shrug in reply. We’d find out soon enough how stupid this was.
Tessa’s voice grew louder, more strident. A deeper voice answered her. I drew back, kept my breathing slow and quiet as I sent Idris a warning glare on the order of You stay right where you are until the situation is secure! I doubted he picked up all the nuances, but it was enough to keep him in place, at least for the moment.
The front door opened. A knot pulled tight in my stomach.
“I have to see—” Tessa let out a gasp. “Oh goodness, it’s all gone. Every one of my protections! I never felt a thing from the alarms!” True pain lanced through her voice.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” McDunn, uneasy and cautious.
“Heaven knows what they’ve done to my valve,” she said, tone crisp again. Her shoes clicked over the wood floors toward me, and McDunn’s heavier footsteps joined them.
“Lemme see your hands, McDunn!” Pellini shouted. My cue.
Gun raised, I swung around the door. Tessa let out a shocked cry. I ignored her, focused on McDunn. “Weapon down!” I yelled.
He held a gun in one hand, weight balanced as he assessed the threats. Pellini remained in partial cover behind the parlor door, gun steady on the burly security man. “Weapon down now!” I ordered.
McDunn flicked a calculating gaze to each of us, then to where Eilahn crouched on the stairs. A low growl throbbed in her throat.
“NOW!” Pellini snapped. “Slow movements!”
“All right,” McDunn said, voice calm as he eased into a crouch. “I’m putting my gun down.”
“Make one move toward your other gun and I’ll drop you,” I said. Right ankle. No bulge to give it away, but I noticed the forward shift of that leg as he crouched.
McDunn slowly placed his gun on the floor and stood, keeping his hands out to his sides. Eilahn scooped up the weapon and conducted a brisk and thorough patdown of him. “Backup is already on the way,” he said as Eilahn removed assorted knives from his person as well as the pistol in his ankle holster. “I called it in as soon as Miss Pazhel informed me the warding was gone.”
He wasn’t bluffing. He was too much of a pro not to have made a call to cover their asses. I suspected he’d have preferred to wait until backup arrived before entering the house, but Tessa had no doubt insisted. The backup would almost certainly be Tsuneo and Jerry, but they’d be coming from the Leelan Park valve. Five minutes at least.
“That’s fine,” I said, pulse racing as I kept my gun trained on him. Even unarmed, he was dangerous. “We don’t intend to hurt you or turn you over to the cops. All we need is a few minutes.” In my periphery I saw Idris step into the hallway, but he was wise enough to stay well back.
“Kara.” Tessa’s eyes were wide with shock. Probably not faked, though the reasons for it were debatable. “What in the ninety hells is going on?”
“As corny as it sounds, I’ve woken up,” I said. “You’re one of Katashi’s lieutenants.”
“Lieutenants?” She assumed an annoyed expression, one I knew all too well. “We’ve been through this before. Isumo is my mentor.” She gestured around her. “Are you responsible for destroying my protections?”
“Are you responsible for the trap your mentor set so that turdface here could take my abilities?”
Tessa threw a glance toward Angus before gracing me with a wonderfully baffled frown. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you need to put the gun down before someone gets hurt.”