I felt like a block of ice. He must have smel ed my trail. I was dead.
"Bree?" he said, softer now. His voice reminded me of the first time he'd talked to me. When he was nice to me. And then even lower, "I promised Diego I'd give you a message. He said to tel you it was a ninja thing. Does that make any sense to you?"
He stil couldn't look at me, but he was edging closer.
"Diego?" I murmured. I couldn't help myself.
Riley smiled a tiny bit. "Can we talk?" He jerked his head toward the door. "I double-checked al the windows. The first floor is total y dark and safe."
I knew I wouldn't be as safe once I walked away from Fred, but I had to hear what Diego had wanted to tel me. What had happened? I should have stayed with him to meet Riley. I fol owed Riley through the room, keeping my head down. He gave Raoul a few instructions, nodded to Kristie, and then went up the stairs. From the corners of my eyes I saw a few people curiously watch the direction he was going. Riley passed through the door first, and the kitchen of the home was, as he'd promised, total y black. He motioned for me to keep fol owing and led me through a dark hal past a few open bedroom doors, then through another door with a dead bolt. We ended up in the garage.
"You're brave," he commented in a very low voice. "Or real y trusting. I thought it would be more work to get you upstairs with the sun up."
Whoops. I should have been more skittish. Too late now. I shrugged.
"So you and Diego are pretty tight, right?" he asked, just breathing the words. Probably, if everyone were silent in the basement, they would stil be able to hear him, but it was pretty noisy down there right now.
I shrugged again. "He saved my life," I whispered. Riley lifted his chin, almost but not quite a nod, and appraised. Did he believe me? Did he think I stil feared the day?
"He's the best," Riley said. "The smartest kid I've got."
I nodded once.
"We had a little meeting about the situation. We agreed that we need some surveil ance. Going in blind is too dangerous. He's the only one I trust to scout ahead." He exhaled, almost angrily. "Wish I had two of him! Raoul's got too short a fuse and Kristie is too self-absorbed to get the big picture, but they're the best I've got, and I'l have to make do. Diego said you were smart, too."
I waited, not sure how much of our story Riley knew.
"I need your help with Fred. Wow, that kid is strong! I couldn't even look at him tonight."
I nodded cautiously again.
"Imagine if our enemies can't even look at us. It wil be so easy!"
I didn't think Fred would like that idea, but maybe I was wrong. He didn't seem like he cared anything for this coven of ours. Would he want to save us? I didn't respond to Riley.
"You spend a lot of time with him."
I shrugged. "Nobody bothers me there. It's not easy."
Riley pursed his lips and nodded. "Smart, like Diego said."
"Where is Diego?"
I shouldn't have asked. The words just ripped out of their own accord. I waited anxiously, trying to look indifferent and most likely failing.
"We don't have time to waste. I sent him south the second I found out what was coming. If our enemies decide to attack early, we need the advance warning. Diego wil meet up with us when we move against them."
I tried to imagine where Diego was now. I wished I were there with him. Maybe I could talk him out of doing Riley's bidding and putting himself in the line of fire in the process. But maybe not. It seemed like Diego was thick with Riley, just like I'd worried.
"Diego wanted me to tel you something."
My eyes snapped to his face. Too fast, too eager. Blew it again.
"Sounded like nonsense to me. He said, 'Tel Bree I've got the handshake figured out. I'l show her in four days, when we meet up.' I have no idea what that means. Do you?"
I tried to force a poker face. "Maybe. He did say something about needing a secret handshake. For his underwater cave. Some kind of password. He was just kidding around, though. I'm not sure what he means now."
Riley chuckled. "Poor Diego."
"What?"
"I think that kid likes you a lot more than you like him."
"Oh." I looked away, confused. Was Diego giving me this message as a way to let me know I could trust Riley? But he hadn't told Riley I knew about the sun. Stil, he must have trusted Riley to tel him so much, to show Riley that he cared about me. I thought it would be wiser to keep my mouth shut, though. Too much had changed.
"Don't write him off yet, Bree. He's the best, like I said. Give him a chance."
Riley was giving me romantic advice? This could not get weirder. I bobbed my head once and muttered, "Sure."
"See if you can talk to Fred. Make sure he's on board."
I shrugged. "I'l do what I can."
Riley smiled. "Great. I'l pul you aside before we leave, and you can tel me how it went. I'l keep it casual, not like tonight. I don't want him to feel like I'm spying on him."
"Okay."