But the frequent attacks were also the reason more and more of River’s slayers were moving into the mansion. We needed backup.
The new females were all over Cole. Not just Camilla, but most of her friends, too. A sly touch here. A suggestive remark there. I was no longer sure of my position in his life, so I kept quiet. But deep down, rage simmered.
I wasn’t just going to make them bleed; I was going to cause permanent damage.
Needless to say, tensions were high. And not just mine. All of the slayers were exhausted. Our current schedule was grueling. Too much so. We kept this up for much longer, and we’d collapse.
But maybe that was Anima’s plan. Exhaust us, and after we collapsed, pick us off one by one.
The conversations around me ceased abruptly, jarring me. I focused. Cole had just returned to the gym, his expression dark. My heart rate quickened, and not because of my steady jog.
He stopped beside me. “You’ve got a phone call.”
I wiped the sweat off my brow, smoothed my damp hair from my face. “Who is it?”
“Ethan.”
Finally! I jabbed my finger at the machine, and the belt froze. I hopped down and raced out, only to realize I didn’t know where to go.
“The cell is still in Ankh’s office,” he said. Mr. Ankh had it hooked to some kind of tracing device.
I picked up speed. Mr. Ankh was at his desk, and he did not look happy.
“Ethan will only talk to you,” he said.
We’d all prayed this day would come.
Just this morning, Kat had patted me on the back, smiled her most wily grin and said, “Let them think we’re going their way, while we really go our way...the best way!”
Now threads of nervousness slithered through me; I had to cut them with mental scissors as I reached for the cell phone.
Mr. Ankh donned a set of earphones so that he could listen to the entire conversation. He gave me a stiff nod.
“Hello, Ethan,” I said, proud of my seeming calm.
“Hello, Ali.” He displayed the same calm.
“Where have you been? Why the delay?”
“A few things came up. Nothing you need to worry about, though. Justin hasn’t dropped dead or anything like that.”
Sweet confirmation. My gaze scanned the room. Cole had come in behind me and Veronica and Juliana behind him. River strolled in next, with Frosty and Bronx close on his heels.
Jaclyn raced inside, her gaze wide, hopeful.
Word had spread.
I gave everyone a thumbs-up.
“—there?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, I’m here.” Steady. “I still want to do the trade,” I said. “But I’ll need new proof of life.”
“You’ll get it. But first, there’s someone who’d like to speak with you.”
Static. Then, “Hello, Miss Bell.” A woman’s voice. Unfamiliar.
“You have me at a disadvantage. You seem to know me, but I have no idea who you are.”
“My name is Rebecca Smith. You may call me Rebecca.”
The head of Anima herself. Why not call her Becky?
Or Satan.
“You’ve caused me so much trouble,” she said, “I’ve decided to deal with you myself.”
“You’ll understand if I don’t wish you better luck, Ms. Smith.” My gaze found Cole—his expression darkened further. This was the woman his father and Helen had warned us about. The one known for her interrogation “technique.”
She chuckled, as if she’d expected no other reply. “A born rebel. Just like your mother.”
As if she knows me.
“We did some jobs together, you know,” she continued. “Not the one with your boyfriend’s mother, of course. That was all Helen. But others that were equally successful. I’d be on the field now if the antidote hadn’t stopped working for me.”
Bile...burning up my throat... My features remained relaxed. I wouldn’t give anything away to the onlookers. “Why don’t we concentrate on the here and now, hmm?”
“Very well.” I heard fingers tapping on a keyboard. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, you are the key to our success. With you, we can capitalize on all the good zombies provide while discarding the bad.”
“How?”
She ignored me and said, “I’m sending Ankh an email. There’s a video attached. You’ll want to watch it. It’s your proof of life.”
Okay, good, we were moving right along. “So, how would you like to do this?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I would like to send Ethan to your door and make the exchange that way, because it’s the easiest solution, but we both know you’ll only kill him and take the boy. Instead, I’ll expect to see you at—”
“You know what?” I interjected, as rehearsed. “You don’t get to arrange this. You’ll be at Hearts, the nightclub downtown, in two hours, with Justin, because he’s your ticket through the door. Fail to comply and my mission will be the destruction of everything you hold dear.” Actually, it already was.
Click.
I wanted to hunch over and vomit. Had I just made a huge mistake, insisting Ms. Smith meet us at Hearts, rather than playing the game by her rules? I hoped not. Mr. Ankh owned the nightclub, and our slayers were used to the building’s layout. We’d have the advantage.