"Then you'll have to keep that secret if it turns out that the kid isn't susceptible."
"I can control Anthony."
"I sure hope you're right. Out of curiosity, why are you being sympathetic to Ashe?"
"I realize this is seemingly out of character," Gavin muttered. "But before I left London, I had a visit from Merrill. You remember him, don't you?"
"Oh, yes. I remember him, all right."
"Merrill says this is important. If he says it's important, then it's important."
"I believe you."
* * *
"You will study these instructions and follow them precisely," Baltis paced before his chosen troops. "This explains how they are to be placed and set to explode. The moment they are set, relocate. I do not wish for you to be anywhere near there when the explosives detonate."
Six handpicked Dark Elemaiya examined the paper instructions they'd been given. The previous evening, Baltis' four new Destroyers, Raze, Ruin, Ravage and Rumble, approached the dealer Wildrif had contacted and purchased explosives from him. Baltis had spent a great deal of gold to procure them, after a demonstration was given in a remote location.
"Shall I go with them tomorrow?" Laridael asked quietly as Baltis stopped pacing to stand beside his personal guard. He and Baltis watched carefully as the six Elemaiyan soldiers studied their information.
"No need," Baltis waved away Laridael's concern. "This is quite simple, actually, and we will have our revenge. Soon."
* * *
"I don't like vamps in the house," Craig muttered as he dropped a plate of food in front of Winkler.
"They're asleep in the basement and their doors are locked," Winkler snapped, making Craig flinch. "You will leave them alone, do you hear?"
"Gavin won't waste time on your ass, he'll remove your head if you're too disrespectful," Trajan sat down at the kitchen island opposite Winkler.
"Disobey me, and I'll look the other way while he removes your head," Winkler muttered before pulling out his phone and tapping in a message.
"Kid, you ought to be sleeping late, since those vamps want to keep you up most of the night," Trajan remarked as Ashe shuffled into the kitchen, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. "But since you're up, eat breakfast and I'll meet you in the weight room."
"Good morning to you, too," Ashe mumbled as he settled beside Trajan. "Is it torture the kid day, today?"
"Sure is." Trajan offered Ashe a wide grin. "And after that, we can run on the beach. Can't have you getting slow and sloppy." Trajan ruffled Ashe's hair. Ashe ducked his head and smiled.
* * *
"Did you get a reply from those vampires last night?" Thomas Williams settled at a table inside their hotel coffee shop. Like Weldon, he gripped a cup of coffee in his hands as he studied the Grand Master's face.
"Yep," Weldon grinned. "Dalroy said he and Rhett would be happy to provide some backup for us when we meet with Nick tonight. Ever since the kid said we might need help, I've been a little spooked. Dalroy can place compulsion and we'll get the truth, one way or another."
"What time?" Thomas asked.
"Nine-thirty, at Nick's place. It'll make it easier when I ask how he paid off his mortgage in less than five years."
* * *
"There it is." Trajan pointed out the new gun cabinet to Ashe. He, Ashe and Winkler stood inside Winkler's study, examining the gun cabinet that had been delivered half an hour earlier. "I put the dart gun and darts inside it already. You just have to carry it inside the hidden room downstairs."
"With pleasure," Ashe nodded, sizing up the cabinet and discreetly examining the lock. "Want to come with me?"
"Sure do," Trajan's teeth flashed white as he grinned broadly at Ashe. "Somebody will have a hell of a time gettin' to it after that."
"That's just what I was hoping for," Ashe agreed.
"I'll come, too," Winkler said. Ashe gathered Trajan, Winkler and the gun cabinet in his mist and dropped three floors to the basement.
* * *
Sali paid no attention as Mr. Dodd talked about the Berlin Wall and how it was torn down in 1989. Ashe had always sat beside him in the classes they shared. Now, the seat Ashe would have chosen was vacant, and Wynn and Dori occupied desks near the front. Larry and Jeff sat near the girls, leaving Sali surrounded by an island of empty chairs.
There was no large book to hide behind, either—textbooks were on tablets this year—Mr. Winkler had seen to that. The tablet was much easier to carry, but it couldn't connect to the school's Wi-Fi; the password hadn't been provided. Students could use their Wi-Fi at home to do research if they wanted.
Sali snorted softly. If Ashe were there with him, he probably would have hacked into the school's system already. Sali considered slipping the cell phone out of his pocket and sending a text to Ashe, telling him he was sorry. About everything. Sali winced uncomfortably. He'd give it a few days. Maybe Ashe would forgive him, then.
* * *
Peyton hadn't been inside a supermarket on U.S. soil in years. Zeke had always kept him in Mexico, sending him after rival cartels. The human competition never stood a chance. Zeke usually sent his older wolves after rival werewolves, although those were few in number. Peyton wondered, and not for the first time, just why Zeke thought him competent enough to go after William Winkler.
"Man, I haven't had these in years." Peyton pulled a large bag of his favorite cheese puffs off a shelf. They went into his grocery cart. Sodas came next, followed by snack cakes and other items he hadn't gotten in a long time. He'd rented a motel room in Laredo, Texas, intending to spend a night or two before selecting a city to lose himself in. He'd have to outthink Zeke Tanner if he expected to stay alive, and that was no easy prospect.
* * *
"You go at sundown," Raze instructed the six Dark Elemaiya Baltis had selected for the mission. "The state of Georgia is one hour later than it is here, and the building we've selected will be unoccupied at that time. It will take one relocation from here, and you will return to this location as soon as the explosives are placed and set. Do you understand?"
Raze had traveled to the Kansas City area the night before with his six companions. He watched carefully as each of the six nodded at his words. These were Baltis' best troops, and half of them were captains in Baltis' army. "We are ready," Baltis' senior captain bumped a fist against his chest and nodded respectfully to Raze. "We await your command."