like me. You’re not supposed to want me. The whisperers could find us any second. We can’t lose our advantage.”
Mm-hm.
“It’s time to call him, Kai. Tell him you’ve found me. And then we’ll call the others to let them know it’s starting.”
Wait. Call him? Now? I shake my head. “Not yet—”
“Yes. Now. Let’s get it over with before we lose control and ruin everything.” She sounds steely and passionate. And scared. But it kills me that it’s not the Dukes she seems afraid of—her fear seems to be that we, I, am going to ruin our opportunity to take them by surprise.
Why did this have to happen so fast? We haven’t had enough time.
My thoughts are punctured by the feel of Anna’s hand on me. Down there.
Jackpot.
I look down, and she’s pulling my mobile from my pocket, holding it out to me.
Damn. Major false alarm.
“That was brave,” I tell her, but she doesn’t smile. She remains completely serious, and I don’t like it one bit.
“It’s time,” she whispers.
No . . .
She is still holding out the phone and I feel dizzy as I take it. She goes up on her toes and kisses my cheek, staying there, so close. “I love you, Kai. Let’s bring them down. You and me and the others, together. We’ll use the element of surprise while we have it. It’s our time.”
Her words ping through me, and her desperation, her optimism, seep into the cracks of my heart just enough to make me momentarily feel what she feels: hope. This is our chance. Our only chance. Eventually the Dukes will learn about each of us disloyal Neph, and we can spend our lives running in fear, but they will find us and pick us off one by one.
This, right now, is the best chance we possibly have to get rid of them and live a life here on earth without them. Anna’s eyes plead with me to support her, and I want to. I do.
I nod and stare down at my phone, then pull up Father’s new number. I think about nothing except that sliver of hope. My throat nearly collapses when I hear his new voice answer.
“Father . . .” Oh, God. What have I done? I look at Anna and she nods. I open my mouth and can hardly believe when the next words tumble out. “I’ve got her.”
The second I say it, all of the hope abandons me.
“You’re kidding me!” He whoops loudly and laughs like a damn hyena.
Oh, God. Oh, God.
“She’s cuffed,” I say stupidly, feeling like I have to say something.
“Did you find the sword?”
My heart is racing. “No, sir. I searched her belongings but found nothing.”
“Shit. She must have hidden it somewhere. Doesn’t matter. We’ll get her to tell us.”
He sounds so bloody carefree and sure of himself. There’s no way in hell I’m handing Anna over. No way.
“Nice job, Kaidan,” he says. “You accomplished what over five hundred prowling Legionnaires couldn’t do last night.” Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. Why is he being so bloody chatty? I need to get Anna out of here. “They searched damn near every bar, club, and hotel on the East Coast. Where the hell’d you find her?”
In the back of my car on Lover’s Lane, you git.
My mind flips through things to say. “She had a group of mates in her old town who always partied at a lake house. I thought perhaps she’d fall back on them, and I was right.”
Okay, then. Enough chitchat. I glance at the door, itching.
Father laughs again, like we’re best mates sharing jokes. “Where are you now?”
“Our old house.” Shite . . . I should have lied.
“Excellent. I’ll call an emergency summit in Vegas and we can take care of her. It’s our most secure location, and we’re always looking for an excuse to visit Sin City, right?”
Weren’t they just there? Awkward pause. Oh, right. I’m supposed to answer.
I force out a laugh and roll my eyes. Are we done here yet?
“All right,” he says. “Meet me at the Atlanta airport in two hours.”
What? I whip my face to Anna and her eyes are like saucers.
“Er, it’s not necessary for you to fly down here, Father,” I insist. “I’ll book our flights and deliver her to the summit.”
“Oh, it’s definitely necessary. I want to be the one to escort her into the summit tonight. See you at the jet.”
I will throat-punch him.
“We’ll be there,” I lie. I press End and check the screen to be sure we’ve