This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,74
me over.
“Great, the other glorified gardener is here.” Alice glares at me, but the hurt-fueled rage from the other night is gone. It probably helps that the Casters haven’t attacked her since then. “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t come.”
“Don’t worry.” I take a seat opposite her. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Archer stands at the head of the table. “We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time, so let’s get to work. The general mechanics of the plan haven’t changed much.”
And then we’re in the thick of it. Cal and Alice have rigged false bottoms in her trunks. Archer and I practice getting in and out of them—we’re the only ones who have to hide, since our faces are too likely to be recognized. Ellen, who hasn’t had any contact with the Hunters, will go in as Alice’s assistant so she can push the second trunk.
We have lightweight gas masks to wear in case the drug is airborne. Jackets that Cal has already soaked in his needle-repelling potion. Archer will have a handful of other potions on him, liquids that can eat through metal and knock the Hunters out cold, but we’ll rely on Ellen’s magic if things get really dicey. We’ll also have communication devices—Archer calls them comms—that we’ll wear in our ears. They’ll allow us to talk, since we’ll be separated for most of the raid.
Cal will wait in the van to keep an eye on the security footage. Alice will have to stay and go through with her performance to prevent suspicion while Ellen, Archer, and I handle the drug.
“How are we supposed to destroy their supply? Has Lexie made any progress with David’s notes?” I reach for another slice of the pizza that was delivered half an hour ago while Alice glares daggers at me. I ignore her. “Where are Lexie and Coral, by the way?”
“We’ve got them set up in a short-term rental a few miles from here.” Archer rubs the back of his neck and makes a notation on his list of preparations. “Lexie is doing the best she can, but it’s slow going. David was a brilliant Caster and an incredible scientist. I think she’ll get there, but not before Monday. Elder Keating is working on a plan B. She said she’d stop by later tonight with the finished potion.”
“And what about Benton?” I ask cautiously, trying to keep my voice as neutral as possible. “Do we think he’ll be there?”
The four of them share a worried look.
“I’m not going to fall apart. I’m well aware that he’s out there somewhere.” I pause, and when no one challenges my claim, I continue. “Did Riley or the other two know anything?”
Alice leans back in her chair. “Those three might as well be feral kittens for all the good they’ve done.”
A bell chimes throughout the house. “That’ll be Elder Keating,” Archer says, and leaves to answer the door. With Benton loose, he stopped leaving it unlocked.
When he returns with Elder Keating, the atmosphere in the dining room shifts. I sit up a little taller, but I notice Alice lowers her gaze to the table.
Elder Keating beams when she sees me. “Good to have you back on board, Hannah.”
Before I can thank her, she reaches into her oversized purse and pulls out a vial of potion. Inside the crystal container, the liquid is as dark as night. It seems to absorb the light around it, like some kind of miniature black hole.
She hands the vial to me. “Be very careful with this. It’ll destroy any liquid, including the drug. Unfortunately, it’s extremely volatile. Don’t let it come in contact with broken skin. It’ll burn up your blood as easily as it’ll destroy the cure.”
“Are you sure I should be the one handling this?”
“Would you prefer to burn the paper copies of their research or help Cal establish access to their digital files?” Keating asks, but she doesn’t give me time to answer. “You’ve earned the right to destroy the thing that has taken so much from you.”
I cradle the vial gingerly in my hands. “Thank you.” The words aren’t big enough for what this means to me, but I hope she understands anyway.
“You’re welcome.” Elder Keating smiles softly and bids us goodnight. When she’s gone, Archer clears his throat. “All right then. From the top.”
* * *
By Sunday night, the plan has ingrained itself into my brain, running on a constant loop.