said.
Elise shot the Union members a cold look. “Yes. You will.”
VII
T he Union dropped Elise and Anthony off at the edge of town. He waited until the black SUV headed back to camp before speaking.
“Seriously, screw those guys,” Anthony said. Elise slowly, carefully, tried to flex the fingers on her broken hand, but it was too painful. Her weekend was not off to a good start. “You know this is a trap, right? They know we’re lying. They’ve only let us go so they can mess with us later.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m going back to Las Vegas.”
Anthony blinked in surprise. “You can’t be running away.”
“I’m not. I need answers, and the only person who might have them is McIntyre. And I’m not going to wait to see what the Union will do to us next.”
“He’s going to be busy with his wife, don’t you think?” Anthony asked, frowning.
“They broke my hand,” she growled, shaking her bandaged fist at him. “I’m going to break the other one on his face if he knew that we were going to deal with murder charges.”
He pushed her wrist down—gently. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
“You’re not coming. You have to attend the meetings and do your duty as kopis.”
“But I’m not—”
“Shh.” She put her unbroken hand over his mouth and glanced around. They were on an empty street corner. The only person she could see was another hot, exhausted kopis dragging himself toward the high school gym. But just because nobody was watching didn’t mean they weren’t listening.
He whispered into her ear. “I don’t know anything about… anything .”
“You know something about this. Trust me. There’s only one issue on the agenda—a violated quarantine on an ethereal dimension,” Elise said. Anthony stared at her blankly. “Because someone opened a gate.”
Realization dawned. “Oh. Oh . That’s bad.”
“At the meeting today, they will discuss who needs to be responsible for guarding the gates. The Union will make a case for it being their job and insist on stationing a unit or six in Reno. I don’t want those assholes anywhere near the gate. You need to insist that the local overlord guard the gate instead.”
“But you killed her.” He lowered his voice. “The Night Hag is dead.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It kind of matters a lot,” Anthony said. “I can’t face down some crazy organization on my own. Especially not with angels and demons and God only knows—”
She cut him off with a hand on his chest. “Just do it. This is important.”
“Then you do it!”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m taking care of McIntyre. You take care of the gate. Got it?”
She walked away.
“Elise,” he said. When she didn’t turn around, he repeated louder, “Elise!”
“Leticia,” she shot back over her shoulder.
Elise ducked into the gas station before heading out. She soaked her button-up shirt in the sink and wrapped it around her hair. Then she walked out of town, past the trailers, beyond the “Welcome to Silver Wells, Land of Plenty!” sign, and hiked up the hill to the abandoned the car. Her shirt was soaked with sweat by the time she reached it.
Elise opened the car, grimaced at the blast of hot air, and used the open door to push it onto the road. Only one of her arms was any good, so she leaned her shoulder against the metal. It burned through her shirt.
She pushed it about a quarter mile before getting behind the wheel. Elise turned the key. The engine groaned as the dashboard flickered to life.
The drive to Las Vegas left her plenty of time to stew in anger. After all those years of teaming up with McIntyre—after they had taken down a whole legion together—and he had walked her straight into a trap. Elise didn’t trust many people, but she had trusted McIntyre. It was a mistake she wouldn’t make again.
Are you okay?
James’s voice was tentative in the back of her skull. She tightened her good hand on the steering
Elise shot the Union members a cold look. “Yes. You will.”
VII
T he Union dropped Elise and Anthony off at the edge of town. He waited until the black SUV headed back to camp before speaking.
“Seriously, screw those guys,” Anthony said. Elise slowly, carefully, tried to flex the fingers on her broken hand, but it was too painful. Her weekend was not off to a good start. “You know this is a trap, right? They know we’re lying. They’ve only let us go so they can mess with us later.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m going back to Las Vegas.”
Anthony blinked in surprise. “You can’t be running away.”
“I’m not. I need answers, and the only person who might have them is McIntyre. And I’m not going to wait to see what the Union will do to us next.”
“He’s going to be busy with his wife, don’t you think?” Anthony asked, frowning.
“They broke my hand,” she growled, shaking her bandaged fist at him. “I’m going to break the other one on his face if he knew that we were going to deal with murder charges.”
He pushed her wrist down—gently. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”
“You’re not coming. You have to attend the meetings and do your duty as kopis.”
“But I’m not—”
“Shh.” She put her unbroken hand over his mouth and glanced around. They were on an empty street corner. The only person she could see was another hot, exhausted kopis dragging himself toward the high school gym. But just because nobody was watching didn’t mean they weren’t listening.
He whispered into her ear. “I don’t know anything about… anything .”
“You know something about this. Trust me. There’s only one issue on the agenda—a violated quarantine on an ethereal dimension,” Elise said. Anthony stared at her blankly. “Because someone opened a gate.”
Realization dawned. “Oh. Oh . That’s bad.”
“At the meeting today, they will discuss who needs to be responsible for guarding the gates. The Union will make a case for it being their job and insist on stationing a unit or six in Reno. I don’t want those assholes anywhere near the gate. You need to insist that the local overlord guard the gate instead.”
“But you killed her.” He lowered his voice. “The Night Hag is dead.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It kind of matters a lot,” Anthony said. “I can’t face down some crazy organization on my own. Especially not with angels and demons and God only knows—”
She cut him off with a hand on his chest. “Just do it. This is important.”
“Then you do it!”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’m taking care of McIntyre. You take care of the gate. Got it?”
She walked away.
“Elise,” he said. When she didn’t turn around, he repeated louder, “Elise!”
“Leticia,” she shot back over her shoulder.
Elise ducked into the gas station before heading out. She soaked her button-up shirt in the sink and wrapped it around her hair. Then she walked out of town, past the trailers, beyond the “Welcome to Silver Wells, Land of Plenty!” sign, and hiked up the hill to the abandoned the car. Her shirt was soaked with sweat by the time she reached it.
Elise opened the car, grimaced at the blast of hot air, and used the open door to push it onto the road. Only one of her arms was any good, so she leaned her shoulder against the metal. It burned through her shirt.
She pushed it about a quarter mile before getting behind the wheel. Elise turned the key. The engine groaned as the dashboard flickered to life.
The drive to Las Vegas left her plenty of time to stew in anger. After all those years of teaming up with McIntyre—after they had taken down a whole legion together—and he had walked her straight into a trap. Elise didn’t trust many people, but she had trusted McIntyre. It was a mistake she wouldn’t make again.
Are you okay?
James’s voice was tentative in the back of her skull. She tightened her good hand on the steering
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