Part 13 (1/2)

I turned to see Savannah in the kitchen doorway, binoculars in her hand, a troubled look in her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder, toward the front window.

”Let me guess, we have new lawn ornaments.”

She didn't smile. ”No, that's not-well, yes we do, but they've been there for a while. I was peeking out now and then, seeing how many there were. Then, a few minutes ago, I thought I saw a woman with red hair standing down the street, so I grabbed these to check.”

I jolted up from the chair. ”Leah.”

Savannah nodded and fidgeted with the binoculars. ”I was watching her-”

”You don't need to worry, hon. Robert faxed me some notes last night about Volos, and if she's more than twenty yards away, she's too far to hurt us. One good thing about having a crowd out front is that she won't dare get too close.”

”It's-it's not that.” She glanced at the window again and squinted, as if trying to see Leah in the distance. ”I was watching, right? And this car drove up. She walked onto the road, and the driver pulled over, and. . .” Savannah inhaled and pa.s.sed me the gla.s.ses. ”I think you need to see this. You can see better from my room.”

I went into Savannah's room and walked to the window. There were at least a half-dozen cars lining our street, but my gaze immediately went to one parked five doors down, across the road. As I saw the small, white four-door, my breath caught. I told myself I was wrong. It was a common type of car. But even as I lifted the binoculars to my eyes, I knew what I would see.

There were two people in the front seat of the car. Leah sat in the pa.s.senger's seat. And on the driver's side? Lucas Cortez.

”Maybe there's an explanation,” Savannah said.

”If there is, I'm getting it now.”

I strode into the kitchen, picked up the cordless phone and hit redial. The line connected to Cortez's cell phone. Again, he answered on the third ring.

”Lucas Cortez.”

”Hey, it's me, Paige,” I said, forcing lightness into my voice. ”Any chance you could pick up some cream on the way into town? There's a corner store right off the highway. Are you there yet?”

”No, not yet. I'm running a few minutes behind.”

The lie came smoothly, without a millisecond of hesitation. You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I clutched the phone tighter.

”Do you prefer table cream or half-and-half?” he asked.

”Half-and-half,” I managed to say.

I lifted the binoculars. He was still there. Beside him, Leah leaned back against the pa.s.senger door.

I continued, ”Oh, and be careful when you drive in. I've got people hanging around my place. Don't pick up any hitchhikers.”

A pause now. Brief, but a definite hesitation. ”Yes, of course.”

”Especially redheaded half-demons,” I said. ”They're the worst kind.”

A long pause, as if he was weighing the possibility that this was a coincidental joke.

”I can explain,” he said finally.

”Oh, I'm sure you can.”

I hung up.

Chapter 17.

Grief on the Run After hanging up on Cortez, I stormed into the kitchen and slammed the phone into the cradle so hard that it bounced out again. I scrambled to grab it before it hit the floor. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely get it back into the cradle.

I stared down at my hands. I felt. . . I felt betrayed, and the depth of that feeling surprised me. What had I expected? It's like the parable about the scorpion and the frog. I knew what Cortez was when I let him into my life. I should have expected betrayal. But I hadn't.

At some deep level, I'd trusted him and, in some ways, that betrayal stung even more than the Coven's. With the Coven, I'd hoped for support, but deep down I knew better than to expect it. They'd told me from the start that they wouldn't help. That was rejection, not betrayal. Cortez had taken advantage of that rejection to insinuate himself in my life.

”Paige?”

I turned to Savannah.

”I thought he was okay, too,” she said. ”He tricked us both.”

The phone rang. I knew who it was without checking caller ID. He'd had just enough time now to get Leah out of his car. I let the machine answer.

”Paige? It's Lucas. Please pick up. I'd like to speak to you.”

”Yeah,” Savannah muttered. ”I'm sure you would.”

”I can explain,” he continued. ”I was driving to your house and Leah hailed me. Naturally I was curious, so I pulled over and she asked to speak to me. I agreed-”

I grabbed the receiver.

”I don't care why the h.e.l.l you spoke to her,” I said. ”You lied about it.”

”And that was a mistake. I fully admit that, Paige. You caught me off guard when you called and-”

”And you had to stumble and stammer for an excuse, right? Bulls.h.i.+t. You lied without a moment's hesitation. You lied so smoothly I bet a lie detector wouldn't have caught it. I don't care about why you spoke to Leah, I care about how easily you lied, and do you know why? Because now I know you've got a talent for it.”

A slight pause. ”Yes, that's true, but-”

”Well, at least you're honest about that. You're a skilled liar, Cortez, and that tells me that I can't believe anything you've said to me so far.”

”I can see where-”

”What I saw out there today only convinces me that my first instinct was right. You're working for the Nasts. I told myself that doesn't make sense, but now I get it. They made sure it wouldn't make sense.”

”How-?”

”I'm a programmer, right? I think logically. Send me a smooth, sophisticated, well-dressed sorcerer, and I'd see through that scam in a minute. But send you and I'll say, this guy can't work for a Cabal. It doesn't make sense. It's not logical. And that was the whole idea.”

A pause, so long I wondered if he'd hung up.