17 Chapter 15 – Hess – Iteration 144 (2/2)

”I'm not coming back to the farm,” Zack said.

”That's a shame. Well, you called to talk to Lacey. Here she is.”

”Zack?” Lacey's voice climbed octaves as she spoke. ”Why are they doing this? I'm afraid for the baby. Oh, God, Zack, I am so afraid. She smashed my fucking hand with a hammer. Please, Zack, please . . . I don't know what I'm asking. Just, it's the baby. I don't want the baby to die.”

Erik's voice returned. ”I can do a lot worse than a hammer, Hess. I can cut her unborn child out of her and slice the thing into pieces while she watches. By the standard of these creatures, I'm pretty deranged, Hess. This woman would die a death more horrifying than you can imagine. Mutilation means something to a mortal that it never could to us. We see a mangled limb and wait for the thing to fix itself, but they see a piece of themselves irreversibly destroyed. You can't imagine how easy it is to terrorize them.”

There was silence on the line as Zack thought. Finally, Erik spoke again. ”How about a compromise?”

”You want to catch me. I don't want caught. Not much room for compromise.”

”We've just got to be a little creative, Hess. Stop treating things all binary-like. Instead of caught and not-caught, let's deal in degrees of risk. I'm willing to release Lacey to you in a time and location you choose. You can make it as public or as remote as your soft heart desires. The only stipulation is that you show alone.”

Zack sighed. ”Deal. We'll meet at the parking lot of buffalo plaza.”

”Less than a mile from a police station. Well played, Hess. Just make sure you show alone. The professionals haven't been playing these games for nearly as long as I have. How long will it take you to get there from the . . . Tarentum Hyatt?”

Caller ID. He grabbed the room key. ”I'll be there at ten.” The moment he slammed the phone home, Zack was running through the door. They are always two steps ahead of me.