he wasn’t really one of them. She hadn’t yet told them that he wouldn’t be joining them tonight. She knew it was cowardly, but she’d put off this discussion as long as possible, knowing it would break the town house’s fragile sense of peace. ‘He’s not coming with us tonight,’ she said slowly.
‘He’s with his sister,’ Maeve guessed in the pause that Jane’s discomfort left.
‘She was really upset,’ Jane confirmed, not quite looking at anyone in particular. Malcolm had read her a few of Annette’s increasingly frantic text messages until she had to ask him to stop – Annette’s panic was so intense that it began to feel contagious, and she needed a clear head right now. ‘Apparently Lynne told her that there was some kind of supersecret family initiation tonight and she totally freaked out. Malcolm tried to calm her down, but she begged him to pick her up at the house this afternoon and help her get out of the city.’
Emer nodded her approval, but Harris’s voice sliced through the air like a knife. ‘What did Malcolm tell her, exactly, to “calm her down”?’ Jane frowned, not understanding why the phrase would sound so sinister to him, and after a moment he clarified. ‘Did he tell her that we’d figured out how to break down the door? That we could find her mother – or at least, her tools – as soon as we got inside? That we know the earliest moment the spell could begin, because we have
Ella
’s call history? That Grandma knows how to trap Hasina between bodies?’
‘In other words, “our entire plan,” ’ Dee translated from the doorway, twisting her tawny hands together.
Jane froze, her tongue feeling heavy and uncooperative. ‘She was—’
‘Scared,’ Emer finished for her. ‘Sending frightened messages.’ Her voice was flat, and her face unreadable.
‘She was,’ Jane insisted, trying to fight off the new, squeaky note in her voice. She knew the truth – she had seen it on Annette’s face just a few days ago. Of course Harris doubted Annette’s sincerity. He hadn’t seen the horror that slowly overtook her, the pure fear etched into her features as though with a knife. Jane wished she could explain in a way that would show him what she had seen. ‘Look, I don’t know for sure how much Malcolm told her about any of that, but he’s with her right now. He’d tell us if anything had gone wrong.’ Her last words met a resounding silence that reminded her of the breathless pause before thunder.
When the thunder came, it started off deceptively softly. ‘Call it off,’ Harris growled, then he turned to include the rest of the room. ‘The whole thing is off, starting now.’
‘We can’t do that,’ Maeve temporized, but Harris was still gaining steam.
‘Jane. Can you reach him? He’s in a car with Hasina’s new body, so either he’s in on it, or he’s in danger. He has to pick one. Tell him that he drives his sister into an overpass this minute, or he’s not setting foot in this house again.’
His grandmother cleared her throat warningly, clearly gearing up to remind him whose house this actually was, but Jane found her voice first.
‘No one’s calling anything off,’ she insisted, wishing that she hadn’t delayed this conversation to begin with.
Harris leaped to his feet. ‘The hell we’re not,’ he shot back, his voice a low snarl. ‘They’re waiting for us. If you think any of us is going to follow you into the trap your boyfriend and his sister have set, you’re absolutely insane.’
‘Harris,’ Dee murmured, her amber eyes flicking anxiously between him and Jane. ‘Can we hear her out?’
He snapped his mouth angrily shut, crossed his arms across his triangular torso, and waited expectantly.
Thanks, Dee,
Jane thought silently at her friend, unsure how much of her own thought was sarcasm. ‘It’s not a trap,’ she began, improvising wildly as she went.
‘I think I love him’ isn’t going to be on anyone’s top-ten list
‘He’s with his sister,’ Maeve guessed in the pause that Jane’s discomfort left.
‘She was really upset,’ Jane confirmed, not quite looking at anyone in particular. Malcolm had read her a few of Annette’s increasingly frantic text messages until she had to ask him to stop – Annette’s panic was so intense that it began to feel contagious, and she needed a clear head right now. ‘Apparently Lynne told her that there was some kind of supersecret family initiation tonight and she totally freaked out. Malcolm tried to calm her down, but she begged him to pick her up at the house this afternoon and help her get out of the city.’
Emer nodded her approval, but Harris’s voice sliced through the air like a knife. ‘What did Malcolm tell her, exactly, to “calm her down”?’ Jane frowned, not understanding why the phrase would sound so sinister to him, and after a moment he clarified. ‘Did he tell her that we’d figured out how to break down the door? That we could find her mother – or at least, her tools – as soon as we got inside? That we know the earliest moment the spell could begin, because we have
Ella
’s call history? That Grandma knows how to trap Hasina between bodies?’
‘In other words, “our entire plan,” ’ Dee translated from the doorway, twisting her tawny hands together.
Jane froze, her tongue feeling heavy and uncooperative. ‘She was—’
‘Scared,’ Emer finished for her. ‘Sending frightened messages.’ Her voice was flat, and her face unreadable.
‘She was,’ Jane insisted, trying to fight off the new, squeaky note in her voice. She knew the truth – she had seen it on Annette’s face just a few days ago. Of course Harris doubted Annette’s sincerity. He hadn’t seen the horror that slowly overtook her, the pure fear etched into her features as though with a knife. Jane wished she could explain in a way that would show him what she had seen. ‘Look, I don’t know for sure how much Malcolm told her about any of that, but he’s with her right now. He’d tell us if anything had gone wrong.’ Her last words met a resounding silence that reminded her of the breathless pause before thunder.
When the thunder came, it started off deceptively softly. ‘Call it off,’ Harris growled, then he turned to include the rest of the room. ‘The whole thing is off, starting now.’
‘We can’t do that,’ Maeve temporized, but Harris was still gaining steam.
‘Jane. Can you reach him? He’s in a car with Hasina’s new body, so either he’s in on it, or he’s in danger. He has to pick one. Tell him that he drives his sister into an overpass this minute, or he’s not setting foot in this house again.’
His grandmother cleared her throat warningly, clearly gearing up to remind him whose house this actually was, but Jane found her voice first.
‘No one’s calling anything off,’ she insisted, wishing that she hadn’t delayed this conversation to begin with.
Harris leaped to his feet. ‘The hell we’re not,’ he shot back, his voice a low snarl. ‘They’re waiting for us. If you think any of us is going to follow you into the trap your boyfriend and his sister have set, you’re absolutely insane.’
‘Harris,’ Dee murmured, her amber eyes flicking anxiously between him and Jane. ‘Can we hear her out?’
He snapped his mouth angrily shut, crossed his arms across his triangular torso, and waited expectantly.
Thanks, Dee,
Jane thought silently at her friend, unsure how much of her own thought was sarcasm. ‘It’s not a trap,’ she began, improvising wildly as she went.
‘I think I love him’ isn’t going to be on anyone’s top-ten list
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