wouldn’t be as safe once I walked away from Fred, but I had to hear what Diego had wanted to tell me. What had happened?
I should have stayed with him to meet Riley.
I followed Riley through the room, keeping my head down. He gave Raoul a few instructions, nodded to Kristie, and then went
up the stairs. From the corners of my eyes I saw a few people curiously watch the direction he was going.
Riley passed through the door first, and the kitchen of the home was, as he’d promised, totally black. He motioned for me
to keep following and led me through a dark hall past a few open bedroom doors, then through another door with a dead bolt.
We ended up in the garage.
“You’re brave,” he commented in a very low voice. “Or really trusting. I thought it would be more work to get you upstairs
with the sun up.”
Whoops. I should have been more skittish. Too late now. I shrugged.
“So you and Diego are pretty tight, right?” he asked, just breathing the words. Probably, if everyone were silent in the basement,
they would still be able to hear him, but it was pretty noisy down there right now.
I shrugged again. “He saved my life,” I whispered.
Riley lifted his chin, almost but not quite a nod, and appraised. Did he believe me? Did he think I still feared the day?
“He’s the best,” Riley said. “The smartest kid I’ve got.”
I nodded once.
“We had a little meeting about the situation. We agreed that we need some surveillance. Going in blind is too dangerous. He’s
the only one I trust to scout ahead.” He exhaled, almost angrily. “Wish I had two of him! Raoul’s got too short a fuse and
Kristie is too self-absorbed to get the big picture, but they’re the best I’ve got, and I’ll have to make do. Diego said you
were smart, too.”
I waited, not sure how much of our story Riley knew.
“I need your help with Fred. Wow, that kid is strong! I couldn’t even look at him tonight.”
I nodded cautiously again.
“Imagine if our enemies can’t even look at us. It will be so
easy
!”
I didn’t think Fred would like that idea, but maybe I was wrong. He didn’t seem like he cared anything for this coven of ours.
Would he want to save us? I didn’t respond to Riley.
“You spend a lot of time with him.”
I shrugged. “Nobody bothers me there. It’s not easy.”
Riley pursed his lips and nodded. “Smart, like Diego said.”
“Where is Diego?”
I shouldn’t have asked. The words just ripped out of their own accord. I waited anxiously, trying to look indifferent and
most likely failing.
“We don’t have time to waste. I sent him south the second I found out what was coming. If our enemies decide to attack early,
we need the advance warning. Diego will meet up with us when we move against them.”
I tried to imagine where Diego was now. I wished I were there with him. Maybe I could talk him out of doing Riley’s bidding
and putting himself in the line of fire in the process. But maybe not. It seemed like Diego was thick with Riley, just like
I’d worried.
“Diego wanted me to tell you something.”
My eyes snapped to his face. Too fast, too eager. Blew it again.
“Sounded like nonsense to me. He said, ‘Tell Bree I’ve got the handshake figured out. I’ll show her in four days, when we
meet up.’ I have no idea what that means. Do you?”
I tried to force a poker face. “Maybe. He did say something about needing a secret handshake. For his underwater cave. Some
kind of password. He was just kidding around, though. I’m not sure what he means now.”
Riley chuckled. “Poor Diego.”
“What?”
“I think that kid likes you a lot more than you like him.”
“Oh.” I looked away, confused. Was Diego giving me this message as a way to let me know I could trust Riley? But he hadn’t
told Riley I knew about the sun. Still, he must have trusted Riley to tell him so much, to show Riley that he cared about
me. I thought it would be
I should have stayed with him to meet Riley.
I followed Riley through the room, keeping my head down. He gave Raoul a few instructions, nodded to Kristie, and then went
up the stairs. From the corners of my eyes I saw a few people curiously watch the direction he was going.
Riley passed through the door first, and the kitchen of the home was, as he’d promised, totally black. He motioned for me
to keep following and led me through a dark hall past a few open bedroom doors, then through another door with a dead bolt.
We ended up in the garage.
“You’re brave,” he commented in a very low voice. “Or really trusting. I thought it would be more work to get you upstairs
with the sun up.”
Whoops. I should have been more skittish. Too late now. I shrugged.
“So you and Diego are pretty tight, right?” he asked, just breathing the words. Probably, if everyone were silent in the basement,
they would still be able to hear him, but it was pretty noisy down there right now.
I shrugged again. “He saved my life,” I whispered.
Riley lifted his chin, almost but not quite a nod, and appraised. Did he believe me? Did he think I still feared the day?
“He’s the best,” Riley said. “The smartest kid I’ve got.”
I nodded once.
“We had a little meeting about the situation. We agreed that we need some surveillance. Going in blind is too dangerous. He’s
the only one I trust to scout ahead.” He exhaled, almost angrily. “Wish I had two of him! Raoul’s got too short a fuse and
Kristie is too self-absorbed to get the big picture, but they’re the best I’ve got, and I’ll have to make do. Diego said you
were smart, too.”
I waited, not sure how much of our story Riley knew.
“I need your help with Fred. Wow, that kid is strong! I couldn’t even look at him tonight.”
I nodded cautiously again.
“Imagine if our enemies can’t even look at us. It will be so
easy
!”
I didn’t think Fred would like that idea, but maybe I was wrong. He didn’t seem like he cared anything for this coven of ours.
Would he want to save us? I didn’t respond to Riley.
“You spend a lot of time with him.”
I shrugged. “Nobody bothers me there. It’s not easy.”
Riley pursed his lips and nodded. “Smart, like Diego said.”
“Where is Diego?”
I shouldn’t have asked. The words just ripped out of their own accord. I waited anxiously, trying to look indifferent and
most likely failing.
“We don’t have time to waste. I sent him south the second I found out what was coming. If our enemies decide to attack early,
we need the advance warning. Diego will meet up with us when we move against them.”
I tried to imagine where Diego was now. I wished I were there with him. Maybe I could talk him out of doing Riley’s bidding
and putting himself in the line of fire in the process. But maybe not. It seemed like Diego was thick with Riley, just like
I’d worried.
“Diego wanted me to tell you something.”
My eyes snapped to his face. Too fast, too eager. Blew it again.
“Sounded like nonsense to me. He said, ‘Tell Bree I’ve got the handshake figured out. I’ll show her in four days, when we
meet up.’ I have no idea what that means. Do you?”
I tried to force a poker face. “Maybe. He did say something about needing a secret handshake. For his underwater cave. Some
kind of password. He was just kidding around, though. I’m not sure what he means now.”
Riley chuckled. “Poor Diego.”
“What?”
“I think that kid likes you a lot more than you like him.”
“Oh.” I looked away, confused. Was Diego giving me this message as a way to let me know I could trust Riley? But he hadn’t
told Riley I knew about the sun. Still, he must have trusted Riley to tell him so much, to show Riley that he cared about
me. I thought it would be
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