CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

 

AFTER OUR SHOPPING trip, we met Ethan in front of the Gansevoort Hotel with a handful of shopping bags each and a brand spanking new suitcase. We led him up to the room before we talked shop.

“So what were you able to work out with Aiden?” I asked.

Ethan ran through the bags of supplies he and Aiden had purchased, going through each of their uses to counter the anti-fae protections that Ethan knew were in play at Bayview. There were crystals in an array of colors and shapes, incense in a range of scents, as well as some rowan wood talismans and fae court flags.

I was amazed they’d been able to amass such a collection so quickly and commented on it.

His toothy grin in response told me the compliment was more than welcome. “It’s easy when you know where to look.”

After Ethan described the items he’d gathered and all of their uses. He explained how they’d fit into the plan that he and Aiden had strategized over. Then Ethan ran through the different levels of Rain operatives we might encounter. Clay chipped in where he could with the various symbols each level might wear.

“Have you got all that?” Ethan asked me once they’d gone through it all.

“I think so.” I paused for a moment to make sure it made sense in my mind before reciting the list back. “The raindrop pin means that they know about others, but that they’re not actually part of the Rain. A normal operative might have the Rain symbol displayed on them somewhere. An Assessor will have a rune that looks a little like an F somewhere on them, like a watch or on a pendant. An Elite will likely have something with the dove on it,” I touched the pendant around my neck as I said the word, “but it might not be on display.”

“There shouldn’t be too many Elites there though,” Clay assured me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. When I glanced up at him, he seemed to be biting back a new plea for me to stay away. He glanced away from me after our eyes met. “Abe for sure. Ben maybe. At least, if he’s not on assignment.”

“And us,” Ethan added.

Clay’s mouth screwed up, and he rolled his eyes. I could see the direction of his thoughts even though he didn’t voice them. Being an Elite meant nothing in light of the revelations about their heritage on their mother’s side.

I pressed on in an attempt to end the awkward moment. “Most importantly, I should assume everyone is an operative unless I know for certain they’re not.”

Ethan grinned at me. “And you’ve got your cover all set?”

Swallowing down my nerves, I tried out a few words in a Swedish accent.

Ethan nodded along in response to my attempt. “Not quite perfect, but I think it’ll do.”

Without pause, the conversation moved on to the next part of the plan. We were so completely engrossed in our planning session that when Ethan’s phone rang, it startled us all. He checked it and muttered a quiet, “Oh shit.”

“What?” Clay asked.

“It’s Dad. Just . . . stay quiet.” He flipped the phone open. “Hey, Dad.”

My heart hammered against my chest thinking that on the other end of the open phone line was the man responsible for causing untold damage to both his family and mine. Clay’s hand closed around mine, and his eyes echoed the same concerns.

“Down in New York,” Ethan answered the unheard question. “I found out Abe’s got some fae chick that’s causing him trouble, so I thought I’d see if I can help.”

A sickening feeling rose up in my throat at the bit of truth in his statement. The best lie was often one made up by partial truths, but to hear him be so casual about it—making it clear it was something he could have done in the past—reminded me of the way things had been until only fairly recently. The way things still were for their father and sister.

“Nah, don’t worry about that,” Ethan continued into the phone. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

I wished I knew what Troy was saying. Not knowing was causing my anxiety to show in my limbs as they bounced uncontrollably and radiated with heat. Clay rested his hand on my knee to still my nerves. Glancing at him, I could see all of my fears reflected in his eyes. I wanted to soothe him in return, but I didn’t have enough control over my emotions to get my warmth in check. My voice was lost to the fear.

“There’s really no need for you two to be here as well.” It was obvious by his tone that Ethan was backtracking about something. “I guess. I mean, if you think it will help. I’m going to head to the Bayview the day after tomorrow. I’ve got some other business to attend to first.”

He spun back toward us and swore under his breath.

“Well, you know how fine the honeys down here are.”

He sighed.

“Yes, sir.”

After he’d hung up the phone, he tossed it roughly onto his bed.

“Dad’s coming, isn’t he?” Clay asked.

“How’d you guess?” Ethan replied sarcastically.

Clay ignored his tone and asked, “Do you think he knows that I’m here?”

“I don’t know. He definitely seemed interested in why I was in New York, and I don’t think he bought my excuse that I was here to offer unbidden assistance. If anything it made him more interested in coming.”

“If the Rain is holding Mackenzie because of who her mother is, then I think your Dad would probably know they have her,” I said. “And he’d know who she was to you. He’d want to make sure you had no chance of seeing her, no chance of finding out about the relationship. No doubt, he still thinks you’re in the dark about the truth.”

Ethan growled, finally comprehending Clay’s earlier statements about their father’s past actions.

“Well, he’s not going to have much of a chance to stop me.” He held out his hand. “Give me your cell,” he said to Clay.

Clay grabbed the phone from his pocket and handed it over. Ethan gathered up both of the handsets and headed for the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Pack up that stuff into the suitcase Evie’s going to take with her. If we’re smuggling supplies into the Bayview, the easiest way will be to cart them into a guest room rather than carrying them through security and into the offices.”

I was relieved that the choices Clay and I had made—getting the suitcase and outfits to fit into the hoax of me being a guest—earlier in the day had provided a good opportunity to get the items necessary to aid our invasion of the Bayview Hotel. Glancing quickly at Clay, he seemed to be as well. I wondered whether it helped ease his concerns about being useless.

After Ethan had left, Clay shifted to hold me in his arms. “He’ll hide the phones away from here so that Dad can’t track us to this hotel,” he explained.

I nodded, figuring that was Ethan’s intention.

“How soon could your father be here?”

“If he was in Boston as well, then he’s about three hours away. But he’ll want to be prepared, so I think the earliest he’ll leave will be first thing in the morning. I don’t know what we can do about it though, other than hope we get lucky and miss him.”

“Do you think the plan will be different if your Dad arrives?”

“Who knows?” He sighed. “The whole plan is riddled with holes already, but we can’t really change it now without having to put more time into planning. It’s anyone’s guess what might happen to Mackenzie by then.”

It was almost suicidal considering how little we would know until after we’d already walked into the lion’s den.

“They might even kill her if they think she’s a liability,” he murmured with a scowl.

I shuddered at the thought.

“Who’s the man that Ethan mentioned?” I asked, trying to stave away the stress that the empty silences seemed to allow into my mind.

“Abe?”

“Yeah.”

“Abraham Rogers. He’s a good friend of Dad’s and the head of the New York division for the Rain. He ran Bayview when it was a prison. I guess he must have taken on some role in the hotel after it was converted.”

“Do you think he knew about your mom?”

Clay was taken aback at the suggestion, as though it was impossible to even consider it, but after a moment, he frowned and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I guess he could have. Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore.” He scrubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t even know who to trust.”

“You can trust me.”

He rolled his eyes as if what I’d said was too obvious to need to be voiced. “I just want to know who tortured Lou. I want them to pay for what they did to her.”

“And find Mackenzie,” I said quietly, reminding him of the other reason we were going—the reason that I believed it was worth risking my life for.

“Of course,” he said absently.

“We’re doing the right thing,” I said, as much to convince myself as to allay Clay’s concerns.

“I hope so,” he said quietly. “But I can’t help feeling that Eth and I are dragging people to their deaths.”

“You’re not dragging anyone. Everyone is volunteering. Even if you refused to take everyone with you, I think they’d try to find their own way in, regardless of the heightened risk. I know I would.”

“If you want to back out at any time, just say the word. No one will think any less of you for not going tomorrow.”

I noticed that, unlike the last few times he’d mentioned it, he wasn’t telling me that I couldn’t go, or refusing to allow me a choice in the matter, and I was thankful for it. In return, I needed to try to explain the reasons that compelled me to want to do it. “I know, but I want to do this. I want to protect Mackenzie from her pain. I need to. I can’t help it; it’s part of who I am.”

He held me in his arms for a while, both of us needing a moment of quiet introspection. An hour and a half later, we roused ourselves from the darkness, selected the best outfit for me to wear for our assault on the Bayview Hotel, and packed everything else up into the suitcase. While we worked, we talked about the information we’d discovered online, trying to determine the best option. We were as ready as we could be given the meager amount of information we had to go on.

Ethan returned to the room shortly after we’d finished packing. His lips were twisted into a wide, almost manic, grin that stretched from ear to ear.

“What is it?” Clay asked curiously.

“I hid the phones in the back of a cab,” he said, chuckling through his explanation. “If Dad tries to track them, he’ll be led all over New York. I got these in place of the ones I had to ditch.” He threw a phone each to Clay and I, they were basic models, but at least we’d have a method of communication. “How are you two doing here?”

“All done,” Clay said.

“Did you find a way to get around the heat monitors?”

“Kind of.” Clay grimaced. There was only one real solution we’d found that multiple websites had confirmed. The rest were possibilities that we planned for, despite having no guarantee they’d work.

“Glass,” I said.

“Glass?” Ethan asked with a skeptical edge to his voice. “That’s your ingenious plan?”

“Apparently the infrared doesn’t work through glass,” Clay explained. “So if we can cover the lenses, at least temporarily, we’ll be able to sneak Evie past them.”

“Do you think that’s actually possible?” Ethan’s voice held the skepticism we’d both felt earlier.

“Probably not,” I admitted.

“Okay, so what exactly is the plan?” Ethan asked with the edge still apparent in his tone.

“You and I need to go in first,” Clay said. “If we arrive wanting to see Abe, I’m sure they’ll let us in. We can pretend that I’m back because I’ve seen the error of my ways.”

“What about Oxford?”

“I’ll just say it was a misunderstanding.”

Oxford? I mouthed the word to Clay who shook his head to indicate it wasn’t important.

“He’s definitely more likely to buy that bull than Dad would be. Abe always had a soft spot for you and Lou.”

“Do you think that soft spot is guilt?” Clay asked. No doubt my question was playing in his head.

“I don’t think you can think about things like that until we know some more facts. For now, keep your head in the game because we need to worry about getting Mack out of there first.”

“Mack?” I asked, wondering whether I’d correctly understood who he was referring to. If I was right, his primary goal was closer to mine than Clay’s.

“Well, if she’s my sis, I’ll have to give her some nickname. It’s only fair.”

Clay’s mouth twisted in disgust. “Let’s just leave the ‘S’ word out of this for now too, huh?”

“Whatever, bro, but that’s what she is, whether you like the word or not. You can deny it all you want, but it won’t change one simple fact. She is Mom’s daughter, which makes her our sister.”

“Okay, so after you get in to see Abe, how are you going to clear the way?” I asked, trying to shift the focus back to the plan to give Clay some relief. “If we’re going with the glass, how will I know that it’s in place?”

“I don’t know where the sensors are or what they look like,” Ethan admitted. “We’ll have to think of something when we get there, and that’s assuming that we even can. If you give us half an hour, we’ll do everything we can to put them out of commission.”

“That’s not good enough,” Clay said. “You’re risking exposing Evie if anything goes wrong.”

“There are other ways to avoid detection,” I reminded him. “We saw some other stuff about dark clothing being less reflective of the heat,” I explained to Ethan. “The outfit we’ve left out should be dark enough, and if I cover up at the last minute with the freezer-chilled gloves and scarf, it should be sufficient to get me through the lobby even if you can’t get the glass in place in time.”

I could see that Clay wanted to argue, but I also knew that he was weighing all of the risks. If his Dad had made the drive down to the Bayview Hotel before we arrived, his reappearance would be just as risky as my little stroll through the lobby—if not more so. If Troy believed as Louise had, Clay wouldn’t be able to leave when it was over. He could be tortured in an attempt to force him to give up impossible information—the non-existent location of my equally non-existent child. I reached for Clay’s arm as the terrible thought took root in my mind. His fingers wrapped over the top of mine, and he gave me silent support. I dragged down a few deep breaths to calm myself.

“Okay, so if I make it through the lobby, what then?” I asked.

“Once you’re booked in, Clay and I will buzz your room,” Ethan said. “There are intercoms throughout the whole place, so even if we can’t get to you, we can call you. We’ll save the cell phones for absolute emergencies only. Then we can arrange to meet you in the elevator and get onto the right floors to start clearing the path and trying to find Mack.”

“There are a lot of ifs, buts, and maybes in this plan,” I stated.

“I know,” Ethan said quietly. “But we work best without a plan, don’t we, little bro?”

Clay didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at me imploringly, as if willing me to understand exactly how dangerous it was and probably trying to remind me of his earlier statement that no one would think less of me if I backed out.

“The most important thing is wiping out the anti-fae protections so we can have that extra back-up,” I said instead.

“I agree,” Ethan said. “Their assistance is crucial to this whole thing going our way. We’re going to be massively outnumbered, even with them, but they’ll definitely give us a much needed boost.”

After circling around our plans for another half an hour, and coming no closer to having anything concrete, we gave up and decided to get some dinner before turning in for an early night. We needed to be as sharp as possible when we launched our attack on the Bayview Hotel.