I drew the phone away from my face and stared at the screen. She knew I was calling, I didn’t know why I’d gotten the formal response.
“Hey?” I ventured.
“What’s wrong?” I caught it then, the burr in her voice. She’d been sleeping and had answered on automatic.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I woke you.”
“It was a power nap. I overslept the alarm. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I paused. “Nothing new. But we’re meeting at the Perky Perch to go over tonight’s plan. Meet us there in a half hour?”
“Where are you now?”
“Hospital. Checking in on Ben–he’s conscious, but under a spell we need to break. Jame and the pack are staying with him. Rossi’s going to the Perk. Ryder and me too.”
“And Bathin?” The way she said it, like she knew the answer and wasn’t judging the outcome totally made it sound like she was judging the outcome.
Thing was, I couldn’t be sure shedidn’twant him there.
“I don’t think leaving him behind is going to do us any good.”
I didn’t look over at him but I could feel his smirk.Feel it.Creepy.
She sighed. “Have you called Jean?”
“No. She was stoned on painkillers and catching a nap at the station when I saw her earlier. Before you say anything, I tried to talk her into going home, but she didn’t want to be alone. Roy’s with her. And either Shoe or Hatter said he’d stay too. She’s covered.”
“Hogan might be there too.”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Who else should I call?” she asked.
I sifted through the people, creatures, and gods in the town. Whose strength did we need? Whose life did we dare risk? Death might be handy to have on our side. If Lavius was going to be killed, it stood to reason that the god Death would be the most direct route.
But he was only a few months into his first vacation. If he wanted to wield his power, he’d have to pick it up from where it was stored in the beer growler in Odin’s travel trailer, and then he’d have to leave Ordinary for a year.
Maybe as a last resort, I could ask Than to do that. For now, having him as a consultant on the issue might be all we needed.
“Than,” I said. “Maybe Aaron, if you think the god of war would want to give us a few pointers.”
“Do we need Bertie?”
“She’s overseeing her own war.”
“Come again?”
“A bunch of C.O.C.K.s and K.I.N.K.s. are going to bomb the city. She’s got this.”
The pause was longer, then I heard air blown out in a stream. “The knitting groups?”
“One’s crochet.”
“Is there a difference?”
